Science News
Science in Term 3 – Learning Through Discovery!
Welcome back to an exciting Term 3. This term we start Science! Our students have jumped straight into hands-on investigations and thought-provoking discussions across all year levels. Here’s what each group has been exploring so far:
Foundation – That’s My Hat
Our Prep students have begun a fun and interactive unit called That’s My Hat, which focuses on the properties of materials. We’ve been asking big questions like What makes something waterproof? Why are some materials shiny and others rough?
So far, the Preps have:
- Sorted different materials based on properties such as texture, flexibility, and strength
- Tested what happens to materials when it rains, discovering which ones stay strong and which ones turn soggy!
Coming up, we’ll explore why certain materials are chosen for making hats and even design our own ideas for the perfect hat!
Years 1 & 2 – All Mixed Up
In Years 1 and 2, we’re exploring mixtures through the unit All Mixed Up. Students started by learning about real-life people in our community (and even fictional characters!) who mix things—like chefs, scientists, and even wizards. This helped us see just how common mixing is in everyday life.
Highlights so far:
- Discussing mixtures we use every day—like smoothies, paint, and even the dirt outside!
- Conducting our first experiment, where we combined cocoa, icing sugar, and rice bubbles to see how different solids mix together. The students loved observing how each ingredient behaved and what happened when they combined them!
Next, we’ll look at what happens when we mix solids with liquids and whether these mixtures can be separated again.
Years 3 & 4 – Packaging Pioneers
Students in Years 3 and 4 are thinking like scientists and engineers in our Packaging Pioneers unit, which focuses on the properties of materials and how they are used in packaging.
So far, they have:
- Explored their own lunchbox packaging to see the range of materials we use every day
- Tested the properties of lunch order packaging, asking questions like Which materials are strong? Which are waterproof?
- Investigated the tensile strength of different types of paper, discovering which paper is the toughest and why that matters in real life
This unit also connects to sustainability—students are beginning to think about how packaging can be strong, safe, and environmentally friendly at the same time.
Years 5 & 6 – Solids, Liquids, and Gases
Our senior students are becoming expert scientists in their unit on solids, liquids, and gases. They’ve been discussing what properties they think these states of matter have and comparing their ideas to the scientific definitions.
Highlights so far include:
- Making oobleck, a non-Newtonian fluid that acts like both a solid and a liquid (and is always a class favourite!)
- Testing and observing the unique properties of different solids and liquids
- Using scientific language to describe what they see, just like real scientists do!
In the weeks ahead, students will explore how matter changes state and why these changes are so important in everyday life.
It’s been a fantastic start to Term 3 with lots of curious questions, hands-on experiments, and creative thinking happening in every classroom. We can’t wait to share more discoveries as the term continues!