October 5, 2017 - Bees
We learned about bees - what they do, why they are useful, and how we can help preserve them. We also learned about the anatomy of flowers and how they are pollinated.
October 19, 2017 - Bridge Building
We learned what factors and designs make bridges strong, then had a competition to see which table could make the strongest bridge out of spaghetti noodles.
October 26, 2017 - Floating Pumpkins
We learned about density and buoyancy and applied those principles to fruits and vegetables - we predicted whether or not they would float, and tested our hypotheses through experimentation.
November 2, 2017 - Sound and Vibration
We learned about the relationship between sound and vibration, had high-school students demonstrate with various instruments that they play, and made kazoos out of cut drinking straws.
November 9, 2017 - Magnetism
We learned about magnetism, then applied those principles in a competition to see which table could utilize magnetism to make the tallest tower of paper clips.
November 16, 2017 - Butterflies & Paper Chromatography
We learned about migration patterns of different animals. Then we learned about butterflies. Finally, we made our own butterflies using wet-erase markers and coffee filters.
November 23, 2017 - Thanksgiving Break
November 30, 2017 - Paper Airplanes
We learned about the principles that allow airplanes to fly (or not) - thrust, lift, weight, and drag - and modified the characteristics of paper airplanes to see how well they would fly.
December 7, 2017 - Elephant's Toothpaste
We learned about chemical changes and chemical reactions, then made elephant's toothpaste - the product of a reaction between hydrogen peroxide, soap, warm water, and yeast.
January 11, 2018 - Quicksand
We learned about soil types, then made our own quicksand substitute by mixing cornstarch, corn masa, and water. We experimented with different proportions to achieve different textures and explored the molecular reason for this phenomenon.
January 18, 2018 - DNA
We learned about DNA, basic Mendelian genetics and heredity, and traits. We then used differently colored beads that represented inherited traits to make bead bracelets.
January 25, 2018 - Planets
We learned about the solar system and each of the planets, then made a scale model of the solar system in the cafeteria.
February 1, 2018 - Coding
We used Code.org to launch an Hour of Code, in which students explored programming at multiple difficulty levels, including differently themed activities that reflect their interests, and with help from both online tutorials as well as high school students.
February 8, 2018 - Glow-stick Reaction
We learned about chemical reactions and the reaction that makes glow sticks glow, then made our own glow sticks in beakers using luminol mixtures.
February 15, 2018 - Circuits
We used Snap Circuits kits (that we purchased with Syamantak's and Mrs. Garza's grants) to make circuits that perform different things. There are multiple types of kits and hundreds of possible circuits.
February 22, 2018 - Math Tricks
We learned about many math tricks that can help solve arithmetic problems faster and more easily. Then students played math games with their table groups.
March 1, 2018 - Digestive System
We learned about the different parts of the digestive system and the roles that they play in digestion. We then made a simplified model of the esophagus and stomach, then practiced 'eating' by dropping smarties through the esophagus into the stomach.
<no pictures from March 8, 2018 yet>
March 15, 2018 - Spring Break
March 22, 2018 - Camouflage
We learned about camouflage and looked at examples of how different animals use camouflage. Then the students color camouflage onto cutout moths and hid them around the room. We held a contest to see whose moths could remain hidden after everyone had been allowed to search for moths.
March 29, 2018 - Animal Adaptations
We learned about different ecosystems and the adaptations that some animals have to help them survive in those conditions. Then we had fun with animals from Mrs. Garza's classroom: a family of hamsters, Spike the bearded dragon, Drake the snake, and Bowser the hedgehog.
April 5, 2018 - Volcanoes
We learned about volcanoes - how they form, the different types of volcanoes, and the volcanic hot spots across the world. Then we created "magma" with cornstarch, water, and food coloring, and made "volcanoes" out of cut plastic cups.
April 12, 2018 - Circuits pt.2
Because the snap circuit kits were a huge hit the first time around, on popular demand, we decided to use them for a second week!
April 19, 2018 - Earth Day & Recycling
We learned about the different types and stages of waste management, including what happens inside a recycling facility. We then repurposed plastic bottles to make piggy banks and used old t-shirts that students brought in to create reusable grocery bags.
April 26, 2018 - Ice Cream Party for Last Day
We learned how solutes change the boiling point and freezing point of water, then applied that to make ice cream! It was a great end to our 23rd and last week of CORES this 2016-2017 school year.
October 10, 2018 - Fingerprints/Fingerprinting
We started the new year off by learning about fingerprinting and comparing fingerprints and highlighting the similarities and differences between them.
October 24, 2018 - Acids/Bases
We learned about the characteristics of acids, bases, and chemical reactions and ended with a fun witch potion activity.
November 7, 2018 - Mimicry and Camouflage
We learned about adaptations and how they help animals survive and reproduce.
November 28, 2018- Elephant's Toothpaste
We learned about physical and chemical changes in chemical reactions.
January 30, 2019 - DNA Extraction Lab
We extracted DNA from strawberries and learned what purpose DNA serves to biology.
February 13, 2019 - Solar System.
We learned about all the planets that surround the sun and played a game to understand the workings of our solar system.
March 27, 2019 - OzoBots.
We played with autonomous vehicles to learn the workings and technology behind the machinery.
April 17, 2019- Snap Circuits.
We explored the basics of snap circuits by playing with breadboards and other electronic components.
September 25, 2019 - Newtonian Fluids
We explored the properties of Newtonian Fluids by creating oobleck with cornstarch, water, glue, and food coloring. It brought a lot of interest from the students.
January 22, 2019 - Adaptations
We learned about how animals adapt to their surroundings through camouflage. We played a Bird Beak Simulator game, and tried to eat as much food as we could (marbles, sticks, pennies, etc.)! Finally, we decorated our own moths and hid them in plain sight around the room, and the predators (birds) tried to collect as many moths as they could!
September 25, 2019 - Newtonian Fluids
We explored the properties of Newtonian Fluids by creating oobleck with cornstarch, water, glue, and food coloring. It brought a lot of interest from the students.