Swimming Bumblebees

I just realized that I had not yet added the swim photos to  the blog. It makes me feel so happy to look at these pictures and remember the fun times when we were all together. I look forward to those times again. Swimming is such an important life skill and I am so grateful that at Seabury we are able to put it into our P.E. curriculum, The teachers are so kind and patient and the kids did a great job. Every Bumblebee listened carefully to their teachers and tried their best at every lesson. You can't ask for more than that.

 Straw rockets! Students learned about drag and that the lighter the rocket, the less drag. They watched as gravity pulled their rockets back to Earth every time. They aimed for rocket stability to keep their rockets from wobbling and tried different nose cones to see if that made a difference in the rocket's trajectory. Each child had their own straw and came to see that the wider the straw the more propulsion the rocket received. 

 A wonderful trip to Pt Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. So many amazing animal exhibits and the bonus of getting to see scuba divers in the aquarium feeding the fish and cleaning their environment. We learned all about the gear the divers wear, that you call them aquarists and that all the aquarists at Pt. Defiance are licensed scuba divers.

 A science experiment with Skittles and M n M's. Each student with their mentor made a prediction about what would happen when their skittles or their M n M's encountered water. After their hypothesis students took a plate and a cup of either Skittles or M n M's. They arranged the candy one by one around the edge of their plate. Water was then added to fill the plate until it just touched the candy. Students discussed dissolving candy, diffusing color. What happens if the colors are left alone? What happens if they get bumped? Can  you transfer the color to a coffee filter or a piece of paper? Students recorded their findings. The colors were beautiful!

 Thank you to all the parents who helped our Valentine party be such a great success. We had so much fun, passing out Valentines, working on a koala craft and having snacks. Thanks to everyone who attended and everyone who sent in contributions.

 Ladybugs and Bumblebees did a scientific experiment using candy hearts. Each student first made an prediction about whether a candy heart dropped in water, in 7-up and in vinegar would sink or float. Then, with their table group, they tried it. They then made observations about what happened to the candy when it was in the three different liquids. They recorded both their predictions and their observations. Students are continuing to observe as further changes happen to the candy over several days and try to determine why the candy responds differently in different liquids.