Multipurpose Room 1, affectionately known as the science lab, got a work-out today!  Middle School students enjoyed all classes in the lab today.  The sixth grade study Earth Science and have been studying volcanoes.  We tried the old baking soda and vinegar model earlier and although fun and messy, really didn’t simulate a volcano as much as a chemical reaction.  Today, we watched a demonstration that better simulated a volcanic eruption.  We had a great discussion and learned what variables we could change in the demonstration to truly make it an experiment.

Seventh grade studies Life Science and we have been learning about DNA.  We have had labs helping us learn base-pairs, we made edible DNA with licorice and marshmallows, and today we actually extracted DNA from strawberries – a bit of work, very messy, and way cool!

Eighth grade studies Physical Science and we are learning about simple machines.  Today, we had a competition to see which group could build a catapult (a lever) that would launch foil balls the farthest.  The students worked in small groups and using strawberry baskets, straws, rubber bands, wood blocks, magnets, string, nails, popsicle sticks, and paper rolls created their machines.  Wonderful collaboration as they tested their machines, identified the input force, output force, and the fulcrum and made adjustments. The winning machine…launched the foil ball clear across the room…Congratulations Girls!!