{Energy at Work}

We had such a great time and learned so much through our Energy Unit!

We first learned about all of the different types of energy (light, sound, and heat) and some of the sources of energy.

We tested out solar energy by making s'mores with a solar oven. Yummy!

We also got to speak with Coach Stricklin (Keaton's dad), the head baseball coach for the University of Georgia {Go Dawgs!} about energy and forces and motion. We were able to explore the difference between pushes and pulls and potential and kinetic energy. He sent us home with poster schedules and signed a baseball for our classroom!

Dr. Morgan (Will's dad), a neurologist also taught us about how the brain works with our nervous system to tell our body to move. It was pretty cool to learn about how our body communicates and makes those pushes and pulls happen. We also got to test out our reflexes!

We also completed two experiments with this unit that allowed us to explore how changing the incline of a ramp changes the speed of a car and changing the surface of a ramp changes the speed of a car. With both of these experiments, increased friction caused the car to slow down at a quicker rate.

{And the Winner Is...}

Our second grade winner for the Young Georgia Author's Writing Contest is...

Brooks Cass!!!

Congratulations, Brooks!

{Sweetheart Twosies}

Boy did we have fun celebrating Valentine's Day!

Here are the Twosies decorating their Valentine mailboxes. In order to be able to decorate their box, they had to find out the perimeter and area of one of the faces. Some even accepted my challenge and were able to calculate the volume of their box!

 

The Twosies conducted the Scientific Process as they experimented to see how many candy hearts they could stack before their tower fell. The initial experiment involved the hearts being stacked one on top of the other in one vertical column. The heart towers averaged 12-16 hearts.

After failing multiple trials, the Twosies began developing adjustments that would allow their heart tower to stand taller. The adjustments including using only hearts that were flat on both sides, building multiple columns that leaned on one another, and making a pyramid base.  

 

The Twosies' engineering skills were also taxed while they conducted the Cupid's Bow and Arrow STEM Challenge. They were given one craft stick, a piece of dental floss, and a cotton swab. The goal was to design and build a working bow that would shoot the cotton swab. 

We began soaking the craft sticks in water so that they would be more flexible. We quickly learned that they should probably have soaked overnight! They did not absorb water as quickly as we would have liked. 

The next challenge we came across was getting the dental floss to stay put when we tied it to the craft stick. This problem was solved by making notches in each end of the craft stick so that the dental floss would slide in and be unable to move.

Our final challenge was getting the cotton swab to stay on the dental floss as we pulled them both back. After several trials, it was discovered that we needed to cut the cotton off of one of the ends. It was then determined that we should cut a nock at that end so that it could hook on to the dental floss. Our final design looked something like this.

And of course, no celebration in our classroom would be complete without food! The Twosies enjoyed delicious chocolate fondue. Their faces were certainly evidence!!