3rd Grade Rocks!!!

Wow! It was so exciting to meet you all at Orientation on Friday. I am really looking forward to a wonderful year together in third grade. I can't wait to start our hard (but also super fun) work together down on the farm. I'm really looking forward to us all getting to know each other better.

Here is something that I spent time doing this summer that might help you get to know me better. I love traveling and going on adventures with friends. This summer I spent some time in California, and I was lucky enough to find some super scientific things there.

1. General Sherman
Maybe you're thinking that General Sherman is a person...you'd be wrong (that's what I thought at first, too)! General Sherman is a tree! So, why would people want to go see a tree? Because it's a special tree. Let me tell you some of the cool stuff I learned. General Sherman is the most massive tree on Earth. He is over 275 feet tall and is over 2,000 years old! He is a Giant Sequoia and is located in a national park where many other sequoias grow.
There were hundreds of people hiking around in the forest when I was there, so it was really hard to get a nice photo of myself in front of General Sherman, but here is a photo of me standing INSIDE another one of the sequoias nearby.

I also saw trees so huge that tunnels had been made in them so you could drive your car inside the trunk and out the other side. I could never imagine doing that with the trees we have around here. On the way out of the park, I also stopped near a tree that had fallen during a storm. It is called the Auto Log because you used to be able to drive your auto, or car, right onto it. Now it is decaying, so that would be too dangerous, but you can still pose for a picture.


2. The second super scientific thing I did was visit the La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles. Check out the link to learn more. They have a cool glass bubble where you can watch scientists work on piecing together some of the animal skeletons that have been found during excavations of the pits. Here is a cool photo that I took of some of the wolf skulls that have been found in the tar pits.
And here's how I compare to the height of a bear, which is good to know! If I had any plans to tell a bear who is boss, now I know that's not a good idea!


Well, those are just some of the things I did this summer. I can't wait to hear about all the cool things you did over the summer. Have you ever been to any of the places I described above? Do you ever want to go? If so, be sure to leave me a post, and of course, if you have questions about my adventures, I'd be happy to tell you more!

See you at school tomorrow. Go to bed early, and don't forget to eat a big, yummy breakfast. We are going to have an absolutely awesome time!

Go, Go Gravity Racers!!!

Our new science unit on force and motion has inspired us to make our very own gravity powered racers! We are developing vehicles that can travel down a ramp, powered only by gravity. The vehicles must travel at least 100 cm to be up for consideration for the pizza party prize!

As we build our vehicles, we are noticing some design flaws in our blueprints. We are brainstorming with our partners and talking with other groups to figure out ways to reduce friction and drag (air resistance), so that our cars can travel a greater distance. Some of us have discovered that mass has an important role in how far our car will travel after it leaves the inclined plane (ramp).

Check out some of our scientists hard at work!



Leave a comment if you've had trouble with an element of your design. Tell about your solution.

We're learning all about cells...

Hopefully, you read the newsletter with your parents this week. If you did, you learned that our new unit on cells is going to begin on Wednesday. I am so excited for this unit; cells are one of my favorite things to learn about. Some of you were a little confused when I mentioned cells in class today. I'm not talking about jail cells like the picture above. I'm talking about cells that are much, much smaller. We will have the opportunity to take a closer look at some at the end of the week, using a microscope. Between now and then, if you are wanting to do a little research on your own, take a look at this site. Also, if you scroll down to the bottom it links you to a really cool site called Cells Alive, where you can click on each part of the cell to learn about its function within the cell. As always, if you take a look, be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think!

In calendar math, we have spent the entire month discussing various three dimensional shapes (space figures). We have made lists of their attributes and even acted as shape detectives to spot them out in the real world. If you're still struggling to understand these types of figures, take a look at these websites.

Space figures

3D


Be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Energy Transformations

Energy is the ability to do work. We learned that at MOSH on our field trip. We also learned that it cannot be created or destroyed. Over the next few days, we will be discussing the ways that energy can be transformed (changed) from one form to another. For instance, did you know that you observed a transformation of energy when you built your circuits last week? Well, it's true!

The battery contained energy in chemical form. It works like this. Inside the battery is a metal rod surrounded by a special paste inside a zinc casing. The rod has a chemical reaction with the paste and chemical energy is released. When you connect the wires in a closed circuit, the chemical energy is transformed to electrical energy (inside the battery) that flows through the wires and is transformed again into heat and light energy in the bulb.

Can you think of other examples of energy being transformed from one type to another? If you're having trouble thinking of some on your own, check out the "Energy Transformations" link under "Out of Sight Science Sites." It has a cool game where you can transform energy to power a robot, a city, or a farm. Enjoy!

P.S. If you thought the diagrams we drew in class of Series and Parallel Circuits were complicated, check out this diagram used to design the circuits in a motor.


P.P.S. Just click on the circuit diagram to zoom in and take a closer look. :)

Alternative Energy Sources

When most of us think about how we would light up a light bulb, plugging it in or using a battery come to mind. Similarly, when asked how you would heat up water, many people would think of using a stove or possibly solar energy. Not many of us would think of a lemon or a peanut as a source of energy. BUT....they are! Here are some links to some fun experiments you can try at home to explore this concept. If you try them, make sure to write up a lab sheet (like the awesome one on the Jazz Standard wall that Emily made about the swinging cereal from the Bill Nye video) so we can share your scientific findings with the class.

Lemon Power!

Peanut Power!

Atoms are everywhere!?!

Yes, atoms are everywhere! We have been learning about atoms in our discussions of static electricity. We have learned that atoms make up everything and are made up of small particles like protons, electrons, and neutrons. Normally atoms have a neutral charge, or no charge, but when an object experiences friction or even touches another object, an imbalance can occur. Once an object becomes charged, the static will bleed off to the ground or discharge in the form of a static shock! If you want to read more, check out this site. It's a great resource for information and even includes some cool labs you can try at home! If you try one, let me know! I would love to hear all about it.