Grasping the concept of structure and function:

Kindergarten is continuing to investigate structure and function as you can see here with Mrs. Smith's class. Like any good scientist, we recorded before / after data and compared the results of our ability to put pegs in a foam board without and with our fingers taped! Most students saw a decrease in the number of pegs placed. Next we'll look at what doctors use to keep our bones from moving and brainstorm some ways to help our fictional friend Angelina with her broken wrist. 

And the winners are....

The judges were so impressed with all of the projects. In many cases only a few points separated the places, but they were able to choose the winners from each class. 

Lupiani
First: Jackson, “Does what a physician wear make the patient feel different?”
Second: Alaina, Nana + Lauren, “Time to Melt Some Crayons”
Third: Elizabeth, “Food Choices Matter”

Pirlot
First: Jacob, “Best Place for Bacteria Growth”
Second: Ethan, “How well do different liquids and light conditions help grow red bell peppers?”
Tie Third: Lilly, “Enzymatic!”
Tie Third: Elise + Maddie, “The Temperature Test”

Pizzuto
First: Prakash, “Electrolytes”
Second: Nathan, “What liquids work best for plants?”
Tie Third: Johanna + Kara, “Excellent Education”
Tie Third: Cavan, “Pressure”

Smith
First: Lucas, Howie + Henry, “Electric Potato”
Second: Ava, “Bubblicious”
Third: Amanda + Heather, “Candy Coke Explosion”

Stone
First: Allison, “The Golden Age of Sugar is NOT as Sweet as you Think!”
Second: Kendall, “A Plant’s Taste”
Third: Watson, “Mesh Speeds”

Swierski
First: Reed, “How do video games affect vital signs in kids?”
Second: Sila, “Does music with lyrics help people concentrate better or not?”
Tie Third: Carter + Ryan, “Drone Speed Test”
Tie Third: Ethan, “How do liquids affect metals?”

The following projects will be advancing to the District Science Fair on February 11th:
Jackson Hornsby, “Does what a physician wear make the patient feel different?” 
Allison Chaloupek, “The Golden Age of Sugar is NOT as Sweet as you Think!”
Reed Glaser “How do video games affect vital signs in kids?” 
Sila Karakayali, “Does music with lyrics help people concentrate better or not?”
Jacob Mark, “Best Place for Bacteria Growth”
Prakash Mitra, “Electrolytes”

Why yes, the world does revolve around me.

Second graders (pictured: Mrs. Woolley's class) are investigating how the Sun's position changes throughout the day. How do you do that in a 45 minute class? You use the Skyview app on the iPads to track the Sun's orbit throughout the day and use flashlights to create your shadows! After an all-class example, students worked in groups to gather data that we'll graph next week to use to help Mylo/Suzi/Angelina solve a problem about shade at the playground. 

Nothing to sneeze at -

Our friends Mylo/Suzi/Angelina have found a bunch of "weeds" growing in their school garden! Where did the come from? How does the form (shape) of something affect its function (purpose)? Mrs. Friend's class is finding out by learning how plants are pollinated, and taking a crack at how farmers might help them. 

Give 'em a hand!

Kindergarten is continuing to study how engineers consider structure (shape) and function (job) by examining the human body. Did you know that our fingers each have three bones, but our thumbs only have two? Does this structure change what our hands are able to do?

Mrs. East and Mrs. Colley's class demonstrate the model we made in class to take home.

Mountain Biking

I love getting outdoors and experiencing nature. I like to canoe lazy rivers and raft wild ones. I like to go hiking with my dogs and camping in the forest. I also love mountain biking! A lot of my friends do too, including Mrs. Dean. I can ride up hills better than she can, but she is so fast on the downhill that she is better than me overall. She also volunteers with Little Bellas, a mountain biking club for girls.

Little Bellas brings together girls ages 7 to 16 with female mentors in  programs which use mountain biking as a vehicle to teach the importance of teamwork, goal-setting, and fostering a healthy lifestyle. Mentors and girls ride together at local trail networks, focusing on improving skills as well as participating in team-building activities. The program is organized around a curriculum that builds upon previous skills, and girls are broken up into groups based on age and ability. After the group ride, the groups participate in games that incorporate that day's skill focus. The next session starts in February and you can sign up here: http://littlebellas.com/register/#fndtn-woodstock-georgia. 

 

Mrs. Dean (center) and me (right) with some friends at the top of Mouse Loop Trail in the Tsali Recreation Area overlooking the Smoky Mountains. 

Mrs. Dean (center) and me (right) with some friends at the top of Mouse Loop Trail in the Tsali Recreation Area overlooking the Smoky Mountains. 

Mr. Giunta's Holiday Break

Welcome back to school everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday Break and are coming back refreshed and ready to learn! I usually spend time in Florida visiting my parents, brothers, cousins, etc., but this year I hit the road. Overall I got my National Parks passport stamped at 5 different locations! Some of the pictures I took are below! 

Every Kid in a Park!

In 4th grade we have been studying one of my favorite things, the National Parks. After researching / reviewing climate, Native American history, European exploration, and previewing ecosystems the students will use Green Screen by Do Ink and Aurasma to create videos about their chosen NPS site. 

Fourth-graders and their families can visit all of the NPS sites for free this school-year through the "Every Kid in a Park" program. The students are taking home their passes before the holiday break, and I hope you all can explore some of our local parks (Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield, or Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site). I'll be out west for the holidays and hiking around both Death Valley and Joshua Tree. 

Zoo Atlanta's Panda Twins Receive Names!

(CNN) - "Zoo Atlanta's roly poly black-and-white furballs of cuteness, formerly known as Cub A and Cub B, have new names. A naming ceremony on Monday revealed that the giant panda cubs will go by the monikers Ya Lun and Xi Lun. Together, the names mean 'Lun Lun's elegant and happy daughters.' 
The pair are the sixth and seventh offspring of mom Lun Lun and dad Yang Yang. The ceremony marked 100 days since the birth of their second set of twins. The 100-day naming celebration is a Chinese tradition that the zoo also followed with the cubs' five older brothers and sisters."

The pandas at Zoo Atlanta are part of a program to help other pandas around the world. Loss of habitat (where an animals lives) has caused panda populations drop in China, where they are from. These panda twins will eventual travel back to China, but you can visit them for now, or watch them on the Zoo's Panda Cam! 

Dinosaur tail discovered in amber. Oh yeah, it has feathers!

The tail of a 99-million-year-old dinosaur, including bones, soft tissue, and even feathers, has been found preserved in amber, according to a report published today in the journal Current Biology. 

 

While individual dinosaur-era feathers have been found in amber, and evidence for feathered dinosaurs is captured in fossil impressions, this is the first time that scientists are able to clearly associate well-preserved feathers with a dinosaur, and in turn gain a better understanding of the evolution and structure of dinosaur feathers. - National Geographic, Kristin Romey

Who does this kind a of work? Paleontologists! Learn about them here: 

Elephant Toothpaste

We finished the semester with a big in the Thursday Green Paws class by making elephant toothpaste. Jimmy Kimmel's version in the video below is a little more intense, but we still pulled it off :-)

You can make your own by following Science Bob's recipe: https://sciencebob.com/fantastic-foamy-fountain/

Paintbrush Test - Garrett

Our Kindergarten students have been studying engineering, structure and function by reading different fairy tales and creating projects from them. After making towers (Jack & the Bean Stalk) and houses (The 3 Little Pigs), it all culminates in designing / creating / testing their own paintbrushes so the stories can continue at home! 

OK Go: The One Moment

I don't know of any other popular music group that embodies STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) like OK Go. All subjects are on display in their latest music video, "the one moment". The entire thing was shot in 4.2 seconds and then slowed down at different rates to match the music. Check it out!