Senses

THIS FORTNIGHT IN SCIENCE……

Lower Juniors

Our younger students finished off their unit on the ‘Senses’ and began an investigation into ‘Living Things and Their Habitats”.   This week they looked at ‘Mini-Beasts’ and where they might find them in their gardens or the school yard. 

Upper Juniors and Seniors

Our older students built upon the knowledge gained when doing Lava Lamps a couple of weeks ago and in the last fortnight made ‘Colourful Bubbles’ and ‘Fizzy Balloons’.  We have learned that Vinegar (an acid) mixed with bicarbonate of soda (or baking soda) makes a chemical reaction which results in lots of bubbles and the creation of carbon dioxide.  In the first experiment we enjoyed the bubbles and the mixing of different colours. We put the bicarbonate of soda in the dish first, then put in drops of coloured vinegar in different places and watch the bubbles we created, then mixed the colours.  In the second experiment we used the carbon dioxide to blow up balloons by putting vinegar in a clear bottle, then loaded a balloon with a heaped teaspoon of the bicarbonate of soda.  We carefully stretched the neck of the balloon over the neck of the bottle and carefully tipped the balloon up so the soda could tip into the vinegar.  Lots of bubbles created carbon dioxide to blow up our balloons!   We’ll again be using what we’ve learned in future experiments.  You can try both of these at home.  Ask your children what you need.