Kitah Bet’s Slime Experiment!

This week Kitah Bet did a gooey, slimy and fantastic science experiment! We made our very own slime!

We started by gathering all our ingredients; liquid glue, baking soda and contact lens solution. We set them on the table in front of us and took turns telling each other where we have seen these things before. We remembered using the glue for making our yarn paintings! 

Next we each received our own mixing trays and spoons. Morah Te'Shaye poured some glue on each of our trays and we used our spoons to poke it and spread it. It sure was sticky! 

We wondered how this glue was going to become slime. Then Morah Kristen picked up the baking soda and asked, “What do you think will happen if we add a little bit of baking soda?” 

So we each took turns measuring one spoonful of baking soda and adding it to our glue. We mixed it in but it still didn’t seem like slime.

Then Morah TeShaye passed around the contact lens solution and we each squeezed some onto our trays. We mixed and mixed it with our spoons (and then our hands!), until finally we had a nice blob of gooey, white slime! The baking soda and lens solution were the activators that made our glue turn into stretchy slime!

Last, we each chose what color we wanted our slime to be. We each put a few drops of food coloring into our slime and mixed it in. Now it was ready for play! We squeezed and stretched and poked our slime, exploring its different properties and possibilities. We were most excited to take it home to show our parents! 

This experiment taught us how different ingredients work together to create something new; that we need to measure the right amount of each ingredient in order for our recipe to work, and that food coloring acts as a dye to turn things the color we want.

We can’t wait to see what exciting recipes and projects we are going to try out next! 

Safe Keepers and Music in KG/KD

Safe Keepers

Safe Keeper dolls are a special type of self-portrait the children created at the beginning of summer camp.

Using popsicle sticks, googley eyes, yarn, and fabric, and loose parts the children created their unique Safe Keeper dolls.

Each day, after unpacking their backpacks and signing in, each child takes his or her Safe Keeper out of one basket, says “I’m going to keep us safe!” and places it into another basket.

This is an exercise in personal responsibility, as the children are encouraged to remember their morning time routine, as well as a reminder of their responsibility to one another and the whole school family. 

Reading Music

Our thread of interest this summer is "young artist meets budding scientist!"

Music perfectly represents the crux between art and science.

The children have learned that the musical alphabet, unlike the regular alphabet, stops at letter "G" and repeats.

They have seen how notes on a staff relate to notes on a mini-piano, and even practiced reading and playing notes, and even composing their own melodies!

Volcano Experiment in KA/KB Summer Camp!

The KA/KB friends put on their scientist hats at camp this week by making their own volcano! We started off our experiment by eagerly gathering around the table to take a look at the mystery ingredients that were placed out on a tray. Morah Chaya asked the children, "Do you know what this is?" 

Levi thought the baking soda might be flour! Elliott asked if the vinegar was water. The children were tapping into their prior knowledge of other ingredients to make meaningful connections to unfamiliar ones. We learned that the white powder is called "baking soda" and the clear liquid was vinegar. 

We asked the children what they thought vinegar smells like and took turns passing the vinegar-filled pipette around. It was strong! We took deep breaths in just like when we practice Happy Flower. Some friends were curious to know what vinegar tastes like.

 

 

The children each had a turn to pour the baking soda into the mason jar that we used to make our volcano.   

                                                                                                                             

Next we asked them, "What do you think will happen when we add vinegar to the baking soda?" 

                                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                    

                 

The children noticed the baking soda start to bubble when we added the vinegar!

This experiment explored scientific concepts like cause and effect, hypothesizing outcomes and learning the interactive properties of different substances. It also offered opportunities to practice turn taking as we eagerly waited for our turns, and introduced new vocabulary.  

We look forward to continuing to discover the world around us with your children - "Where young artist meet budding scientist!"