ingridscience

Kaleidoscope

Summary
Make a kaleidoscope
Science topic (2005 curriculum connection)
Physical Science: Light and Sound (grade 4)
Materials
  • CDs - three for two kaleidoscopes
  • ruler and permanent marker
  • sharp scissors to cut CDs
  • black cloth or construction paper
  • two elastic bands
  • optional: wax paper and crayons
Procedure

First, cut the CDs in half with sharp scissors, making small cuts each time to minimize cracking. Some CDs are brittle and crack easily, and should be discarded at this step (image 1). Most CDs are slightly bendy and can be cut without cracking. Keep these ones for the next steps.

Use the permanent marker to mark the CD with parallel lines about 2.5cm wide, then cut along these lines to make strips of CD (image 2). It is OK if some of the lines remain, or if there are some small cracks - these don't seem to matter to the final image through the kaleidoscope.

Tape three sections together in a triangle (image 3).
Make a casing by rolling around with black material, black construction paper or thick black material. Use two elastic bands to secure the casing (image 4).

Look through the kaleidoscope at the world around you, rotating and moving it to change the image. A striped carpet is viewed in image 5. Patterned cloths work great.
Optional: cut a square of wax paper, draw coloured lines on it with crayons and secure over the non-viewing end of the kaleidoscope with an elastic band. Or push the waxed paper or light-coloured tissue paper into one end of the kaleidoscope. Hold up to a light to view. See image 6.

Notes

This activity works great, and is cheap, but is a lot of prep - for a kaleidoscope for each student in a class, the prep is a couple of hours. Consider making one per table group to make a set of kaleidoscopes for general use in the classroom (they are endlessly entertaining and thought provoking).
If you can find very stiff mylar that is a good mirror, it is much quicker to cut and fold using a sharp blade, so prep for a whole class is reasonable.
A good mirror is the key to a working kaleidoscope - some activity sources use the commonly found floppy mylar sheets - even when taped to cardboard, they are not flat enough to make good mirrors.

Grades taught
Gr 1
Gr 2
Gr 3

Mirror multiple reflections challenges

Summary
Use two or more mirrors to make multiple reflections and play games.
Science topic (2005 curriculum connection)
Physical Science: Light and Sound (grade 4)
Materials
  • small flat mirrors
  • a flat table
  • supports to fix mirrors in one place
  • dry erase marker
Procedure

Sit next to your partner and put your chins on the table.
Put a mirror between you so that, by looking in the mirror, you can see each other's face in the mirror.
Now arrange three mirrors so that you can still see each other (challenging!). The reflections will bounce back and forth between the mirrors.
With 4 mirrors, you might need to be at opposite ends of a table
See p.19 in the resource book.

With a dry erase pen, draw eyes near the top of one mirror, nose in the centre of another mirror and a mouth near the bottom of the third mirror.
Arrange the mirrors so that you construct a complete face from the reflections. (Challenging)
See p.20 of the resource book.

Grades taught
Gr 1
Gr 2

Mirror maze and writing

Summary
Write your name or draw your way through a maze while looking in a mirror.
Science topic (2005 curriculum connection)
Physical Science: Light and Sound (grade 4)
Materials
  • shoe box with a separate lid; one end of the box folded inwards
  • small mirror and tape
  • mazes and other written challenges, laminated for repeated use (see attachment)
  • dry erase pen and tissue to erase
Procedure

Print the challenges:
Print out the attached pages double sided, then cut the sheets in half to make challenges on each side of the two sheets. Laminate.
Each sheet will then have a maze on one side, and a written challenge on the other.
When the written challenge is read in the mirror it says either "DRAW A FACE" or "WRITE YOUR NAME".

Prepare the shoebox:
Remove the lid and tape a small flat mirror near one edge of the lid.
Open up one short side of the box and tape flat, to make an opening on one end of the box.

Show students how to set up the activity:
Clip the chosen maze or challenge to one end of the support board.
Place the opened-up box on its side, and place the board and maze inside. Place the edge of the lid under the other end of the board, so that the board holds the assembly in place (see first photo). If the lid still falls over, place a supporting box behind it.
Make sure the box is oriented to enable left- or right-handed drawing on the maze through the opened box side.

Students sit behind the box and look over it into the mirror, to see the reflection of the maze/challenge in the mirror. They should not look directly at the maze (though some will not be able to help themselves).
While only looking in the mirror, use the dry erase pen to solve the maze or challenge. It is hard, but a fun challenge for most students.

Discussion:
Students can describe their experiences. They will find that moving the up and down movements of the pen are reversed in the mirror - when the pen is moved towards you, in the mirror it appears to move further away, and vice versa.
This effect happens because the straight rays of light are reflected in the mirror.

Attached documents
Mazes and challenges.pdf
Grades taught
Gr 1
Gr 2

Mirrors

Summary
A series of activities using mirrors.
Curriculum connection (2005 science topic)
Physical Science: Light and Sound (grade 4)
Procedure

Students are told what the challenge is at each station.
Students freely experiment at each station with minimal guidance, so that they can make their own discoveries.

Discuss discoveries and pull out key concepts on light reflection (and angles for older students).

End the lesson with building a kaleidoscope each.

Notes

Science Club did three activities: Mirrors for looking round corners, Mirror symmetry patterns, Kaleidoscope.
New York After School programs did more.

Grades taught
Gr 1
Gr 2
Gr 3

Rock Cycle

Summary
Move through the rock cycle doing activities for each stage.
Curriculum connection (2005 science topic)
Earth and Space Science: Earth's Crust (grade 7)
Materials

Materials in the chosen activities. Plus a piece of (local) sedimentary rock e.g. sandstone, mudstone, ideally showing layers. Plus a piece of (local) igneous rock e.g. basalt for extrusive igneous and granite for intrusive igneous (with magnifiers). Plus, if available, some pretty metamorphic rock showing contrasting folded layers.

Procedure

Draw mountains on the board and an ocean.

Students sit in a circle around an erosion activity demonstration.
Discuss, while adding to the drawing, how rocks are weathered and eroded, washing particles into the ocean.
The valley formed can be discussed, but end on the layers of sediment building up in layers on the 'ocean floor'.

Students model their own sediment layering with the first step of the sedimentary uplifting activity, stopping after students have made their layers in the tray. Note how the layers undulate - they are not straight, just like the sediment layers on the ocean floor. (Don't let students shake or dig in the tray.)
While they do this, circulate with a piece of sandstone and mudstone, to show the layers (and maybe plant fossils). Students can feel the graininess of the rock but see that it has been so compressed with the pressure of sediments adding above it, that the layers are welded into a solid piece of rock.

Referring to the rock cycle drawing, and adding to it, tell students that a couple of things can happen to these sedimentary layers.

They can be pushed back up to the surface of the earth as tectonic plates move together, to uplift into mountains (add arrow to drawing).
Students return to their sedimentary uplifting activity, to push up the sedimentary layers, and then circulate to draw the shapes seen in the folded layers.
Show students images of sedimentary rock formations, and recognize some of the same shapes.

Or sedimentary rocks can be pushed deeper into the earth, where they are compressed further into metamorphic rock (add to drawing). This rock can also be uplifted - show a piece of metamorphic rock with crinkled layers if available.
If metamorphic rocks are pushed even deeper towards the molten centre of the earth, they heat up enough to melt. Melted rock is called magma.

Some magma comes to the surface fast when a volcano erupts, and cools rapidly on the surface to extrusive igneous rock (add to drawing).
Show basalt, a local extrusive igneous rock.
Other magma moves more slowly upwards inside the earth so that it cools slowly to form intrusive igneous rock (add to drawing). As it cools, there is time for the different kinds of mineral molecules to organize together to make crystals.
Distribute local granite and magnifiers for a granite study, looking for colours and large crystals.

Optional:
Show crystal formation with a student crystal painting.
As they work, circulate to help them find crystals and crystals forming, referring to the same process happening deep inside the earth during the formation of intrusive igneous rock. (Do not focus on the water evaporating to form these crystals, as this is not the purpose of the activity in the context of this lesson.)

Referring to the rock cycle drawing, review how all rocks eventually cycle back to the surface, from which they are weathered and erode to wash into the ocean again.
Discuss how many cycles there are in the drawing - there are several different cycles in the rock cycle.

Notes

This lesson used as Lesson 4 of 6 of a series on the Carbon Cycle: 'Rocks back to the Surface'
This is the slow cycle of carbon, as it moves through rocks
Good image of the whole carbon cycle at https://www.britannica.com/science/carbon-cycle

Grades taught
Gr 4
Gr 5
Gr 6

Sedimentary sand art

Summary
Make layered sand art from different sand colours, with a discussion of sedimentary rocks.
Science topic (2005 curriculum connection)
Earth and Space Science: Earth's Crust (grade 7)
Materials
  • Sand colours, in separate tubes
  • Small bottles or containers. I have used old cuvettes.
  • Small squares of paper, with a crease in, to use to pour the sand into the container
  • Tape to seal containers
  • Sedimentary rocks with clear coloured layers
Procedure

Students make thin layers of sand in different colours. Tap the container between each layer so that they settle densely.
Once the container is completely full, seal the top with tape, to prevent the sand from shaking around and the colours mixing.

Discuss how sedimentary rocks are formed, and look at real sedimentary rocks to see the layered patterns they make.

Notes

Included in rock study lesson, but better placed in a sedimentary rock cycle lesson.

Grades taught
Gr 1
Gr 2
Gr 3
Gr 4

Rock collection

Summary
Look at different kinds of rocks. Notice their texture, patterns, colours.
Science topic (2005 curriculum connection)
Earth and Space Science: Renewable and Non-Renewable Resources (grade 5)
Earth and Space Science: Earth's Crust (grade 7)
Materials
  • collection of various rocks e.g. sedimentary rocks showing layers, lava, mica, crystal, rocks containing metal ores
Procedure

Look at and touch the different kinds of rocks and discuss how they are formed.
Note: it is very hard, just by looking at a rock, and unless one is more expert, to determine whether a rock is sedimentary, metamorphic or igneous.

Notes

Rework to make more interesting.

Grades taught
Gr 1
Gr 2

Rocks: geodes

Summary
Break open geodes to find the crystals inside.
Science topic (2005 curriculum connection)
Earth and Space Science: Earth's Crust (grade 7)
Materials
  • geodes. Note that some are much better quality than others
  • hammer
  • old chisel if the geodes need to be opened cleanly
  • old sock
Procedure

To break the geodes into many pieces, put one in a sock and hit it with a hammer. This will make many small pieces, that can be shared among students.

If there are more geodes available, and each student can take home a larger piece, you can try to break the geodes open by breaking them into just two or three pieces using the chisel and hammer.

Grades taught
Gr 1
Gr 2

Magnetic race track

Summary
Use a magnet to pull a car/boat/luge sled along a race track.
Science topic (2005 curriculum connection)
Physical Science: Force and Motion (grade 1)
Materials
  • image of a race car or other racing vehicle (e.g. boat for ice racing, luge) glued to a coin (test coin is attracted to magnets)
  • race tracks printed out and taped to cardboard (not to thick - the magnet needs to work through it
  • magnets, one per racing vehicle
Procedure

Put a magnet under the card below the car or cardboard car/boat/luge etc, and move the magnet to drag the vehicle along, following the track.

Discuss the pushes and pulls: the magnet pulls on the vehicle through the board to hold it to the board. As the magnet is moved the vehicle is pushed and pulled around the track.

Students can design their own race tracks.

Grades taught
Gr K
Gr 1
Gr 2

Magnetic sculpture

Summary
Build a sculpture using a magnet and many small iron pins or shapes.
Science topic (2005 curriculum connection)
Physical Science: Force and Motion (grade 1)
Materials
  • one large strong magnet, or several smaller strong magnets
  • card or thick paper
  • small iron-containing shapes e.g. steel pins or nails (I use the blunt pins from a broken pinscreen)
Procedure

Lay the thick paper/card over the magnets.
Pile the pins or shapes onto the card, and arrange.
They can see how tall they can build the sculpture/what shapes they can make etc.

Grades taught
Gr 1
Gr 2
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