7th Age Science

Creating the Moon

2012-02-06T12:20:00.000-08:00

We began our Solar System unit in Seventh Age Science! We created the moon using glue, construction paper, and water colors. The bumpy surface from the glue represents the craters that cover the moon.

Touch

2012-01-26T07:37:00.000-08:00

We finished up our 5 senses unit with touch. The boys placed one hand in cold water and one hand in warm water, and then placed both hands in room temperature water. It was amazing to feel that the temperatures of the hands switched. The cold hand turned hot, and the hot hand turned cold!

We also used our sense of touch to find out what was in the mystery bags. The most difficult bag was the sand covered tape.

Taste

2012-01-17T15:19:00.000-08:00

We talked about taste during science this week. We found out that we can taste four different types of food: sour, salty, sweet, and bitter. Can you guess who tried something sour?

We see with our eyes

2012-01-05T17:26:00.000-08:00

We are learning about our five senses in Seventh Age science. Today the junior scientists practiced trying to place a piece of tape in the middle of the circles. It was interesting to feel what it we be like to rely on our other senses.

Nice try...

We also had target practice using one eye. We found out that we needed both our right and left eye in order to land the counters in the cup.

Earthquakes

2011-12-08T13:07:00.001-08:00

During science class the Seventh Age learned about earthquakes. We learned that earthquakes are measured on the Richter Scale and that when two plates in the Earth move they create a fault. During class, the students built small communities on a fault line. After the communities were created, I came around and moved the plates (the two pieces of paper) and rated the earthquake based on how long the community remained standing. The Seventh Age did a great job, most of the earthquakes were rated 3.0 or less on the Richter Scale.

Making a Volcano!

2011-11-30T12:24:00.001-08:00

Today we made a volcano in science class. We mixed 2 tablespoons of water with 1 tablesoon of baking soda. Then we added vinegar. Once we put the vinegar into the baking soda and water mixture, the volcano erputed and we were able to see the lava come out of the volcano!

Review Week with iPads!

2011-11-21T12:23:00.001-08:00

Today we reviewed some of the concepts we have studied so far in science. Using iPads we drew the water cycle, cumulus and stratus clouds, as well as mammals and reptiles.

The Water Cycle

2011-11-14T17:08:00.001-08:00

Today we made rain in a bag! We were able to apply our knowledge of the water cycle to realize the water in the bag had evaporated and condensed to form water droplets that looked like rain. We used soil, grass, water, and a straw.

Clouds!

2011-11-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

We learned about clouds in 7-B. The girls created cirrus, stratus, and cumulas clouds out of cotton balls. 7-B did a great job making the cirrus clouds thin and wispy and the cumulas clouds big and puffy. After we finished our project, we looked outside to see what the clouds looked like. We found a mixture of cumulas and stratus clouds.

Measuring Temperature

2011-10-25T11:54:00.000-07:00

Today we practiced using a thermometer. We read the degrees Celsius and Fahrenheit. We checked on the floor, on the window ledge, near the ceiling, and outside!

Fun With Fossils!

2011-10-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

Today we made fossils! We mixed coffee, used coffee grounds, salt, and flour to create leaf fossils. After we mixed the ingredients, I distributed a small portion of the mix to each student, and they pressed their leaves into the fossil mixture. It will take a couple of days to dry and then each scientist will have their very own fossil from almost 10,000 years ago!

Rocks!

2011-10-17T12:15:00.000-07:00

In Seventh Age Science we are leaving animals and moving onto non-living things; ROCKS! Today we practiced scratching rocks to see if they were hard or soft.

Fish!

2011-10-10T12:18:00.000-07:00

This is Fred the fish. He is very happy because he is swimming in a clean river. Unfortunately, Fred's happiness doesn't last long because pollution from toxic waste, oil, salt, and litter cause Fred's river to become polluted.

Below are pictures of Fred the fish after pollution occurred.

Bean Plant Results

2011-09-28T04:43:00.000-07:00

I wonder which plant did not get watered?

From a Seed to a Plant

2011-09-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

The 7th Age is learning about seeds and plants. We read a story about seeds, sequenced from a seed to a plant, and planted lima bean seeds. I wonder how long they will take to sprout?

Molly's Garden

2011-09-13T11:46:00.000-07:00

Today we found living and nonliving things in Molly's Garden!

What Are Scientists?

2011-09-07T12:02:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the Seventh Age Science Blog! We had an eventful first week in science class. The Seventh Age Scientists learned about what it means to be a scientist.

If you'd like to be a scientist here's how:

Be curious.

Ask a lot of questions.

And try to find the answers.

Which Magnet Parts Are the Strongest?

2011-05-10T12:05:00.001-07:00

Magnets attract things made of iron. Today we tested the bar and horseshoe magnets' north and south poles.

Friction

2011-04-27T12:07:00.001-07:00

Today we discussed friction! We compared how a cotton ball, car, and a ball rolled on a smooth surface, like a table verses a rough surface, like a carpet. We made predictions and based on our observations there is less friction on smooth surfaces therefore, objects travel faster on smoother surfaces.

Can a solid change its shape?

2011-04-20T12:32:00.000-07:00

We know that liquids and gases can change shape, but what about solids? Today we learned that even though ice is a solid it can change its shape when it changes its state. Ice went from a solid to a liquid when it melted. The 7-1 boys use great strategies in order to get their ice to melt!

Gases

2011-04-15T09:41:00.000-07:00

In science we are talking about different states of matter. Today we learned about gases. We mixed vinegar and baking soda into a water bottle and put a balloon on top. The balloon blew up from, the gas, carbon dioxide that was created.

Space

2011-04-06T12:29:00.000-07:00

Space Talk!

2011-03-25T09:54:00.000-07:00

Today we had a very special visitor come talk to the Seventh Age students about space! We learned about The Great Red Spot on Jupiter, The Black Hole, and what stars really look like. One student even knew there were 63 moons on Jupiter!

Our visitor was in attendance on March 17th when we placed the Messenger Spacecraft in orbit around the planet Mercury, which was the first time it was orbited!

Thank you for the visit and the fabulous questions!

The Largest Planet!

2011-03-07T12:07:00.001-08:00

Did you know that one thousand Earth's could fit in Jupiter's red spot?

The Last Rocky Planet

2011-03-03T12:02:00.000-08:00

Mars is my favorite planet! It is the closest planet to Earth, it is also a very rocky, windy, and dusty planet.

Today we read, You Are the First Kid on Mars by Patrick O'Brien. It explained what would happen and what you would do, if you were the first kid on Mars.

We were also able to watch a short clip about the red planet.

Our Nearest Star

2011-03-01T11:22:00.001-08:00

7-B Learned about the Sun today. We had a "guest" speaker read, There's No Place Like Space! to the entire class. We even had a chance to watch a short video that explained the order of the planets from the sun.

My (Mercury) Very (Venus) Educated (Earth) Mother (Mars) Just (Jupiter) Served (Saturn) Us (Uranus) Nachos (Neptune)

Fun Fact: Did you know that a spaceship takes three days to reach the moon and it would take more than three years to reach the sun?

Which Planet Are You From?

2011-02-24T11:47:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Solar System! We have covered the Sun, Moon, and the two closest planets to the sun, Mercury and Venus. Did you know Venus is the hottest planet?

Smell!

2011-02-04T11:18:00.000-08:00

This week the seventh age learned about their sense of smell. I placed five mystery items around the room for the students to smell. They gathered with their teams and made wonderful guesses. The most difficult scent was ginger!

Touch!

2011-01-24T12:06:00.001-08:00

This week, in seventh age science, we are learning about our sense of touch! I placed six mystery bags around the room for each student to touch and guess.

Tasting!

2011-01-19T12:12:00.000-08:00

Today we used our sense of taste. We tested the four different types of taste: sweet, salty, sour, and bitter by using sugar, salt, lemon juice, and baking soda. Everyone was excited to taste each product with different parts of their tongues!

Seeing!

2011-01-10T12:08:00.000-08:00

This week we are learning about sight! We started off by reading , "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" Then we played a game where we paired off, and one partner had to cover one of their eyes. The partner who had one eye closed directed the other partner when to drop the marker over the cup, in order to get it into the cup. It was really hard with only one eye! At the end of class I tested the students to see if they could say the color of the words, not the word actually printed on the paper. This activity was much more difficult than it looks!

Hearing

2011-01-04T11:26:00.001-08:00

We are learning all about our five senses in seventh age science. This week we are focusing on hearing! Each team had to come up with two guesses as to what was inside the mystery container. We had to use our ears because we couldn't use our eyes.

After we unveiled the mystery containers we tried a different kind of game to practice using just our ears. One volunteer sat in a chair and pointed to where the clapping was coming from. It's a lot harder than it looks!

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs!

2010-12-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

In seventh age science we are learning about weather. Today we created our very own "worst weather experience." Each student had to make up a story that incorporated the different types of weather we learned about. I saw a lot of volcanoes erupting with hamburger lava!

VOLCANOES!

2010-12-01T12:15:00.000-08:00

7-1 learned how to make a volcano!

Tornadoes!

2010-11-29T12:04:00.000-08:00

We are learning about different types of weather in science. Today, 7-A learned about tornadoes, tornado alley, and how to make a tornado in a bottle!

CLOUDS, CLOUDS, AND MORE CLOUDS!

2010-11-08T12:08:00.001-08:00

We are learning about different types of clouds in seventh age science. The students created cirrus, stratus, and cumulus clouds using cotton balls!

The Water Cycle

2010-11-04T07:13:00.001-07:00

This week in science we learned about the water cycle! The seventh age scientists found out that the water cycle is continuous, it includes: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection. We even made our own water cycle in class!

Animal Collage

2010-10-20T12:29:00.000-07:00

This week in 7th age science we learned about a special kind of invertebrate; the spider! So far we have covered all of the different kinds of vertebrates and a few invertebrates. Today 7-2 made a collage consisting of a variety of vertebrates and invertebrates.

Animal Habitats

2010-10-11T12:13:00.001-07:00

7-2 took a trip down to the woods to find 5 different types of animal habitats: mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and fish.

Is it a snake?

It looks like they found a perfect habitat for a reptile...

Nice job!

Amphibians!

2010-09-23T12:36:00.001-07:00

7-1 created their own kind of amphibian using traits from some common types of amphibians. Today we learned about frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders.

This one looks dangerous it must be a poison-dart frog.

Some students created a different kind of red-eyed tree frog. The "X" stands for danger.

Very creative!

Reptiles!

2010-09-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

We are learning about reptiles this week. Each class made their own reptile with Model Magic!

A sea turtle and a snake!

Nice Work!

7th Age Scientists

2010-09-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the 7th age science blog! So far the 7th age scientists learned about living and non-living things. Each student gave great examples and were able to classify each given item.

All students created a science journal which included living and non-living things found on our nature walk.

Great job 7th age science!

Dr Jenkner's visit

2010-05-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

As we prepare to head to the Science Museum and to see Hubble 3D, the girls of 7B were visited by Dr. Jenkner, the deputy head of the Hubble Space misison. The girls were so excited, asked fantastic questions and really learned a lot. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity, Dr. Jenkner!

Please check out the video below from his presentation. The audio's volume is a little low, but you can hear some interesting facts if you listen carefully.

2010-04-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

In honor of Earth Day we read Dr. Seuss's "The Lorax" and discussed what how the story applied to each of us. We finished by describing what we would do to bring the Lorax and his friends back. Several of our friends came up with a variety of "reverse factories" which planted seeds or cleaned the air! Thanks to these 7th agers, the Earth is sure to be a better place to live!

7th Age Science Rocks

2010-04-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

The Seventh Age science students are rocking and rolling this week as we learned all about rocks! We have focused on the three major groupings of rocks (Igneous, Metamorphic, and Sedimentary), their characteristics and how the "rock cycle" works. We all found it quite interesting that marble is formed from limestone, which is created from shells!

We also had several students bring in rocks from home to share with the class.

Below is a web we created as a class to visually attach ideas to each rock catagory.

7th Age Science Gets Excited for Spring

2010-04-16T19:06:00.000-07:00

The Seventh Age Science students are getting into the Spring Spirit. We have discussed and diagrammed the lifecycle of butterflies and planted flowers. We are excited to share our flowers with our Pilot Friends who will be planting them on Earth Day!

Tornados and Hurricanes

2010-03-03T18:03:00.000-08:00

Seventh age science is spending time learning about tornados and hurricanes!

After making our own tornado with two-liter bottles...

we spent time online creating interactive tornados.

You can try it out at home at: http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/storm-chasers/handbook/handbook.html .

Feel free to check out the storm chaser videos or learn more about the tornado rating system! How exciting!

Water Cycle

2010-02-25T07:41:00.000-08:00

How long do raindrops live? Forever!

Check out our seventh age "Water Cycle" diagrams.

The life of a rain drop is quite an exciting one, we found!

The Zoo Comes to Calvert!

2010-02-22T17:52:00.001-08:00

The Sixth and Seventh age students got quite a treat as the Baltimore zoomobile came to school! We saw some terrific creatures and learned all about them! The students had a terrific time dressing up as their furry, feathered or scaley visitors!

Check out our new zoo friends!

What a great audience!

Simple Machines

2010-01-31T05:49:00.000-08:00

What would you do with blocks, string, a pulley and a spring loaded scale?

If you were a seventh age student, you'd create a simple machine!

How? Check out their inventions below!

Students examine their materials before building begins:

Students measure the mass of their blocks they tied with string:

Students take their time attaching the pulley to string and blocks

Our simple machines were a success: after using our pulley systems, the blocks moved easily up the edge of the table (and our spring-loaded scales proved it!)

Our girls are quite the builders!!

Postion, Motion and Balance

2010-01-24T08:06:00.000-08:00

Our 7th agers are now tackling position, motion and balance. In no time at all they were demonstrating how position could impact balance and create or prevent motion! We had a great time manipulating the position of channels to impact the balance and motion of the marbles. What great scientists!

Check out this video of the girls working hard, it takes a few tries but they stick with it and are successful!! Great job, girls!

Learning about Gases!

2010-01-23T06:51:00.001-08:00

Our classes worked with balloons to learn a little more about our last state of matter: Gas. We demonstrated that air does have mass (a balloon without air weighs 2.5 grams whereas a balloon with air weights 3.0 grams!)

We also demonstrated that air molecules are impacted by cooling or heating, as we learned last class! We measured the circumference of a balloon, and then placed it out in freezing temperatures...Our balloon decreased 2 centimeters in 7 minutes! WOW!

Water Molecules

2010-01-23T06:42:00.000-08:00

One of our 7th age scientists asked to complete a gum-drop molecule project in class. It turned out to be a HUGE hit! We formed water molecules (H 2 O) and demonstrated the three states of matter with our molecules.

H2O as a solid (tightly packed):

H2O as a liquid:

H2O as a gas (lots of movement in these molecules!):

Liquids!

2010-01-08T19:51:00.000-08:00

We transitioned from solids to liquids by discussing how ice and water are two forms of the same substance. We then voted on whether water set outside in freezing temperatures would freeze before the ice cubes would melt in the classroom under a heat lamp.

We also discussed what makes up a mixture (all parts remain whole), a solution (such as salt dissolving into the solvent, water) and saw two liquids that just do NOT mix!

Sand and water makes wet sand...No dissolving here!

Buttons? No dissolving here!

Oil and water? One of our friends pretends to drink this crazy combination!

Our friends are becoming very talented at recognizing liquids. They worked in teams to draw and label all of liquids we use everyday! One team came up with over 40 common liquids!

States of Matter

2010-01-06T15:31:00.000-08:00

During class the Seventh Age students demonstrated how molecules act in solids, liquids and gases. They did a terrific job moving from a tightly packed solid, "heating up" to change into a liquid and finally breaking bonds to form a gas!

Boys and girls acting as solids:

Boys and girls acting as liquid:

Boys and girls acting as gas:

Fuzzy Furry Friends

2010-01-06T15:18:00.000-08:00

Seventh Age Science spent a lot of time learning about our most popular type of animals: Mammals. To learn about a variety of mammals, pairs of students worked together to prepare facts to share with their classmates about their chosen animal. From an egg-laying platypus (who also has venomous spike in his heel) to the sloth covered in algae, we learned a LOT of interesting facts and saw some exciting pictures! Best of all, the seventh age scientists taught it to each other!

Birds of a Feather...

2010-01-03T17:52:00.000-08:00

Seventh Age students have learned all about birds this fall!

We have even learned that some birds do not fly...If you are intrigued, feel free to ask any of our 7th agers, "why!?"

We spent time learning about interesting birds from the southern hemisphere...PENGUINS! There are many different types of penguins; (the two largest, the king and emperor, are the size of the average 7th age student!) but we focused primarily on our friends from Antarctica:

the Adelie and Emperor penguins.

We learned more about these penguins through: http://www.penguinscience.com/classroom_home.php; a website created by scientists studying the Adelie penguins allowing them to communicate with students around the globe! We even mailed the scientists postcards and made them a flag representing our class and our love for these amazing creatures!

We finished our bird unit by learning about birds that live closer to home...even outside of our classrooms! Using orange juice containers, sunflower butter and bird seed, we created hand-made bird feeders to attract local birds during the winter season. Each class created three feeders and voted on various locations around the school building. We also discussed the manyfactors that may impact birds' feeding habits...

what a great way to learn about our feathered-neighbors!

Cold Blooded Friends

2010-01-01T07:43:00.000-08:00

To learn about sea turtles, each seventh age class chose a turtle from www.tourdeturtles.org . This website tracks the movements of real sea turtles as they completed their 1,000 mile "race" back to their nesting beaches. Each turtle was swimming in the "tour de turtles" to raise awareness about a different issue impacting the survival of sea turtles. Students learned about the issues from their turtles, and watched live videos of the sea turtle tagging (attaching their GPS trackers) and release. We also watched videos of tiny sea turtles hatching and making their first journey down the beach to the ocean. It was a terrific way to learn more about the real issues facing turtles as well as getting to know more about our giant reptile friends (after measuring out our turtles shells, we learned that our sea turtles are LARGER than the average seventh age student!)

We also learned about land turtles as we adopted "Pablo", a Russian Tortoise donated to our class by an older Calvert student. He helps us remember that reptiles are cold blooded as he basks under his heat lamb while nibbling on strawberries and tomatoes.

Busy Busy Fall

2010-01-01T06:42:00.000-08:00

We have had a very busy fall this year in 7th age science! After establishing that all of us are scientists (all you need to do is ask questions about the world around you!), we practiced making observations and creating testable hypothesises...Our conclusion? We have some very talented scientists in 7th age!! When learning about displaying results, our 7th age scientists became quite skilled at identifying and reading graphs!

We then spent time learning about what it means to be "living" and what is necessary for all living things to survive. While in the middle school's garden, we realized that living things are EVERYWHERE! Some of our girls held wiggly worms for the first time!

We then moved onto learning about the five groups of living things:

Reptiles, Mammals, Birds, Amphibians, and Fish.

We will finish our bird unit after winter break, meet some exciting visitors and then we start our matter unit, learning about solid, liquid and gas. Be sure to check back to see some exciting new photos of our seventh age scientists in action!!