Science News

Molesworth  St Campus

From Kimalee Fernandes and Georgie Murphy, Junior School Science teachers

Sticky, Spiny & Spiky

We are very excited to announce that we have 3 brand new members of our community at our Molesworth St campus. 

Sticky, Spiny & Spiky are all Spiny Leaf Stick Insects.

They live in an enclosure in the science room at Molesworth St. In the coming weeks we will be able to see them more and learn all about their life cycle and how to care for them. 

Here are some photos of them: 

Here are some fun facts about Spiny Leaf Stick Insects: 

• Stick Insects are herbivores: they only eat plants. 
• Stick Insects are nocturnal- they sleep during the day & eat at night.
• Stick Insects have holes along the side of their body which they use to breathe. 
• Stick insects can regrow a leg or an antenna if they lose one. 
• The largest stick insects can grow up to 90cm long! 

Prep

The preps have been learning about weather, and how to measure temperature. We used a thermometer to measure the temperature in the science room, it was 23 degrees celsius. We also sorted some washing into clothes for hot & cold weather. 

Year 1

The grade 1’s have been learning about the importance of healthy soil. We explored different types of soil and found that Loam was the best soil to grow plants in. We are setting up a worm farm in the science room, collecting our own fruit and vegetable scraps to feed the worms. We have also been discussing Australian bush habitats, and the importance of not removing rocks on bushwalks.

Year 2

The grade 2’s have been learning all about The Sun: Our Star. Did you know that you can fit 1.3 million Earths into the Sun?! The Sun plays a very important role in our life on Earth. 

We used chalk outside to trace our shadows, and then went back afterwards to see how the shadow had moved. We also made sundials & tested them outside.