Making Goo

Everyone made their own polymer (putty) in science lab today! The combination of drops of food color created the variety of hues. Here’s the recipe we followed:

A solution is something mixed with water. To make the putty, we used a glue solution, added food color, and then stirred in liquid borax to create our polymer! Check out the variety of colors we created!

Thank you, Mrs. Frumowitz! What a great science lab!

Arrived!

The pencil pouches and school supplies we sent to Ghana have arrived! Thank you, Robert Tornu, for delivering them to the village of Mafi Tsati/Gborkorpe and thanks for sending us pictures!

Making Models of Atoms

To build on our understanding of chemistry, today Mrs. Frumovitz taught us about the structure of an atom.  Using Bohr’s model that compares atomic structure to the model of planetary motion, students learned about protons, neutrons, and electrons. The Periodic Table is complex–and often not a topic of study for elementary-aged students, but making a model of an atom helps to explain the basics.  We will be building on this understanding in our next science lab after Spring Break.

Here’s an example of our Bohn models:

 

 

 

 

Fun with Fibonacci Numbers

 

“Children are not limited in what they can do when they have mathematical skills because to a mathematician, “real life” is a special case.” ~ Unknown

We’ve been studying Fibonacci numbers in the MAC class. In the early 1200’s, an Italian mathematician Leonardo of Pisa (nicknamed Fibonacci) discovered the famous Fibonacci sequence. This sequence falls under the Mathematical domain of number theory.

The Fibonacci sequence: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21… To get each subsequent term, add the sum of the two numbers that precede it. For example, 1+1=2, 1+2=3, 3+5=8…

Tiling squares whose sides are consecutive Fibonacci numbers and then drawing an arc connecting opposite corners creates a Fibonacci spiral which approximates the Golden spiral.

This sequence of the Fibonacci numbers turn up in many areas of nature, as we discovered by reading Swirl by Swirl; Spirals in Nature by Joyce Sidman.

We even discovered that there is a type of poem called a “Fib” which is written in the Fibonacci sequence according to syllables per line. For example, here’s a “Fib” poem we’re studying in class this week:

Dunk!
by Gregory Pincus

Slam!

Dunk!
Soaring…
I’m scoring.

Crowd keeps on roaring.

In my dreams I’m unstoppable.

Notice the syllable pattern: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8

Be on the lookout for “Fibs” written by students (coming to their blogs in the near future!)

Resources:

http://fabulousfibonacci.blogspot.com/

http://oakford.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/fibonacci-day/

http://www.mathsinsider.com/cool-math-quotes/