In our very first year of STARS, 2nd and 3rd grade students joined us for four sessions! Though we were cut two sessions short by COVID-19, we had lots of fun exploring the following subjects:
Students learned about the difference between observations and inferences, as well as how to use both to make hypotheses. They were then shown a baking soda and vinegar volcano and worked in groups to inflate balloons using the chemical reaction between acids and bases.
Students learned about their 5 senses and how they worked. For the experiment, groups of students rotated between different stations that confuse each sense, such as an oobleck station and an optical illusion station.
Students learned about the forces that govern our universe, including gravity and friction before working in groups to design the fastest ramp. The winners got to take a toy car home!
Students learned about our solar system and the characteristics of the 8 planets within it. Afterwards, they decorated their own planets using pictures as references, which were combined to make a class solar system model!