In the Classroom: The Fireflies

Fireflies experiment with science

written by Joann Schock

Experimenting with Science

 
The Fireflies have begun exciting new investigations in science. The classroom has The Big Science Book, which has plenty of experiments to explore. 
 
The Fireflies really liked the experiment about bridges. As we read about the idea, the kids are quickly began to gathering the items needed. They got the books and the teachers found the poster board.
 
The idea was using a zig zag platform under a straight piece of cardboard and testing the weight of the books with two different designs. They got very excited when the idea with the zig zag paper worked!
 
The next idea in the book that interested the Fireflies involved balloons (of course!). We tested static electricity by taking balloons and rubbing them on our clothes to cause friction. Then we tried to make our hair stand up with the balloon! This experiment was a blast. The kids were laughing at their hair standing up and could not wait to have another turn. 
 
We also added cut up tissue paper (as suggested in the book) and tested the static electricity on that, too. The kids got a charge out of me (lol) when I was rubbing the balloon on my sweatshirt and it stayed on the wall. This experiment has been repeated in the classroom because of the easy way kids can do it by themselves with little help from teachers.  
 
We have also made a volcano erupt (it was pointed out to me that they aren’t real) and had two parents come in the class to do a science project with us. 
 
We have begun talking about meteorologists, a scientist who studies the weather, and have asked the kids to help predict the weather by looking at the sky. This was a great idea for incorporating the exploration in our morning meeting.
 
We are still going strong about science and we are looking forward to another couple of ongoing investigations.
 
Classrooms