Corvallis School district 509J

Hands on Science:
Science Kit Descriptions ~ 2nd Grade

>  Air & Weather:  Monitor daily weather (temperature, wind speed, rainfall, and clouds) using instruments and recording in a weather journal.  Look for patterns in the weather using graphs.  Use syringes and tubes to discover that air takes up space and builds up pressure when compressed.  Construct devices that use moving air to function including parachutes, propellers, glider, streamers, pinwheels, wind socks, balloon rockets, kites and whirligigs. Includes a Book Kit with a selection of books to supplement the hands on lessons.

>  Ideas and Inventions:  Investigate things that can't be seen with the naked eye and use the discoveries to make inventions.  Make rubbings of leaves and compare venation patterns.  Use carbon-printing technique to compare fingerprint patterns.  Use paper chromatography to investigate hidden pigments in water-soluble ink.  Explore mirrors to see new things:  reversals, lines of symmetry, reflection effects, and to build a periscope. Includes a Book Kit with a selection of books to supplement the hands on lessons.

>  Insects:  Observe mealworms as they grow, molt, pupate and turn into beetles, which mate, lay eggs, and die.  Compare mealworms to crickets. Observe milkweed bugs and painted lady butterflies as they progress through their life cycles.  Learn to care for these insects by providing an appropriate habitat. Includes a Book Kit with a selection of books to supplement the hands on lessons.

>  Solids and Liquids:  Explore solid objects and their properties; sort the objects according to properties and construct structures using the properties inherent in the materials.  Investigate the properties of particulate solids (cornmeal, beans, rice) by shaking, rattling, rolling, and pouring the materials; separate with screens.  Investigate the properties of liquids (water, corn syrup, and oil) and compare their behavior.  Examine the interaction between solids and water; test toothpaste to determine whether it's a solid or a liquid. Includes a Book Kit with a selection of books to supplement the hands on lessons.