ingridscience

Dancing magnets

Summary
A magnet on a string swings randomly and seemingly endlessly as it is attracted and repelled by other magnets. Can be used as a free experimentation activity.
Science topic (2005 curriculum connection)
Physical Science: Force and Motion (grade 1)
Materials
  • string to hang magnet
  • magnet with a hole in it (if none available, the string can be taped to the magnet)
  • tape, to tape the string to a table top (or use clamp stand or support for hanging the magnet)
  • 3 other identical round/flat magnets
  • flat steel base, to attach the 3 magnets to e.g. tin plate, oven tray or upturned saucepan (or use the base of the clamp stand)
Procedure

Adapted from the Exploratorium snack https://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/strange-attractor

Lay the 3 identical magnets in a triangle under the support.
Hang the hole magnet so it is suspended between these 3 magnets, and is attracted to them, but does not touch them.
Gently swing the suspended magnet so that it moves irratically between the other 3 magnets.
Adjust the height and position of the suspended magnet, and the positions of the other 2 magnets until you get best results - the suspended magnet can swing for quite a while before it finds a stable position.

Try doing with a really long string from the ceiling.

Grades taught
Gr K
Gr 1
Gr 2
Gr 3
Gr 4
Gr 5
Gr 6

Noise pollution game

Summary
Act out various ocean noise pollution to demonstrate how hard it is for animals (e.g. whales) to communicate with each other over the noise pollution.
Science topic (2005 curriculum connection)
Life Science: Needs of Living Things (grade 1)
Life Science: Animal Growth and Changes (grade 2)
Life Science: Habitats and Communities (grade 4)
Materials
  • Cards depicting different types of ocean animals and noise pollution e.g. blue whale, dolphin, cracking ice, ship engine. Enough for all students to have one. Repeats are OK.
Procedure

Show all the students the different cards and demonstrate and practice the noise for each one.
Whale sounds can be found online, though note that often the sounds are played faster so that we can hear them. This site indicates how much the sound is changed, including http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/psb/acoustics/sounds.html. The humpback and blue whale are the classic whale sounds.
Play one round with 3 students where all students are blue whales. They can hear each other's noises and respond to each other.
Then distribute all cards, and ask blue whales to find each other, with all the other noises going on - it is much harder.
This is what whales face with the increased noise pollution from man, along with the noise pollution already there from other natural phenomena in their environment.

Notes

Game physically worked with Ks, but message lost on them. Fine with older grades.

Grades taught
Gr K
Gr 2
Gr 3

Whales

Summary
Students touch real whale bones, and learn about blue whales
Curriculum connection (2005 science topic)
Life Science: Characteristics of Living Things (grade K)
Life Science: Needs of Living Things (grade 1)
Life Science: Animal Growth and Changes (grade 2)
Procedure

What are these bones? Who do they belong to? They are big! They are whale bones. (show blue whale vertebrae, grey adn right whale ribs and ear, sperm whale tooth, baleen)

If the individual bones are this big, how big is a whale?
Whales are bigger than us. Show the relative sizes of a person and an orca.
Some whales are very big. The museum I come from has a skeleton of a blue whale.
Is it bigger than us? Is it bigger than an elephant? Is it bigger than a dinosaur? It is the biggest animal that ever lived. (Show relative sizes of these animals).

Touch these bones. Are they heavy? What do they feel like? What do they smell like? (Show many bones that can be handled).

Where are your bones? Can you find your skull, vertebrae, teeth, ribs (same bones as the animal bones they are touching and seeing).
Show flipper X-ray and look at their own hand.

These bones have been cut so you can make prints with them.

How do you think whales talk?
Listen to blue whale song.
What are they saying?
Can you sing their song?

You have learned a lot about the blue whale and other whales: how big it is, what it's bones inside are like, and how it talks.
Read Big Blue Whale.

Notes

This lesson uses whale bones from a museum collection.

Grades taught
Gr K

Eye dissection

Summary
Cow eye dissection performed as a demonstration. Parts of the eye identified.
Science topic (2005 curriculum connection)
Life Science: Needs of Living Things (grade 1)
Life Science: Animal Growth and Changes (grade 2)
Life Science: Human Body (grade 5)
Materials
  • cow's eye (less easy to get from butchers now - try a science supply store)
  • razor blade
  • sharp scissors
  • tray
  • newspaper
  • soap and water to wash afterwards
Procedure

Directions from the Exploratorium procedure modified slightly:

Students can touch the eye before starting (then they should wash hands before doing another activity).

Cut off the fat. This protects the eye.
Make a small nick in the sclera to let some vitreous humour come out, then cut the eye in half so the front is separated from the back.
Here is the pupil, a hole - you can look through it now. Pull out the iris (black in cows).
The sclera is really tough - it protects the front of the eye - hear the layers with the blade.

Take out the lens.
If it is intact, put it on newsprint to see it magnify the words.
(The lens is good for the students to touch).

[Maybe take a break and add other lens activities in here.]

Look at the back of the eye.
Shiny tapetum in the back of the eye. Cow's are awake at night.
The pink retina converges at the blind spot.
The optic nerve emerges at the back of the blind spot.

Grades taught
Gr K
Gr 1
Gr 2
Gr 3
Gr 4
Gr 5

Market Meats

Summary
Meat shop that sells animal parts including bones, eyes, brain etc
Curriculum connection (2005 science topic)
Life Science: Needs of Living Things (grade 1)
Life Science: Animal Growth and Changes (grade 2)
Life Science: Human Body (grade 5)
Type of resource
Store
Resource details

Market Meats, 2326 West 4th Ave. at Vine, Vancouver

Bone slice puzzle and structure

Summary
Look at the structure inside a large animal bone. If a long bone can be made into slices, students can assemble them into a complete bone.
Science topic (2005 curriculum connection)
Life Science: Animal Growth and Changes (grade 2)
Life Science: Human Body (grade 5)
Materials
  • cow bone, sliced into sections (by butcher) and cleaned (with hydrogen peroxide)
Procedure

Assemble the slices of bone into a complete bone. Cues to how they fit together include the outside shape of the bone, the placement of the marrow hole, spongy bone and the hole for a blood vessel.

Marrow is inside bones. Red marrow, in spongy bone, makes blood cells (red and white). Yellow marrow, in the bone shaft, stores fat.

Bone slices like this can be used to make prints, if you are willing to let them get inky.

Grades taught
Gr 1
Gr 2
Gr 3
Gr 5
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