STEM Education
F-2 Wicked Weather Incursion:
National Science Week
Foundation and 1/2 students were treated to a Wicked Weather incursion by Mad About Science to celebrate National Science Week this year. Students were engaged and excited for the entire hour. Students experimented with polymers to make fake snow, investigated the water cycle by creating a cloud and rain and also made a key chain with UV beads to assist students to test for UV radiation outdoors. It was wonderful to see so many curious minds, investigating and celebrating Science together.
Student reflections Year 3-6: National Science Week.
On Thursday during National Science Week in STEM we had a visitor, Amanda from Mad About Science. Amanda did 3 cool experiments with us.
The first one we did was to grow our own orbeez which was cool.
Then we got a small piece of a nappy and mixed it with water and watched it absorb the water and turn crystal-like.
For the final experiment, we mixed red cabbage water with different substances to see if the substances were an acid or a base.
The whole hour was all so much fun, I would love to do it again.
Jemma, Year 3/4
The 5-6 students participated in the “Mad About Science” incursion on Wednesday the 14th of August during STEM classes for National Science Week. All students learnt about Natural Disasters and even made some of their own! The students broke out into separate groups and made fake snow, a rain collector and even produced a tornado in a water bottle. We all listened to different types of meteorological disasters and listed them as a class. The students had a great time and were engaged in the whole process, asking questions and learning many interesting facts about this subject and how it relates to our Educational Research project.
Clara, Year 5/6
On Thursday in the grade 5/6 STEM class Jill from “Mad about science” came to our class to teach the grade 5/6 some science about ‘Natural Disasters’ which is also our E.R unit.
Jill taught the grade 5/6’s about the water cycle and how rain and hail forms from the sky. After Jill explained how the water cycle worked, she got us to break up into groups and make our own ‘cloud’. We had to put a pinch of salt in a bottle and put glass over it. Then we put ice on top of the glass and waited. While we were waiting Jill got us some instant snow (polymer) and we got to see how it absorbs water and forms snow.
We also got to make a mini-tornado/cyclone by having a bottle and shaking it around in circles. It looked so cool! We also got to see how our cloud turned out at the end of class and they looked awesome!
This was our STEM class on the 14th of August for National Science Week.
Maya Year 5/6
Staff Brain Break Morning Tea
Staff celebrated National Science Week by hosting a National Science Week Brain Break Morning Tea. The staff were extremely enthusiastic about baking/creating a science-themed sweet or savoury to share. St Raphael's staff also had the opportunity to participate in a Science Quiz and some activities that their students have participated in during STEM classes. Some of these activities included; experiencing fake snow, testing a coke can versus a diet coke can, to see which one would float and building the tallest tower with spaghetti and marshmallows as an engineering challenge. The morning tea was a great way to continue to promote science in our school and our lives.