Whats Inside TikTok Colorful Slimes: Day 3

Today students had the chance to explore, design, and think about different types of slime, their textures and how they were made. Using observation to characterize them as sticky, gooey, viscous, or wet, the experiments provided sensory feedback to the brain to better relate to why slimes can be so interesting. Our student scholars already know he basic states of matter by 1st grade, so at KSL, we want to investigate the measurement and ratios that result in optimal slime, as well as the effect that random ingredients may have on a slime. By also trying to identify whether the slime’s state of matter, it allowed access to basic science. After investigating the materials inside of slimes, students were able to customize their own.

Students also discussed that while slime is sticky, wet and viscous (thick), it’s still a liquid and liquids evaporate and dry out if left open to the air. With that in mind students were given the option to use a condiment cup or ziplock bag to take their slime home. Occasionally, we will intentionally build our students fine motor skill by using pipettes, syringes, and small measuring devices that also allow our students the same specificity that science investigators use in their own labs.

Your child may come home with a customized slime they created in its own protective container.

What's Inside A Wall : Day 2

To a child, a wall can be a mystery. They know it signifies the edge of a space, but they tend to think of walls as barriers and likely have not realized that there is actually a bunch of stuff inside lots of walls! In class this week, we explored our walls and what’s behind them to find that our walls have structure. There can be lots of different things behind there like wires, plumbing, and insulation, but the structure of a particular wall depends on what room it is in and what the people in that room might need. Students discovered that in order to fit everything behind our walls, we must design them with enough support to hold them up and enough space to fit whatever else we need. We then gave structure to our own walls for a room that we specially designed!

Today and camp students had the chance to discuss and observe the walls around them. They had discussions on what could be behind them, how they were built as well as if different rooms had different wall structures. They thought about questions like how do walls stay standing up and how do people decide what goes behind them. Student were then tasked with designing their own wall with its own structures on the inside.

Students had several options to choose from in terms of outer and inner designs including wall paper.

There was a variety of different kinds of builds. Some walls included electricity, plumbing and insolation as well as some sort of outer design.

Your child may come home with a wall or room they constructed with both the inside and outside designed by them, including some electrical and plumbing connections.

If you are interested in seeing KSL kids explaining what is inside a wall click this link: https://kslchicago.box.com/v/whatsBehindtheWALL

Planetary Adventures and Outer Space Camp: Day 3 - The Atmosphere

Kids played with and tested materials in order to create an atmosphere that will protect their earth

Today, students had fun with the question of, what protects a planet from falling rocks? We discussed how our earth has a protective shield called an atmosphere and how it has the same job as a helmet. Students then had the task to protect their own earth balloon with a protective atmospheric layer. They were given a variety of materials to do so and made their own decisions based on what they thought would provide the most protection and safety. For the final test various dense objects were dropped onto their atmospheres to see if they were as strong enough to withstand large forces.

Kids go through a test to see if their atmosphere is strong enough to protect their earth

Your child may come home with an atmospheric shield that they used to protect their planet from fast moving, dense, objects.