Science and stuff

*Disclaimer*

Apparently I wrote this post and never actually hit post.  So this is an old post, but I didn't want to lose it.  So I'm hitting post now.  

So now that I'm back in the classroom, one of my favorite things is teaching science again!  I LOVED being an ESE teacher, but teaching reading and math and reading and math and reading all day long...

sometimes I think about how I would love to departmentalize but then I remember.

I love my school for many reasons, but one of the greatest resources we have is a science lab.  It currently also houses our Math coach, which means we can't use it 2 days out of the week.  But, I know plenty of schools that don't have a science lab at all.  So I know I'm blessed for having one.

What that also means is that (as long as no one else is signed up for that day) I can set the experiment up the afternoon before and everything is ready to go!!  One of my best friends teaches 5th grade next door to me.  We plan together and hit our experiments on the same day.  Which means we can set it up either the afternoon before or right before my science (my science is first thing in the morning) and then leave it up for her science.  It's great!

Also, do yourself a favor and buy a lab coat.  I got mine from Party City.  I wear it every time we go to the Science Lab.  But I put it on as soon as I get to school.  Which means I'm wearing it as my kids are coming in from breakfast.  The first time I wore it they were very confused.  A few of them knew that I liked to use the lab, so they had guesses.  Now, whenever I wear the lab coat they know that means we're going to the science lab.  And they get very excited about what we could be doing that day.

Our first science lab was that drops on a penny lab that everyone does.  

Essentially I was just introducing them 

to the lab

to my expectations

to the scientific process

to how to handle spills or questions or "I'm done, not what"

We were also able to talk about why we got such vastly different results.  

And why scientists complete an experiment multiple times before publishing their findings.

I know how lucky I am to have the science lab as a resource.  And (if I can stay on top of this and post regularly), you'll see that I take full advantage of it...