Beetle Pull

Students tested the strength of the Bess Beetle's legs this week. They attached a harness and had the beetles pull paper clips.
Before they started they weighed their beetle to determine its mass. After performing the investigation students came to the conclusion that not only could they pull their own weight, but they could pull more than ten times their weight. Students made the connection that the beetles have strong legs to pull and push wood in their habitat.

Sled Dog Presentation a Success!

The third graders got a taste of what real sled dog racing is all about when Becki Tucker from Outlaw Ridge, Ct. came our school. Becki brought her team of siberian huskies and sled with equipment to share with the students. She spoke about mushing, team work, and her love for her dogs. The day was a beautiful sunny day, but Becki stated her dogs would rather have it -10 degrees when racing. The children realized how much work and dedication goes into the sport of dog sled racing! A BIG thank you to the PTO for sponsoring this presentation!

Structure and Behaviors of Crayfish

Students had fun examining and investigating the structures and behaviors of crayfish. They will be learning about their habitat and structures. As students learned to hold the crayfish they were quick to watch out for their pincers! Some students were not afraid!

Take a Look Inside a Green Bean

Our new science kits are here! Students took a look at green beans and found seeds. After collecting data on a histogram, they discovered that an average green bean will have about six seeds. Also, they learned that a green bean is a fruit because seeds are found inside. Students will continue to investigate the different properties of seeds.

Building a Community

The children showed their creativity and design sense when they built gingerbread houses this week. They constructed many different and unique homes from the variety of ingredients donated by parents. When they completed their homes they arranged them on a small map according to their coordinates. Thank you to all the parents for the many donations and a special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Ackroyd, Mrs. Roiu, Mrs. Foley, and Mrs. Wicklund for volunteering their time!

Water! Water! Everywhere!

This week the children finished up their study of water by making water wheels and looking at water quality. They were very successful discovering the locations of four samples of water. By looking at the color, clarity, and smell of the samples, they were able to determine they were looking at ocean, swamp, faucet, and dish water.
Finally, they worked in cooperative groups and made water wheels. Their goal was to use flowing water to move the wheel and lift a load. In the end, all groups were successful and some a little wet!

Evaporation and Surface Area

Students investigated water evaportion and surface area. They put equal amounts of water into a cylinder, dome lid, a beaker, and flat lid. After two days they measured the remaining water and found the container with the largest surface area had the most evaporation and the container with the smallest surface area had the least evaporation. In conclusion, if you want water to evaporate expose it to as much air as you can!