SCHOOL: North Forest Pines Elementary

GRADE LEVEL: Kindergarten

PROGRAM: Property Party

INSTRUCTOR: Scientist Kim

DATE: Friday, November 15th, 2013

TEACHER(S) NAME: Ms. Lipscomb, Ms. Hunter, Ms. Maloney

Scientist Rachel’s Experience:

What better way to end the week than to explore some exciting science experiments with the kindergartners at North Forest Pines Elementary School? As an introduction to what it means to be a scientist, we learned how important it is to be observant of the world around us. During experiments aimed to help us discover different properties of objects, we extended our observations and formed a hypothesis to predict the outcome of our experiment. With some surprising results!

My visit started with Ms. Lipscomb’s classroom, where I was greeted by a classroom full of eager scientists ready to investigate. I encountered the same enthusiasm later in the day, where some innovative students recognized how we could turn everyday objects into surprising treasures! During this activity, we used our imagination to pretend we were stranded on a deserted island and our creativity to design items that we might need to help us survive. In Ms. Hunter’s class, Conner built an impressive raft (it even floats since it was made of wood!) and Graham in Ms. Maloney’s class built a shelter that could have passed for a mansion.

The most rewarding part of the day was by far the looks of amazement on the students’ faces when they saw how ordinary, small, white ‘rocks’ can transform into a beautiful rainbow of large, colorful crystals. The wonder will continue when they observe how those colors can blend given time.

The inquisitive students at North Forest Pines were a delight to teach, and I’m happy to say they were excellent colleagues in science! I look forward to joining you for another program that is “better than recess” in the near future!