"Snow" Much Fun

Before the real snow hit Boiling Springs, it came to Oakland Elementary! OES students surpassed a goal set by Dr. Patterson prior to Christmas to donate 3000+ items for the needy. Of course, our students went above and beyond and we collected over 5000 items! Their reward was to play in the snow and have hot chocolate. So once we returned from Christmas break, it was time to play! They got to drink their hot chocolate first AND eat a snowball, which was cotton candy. Then, they took off their shoes and socks and played in a classroom full of snow. Frosty even joined them! It was a fun, slippery, messy time and their smiles were priceless.

What's the Matter?

We had been learning about observable properties of matter, so I had a fun activity planned. I placed 5 different white substances in bags and had each group predict what it was and then use their observations to test their hypothesis. And yes, they even tasted them, which worried a few of them until I assured them I wouldn't let them taste anything that could hurt them. But I'm glad they know to be cautious scientists when experimenting :)  By the end of the activity, they discovered each group had a different substance. There was powdered sugar, baking soda, salt, sugar, and flour. Needless to say, they weren't too thrilled if they didn't have the bags of sugar. It was fun watching them and hearing all of their wonders and observations.