Week 4

 This week in lab we started by discussing school of the wild. We reflected on the homework assignment and further prepared for our lesson plans for when we will be leading a school of the wild lesson. Next, we transitioned to a color wheel activity. This was a very engaging science activity that would be great for a K-2 science classroom. It is fairly easy to set up and execute. The students would really enjoy this activity because they would feel like they are creating something scientific when they blend the two colors and create a new color. It is also great for kids to learn the concept of primary vs secondary colors. Lastly, we completed our activity once again based on children play. This week we discussed and explored swings. The activity first called for students to think of pendulums that they have seen in their lives. I'm sure in Elementary classrooms, most responses would be playground swings. We wanted to explore how different factors would effect the number of swings in a given time. To do this we tied a string to a pencil and taped the pencil to the table. We tested how many swings the rope completed in 15 seconds with 1-5 washers on the end of the string. We found that the string swung 11 times regardless of how many washers were on the string. What did effect the number of swings was the length of the string, not the weight at the end. When we shortened the string it swung 2 more times in the 15 seconds. This experiment would be something that students could take to the playground when swinging with friends. It would help them understand that to go faster and higher, they should shorten the swing length.