Got Science?
The Huntington Intermediate School rotunda was effectively transformed into a satellite branch of the New York Hall of Science when the prestigious Queens museum brought their educational outreach program of specialized workshops onto the campus, much to the delight of the school’s fourth graders.
The youngsters each participated in a pair of lab sessions spread over a four day period. The enlightening workshops helped children learn about key scientific concepts, which will come in handy as they prepare for the upcoming state science exams.
The first of the workshops was a one-hour lab called “All Charged Up.” Ever wonder what makes your hair stand on end? What about from a scientific standpoint? Ask a fourth grader who participated in “All Charged Up.” They’ll tell you about a man named Vandegraff - the first to study electric fields in a precise way - and the hair-raising electrostatic generator named in his honor.
In addition to demonstrations that resulted in students having a bad hair day, the youngsters also learned how to make simple circuits and to distinguish between conductors and insulators. And that’s just the half of it.
The second workshop, “Float, Sink or Flink,” was comprised of numerous hands-on activities that helped students understand more about mass, volume and density. One note: “Flink” is a made up word that refers to objects that have the same density as water, so it can sink or float, depending on how you put it in the water.
Are you as smart as a fourth grader? You would be after you conducted these experiments. For instance, did you know that ivory soap is less dense than other soaps and that’s why it floats in water? How about this one: Which has more mass to it: A marble or a Styrofoam block? Believe it or not, the Styrofoam block is heavier.
“The students were surprised by the results of each experiment,” teacher Jim Lauter said. “One activity involved placing drops of five different liquids in a cup. By predicting the order they would end up, the children would see that the heavier liquids would go to the bottom while liquids with less density would float closer to the top. The results from most to least were: Maple syrup, followed by mouthwash, oil, soap and alcohol, the least dense, on top.”
Offering two worthwhile labs to fourth graders as a refresher right before the State Science testing was the idea of SEARCH program Chairperson Maryann Daly, who coordinated the workshops with Hall of Science Director Frank Signorello.
Once Huntington Director of Science, Ken Graham, was able to secure the funds for the labs, the workshops were scheduled. According to Mr. Signorello, the benefits of the labs are numerous. “It gives the children confidence and a feeling of comfort going into the test,” he said. “Besides that, they’re also a lot of fun,” added Mr. Lauter.
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