More Kzena Science

Over this year I've noticed a change in Kzena in regard to science.  She is really starting to like it.  Such a change from the beginning when she would look at me and ask, "WHY are we doing this?" But now she says, science and art (drawing) are her favourite subjects. 

I haven't been taking enough photos of the experiments that Kzena has done.  Actually, hardly any! (Though I think I might have lost some somewhere along the line because I do remember taking a some of some of these.)   In this third term of Physical Science she's done some pretty fun things:  Learned about sound being created by vibration, and pitch changing by the amount of vibration - for this we had a string attached to spoons made of different material and wacked them onto a chair to create different sounds.  She made a cup string guitar - the string plucked at different tightness made the pitch vary.  We filled two balloons, one with water and one with air, to see how the sound travels through a denser material.  I think throwing the water balloon at the fence was the most fun! 

We did a few experiments to show action/reaction (Newton's third law of motion), and learned about shape affecting flight. 

We also learned about simple machines while the boys were working on their K'nex unit.  So Kzena made some K'nex projects to show some levers and we lifted a few toys with a pulley system.  

We did a few lessons on light, which just happened (because I certainly didn't look plan it that way) to fit within the same time frame as the boys' light unit. So while she was learning about reflection and refraction, they were too.  A great reinforcement of materials for them all!   

 Water can magnify.

Friction was next. Here she is driving a car down a ramp with different surfaces.  Ezra brought us some Lego pieces and a dolly to show how it's easier to move with wheels.  After putting Vaseline on  her index finger on one hand she rubbed that finger together with her thumb, doing the same with the other hand, minus the Vaseline, to see how an oil can reduce friction.

To finish off her year we ended with magnets.  She learned magnets have a north and south pole, opposite poles attract and likes repel.  That only metal and not all metals are magnetic.  She thought it was pretty cool that the magnet didn't stick to my pot she was holding, fell and landed in another pot in the drawer.  She picked up that pot and the magnet stuck.  After I dumped sawdust, salt and iron fillings into a dish and told her to take all the little black things out she looked quite horrified.  A magnet to the rescue!!   It's fun to watch her be excited about learning new things and even more fun to hear her show Zaraya all the cool things magnets can do and then listen to her tell Daddy as we sit around the dinner table.