The fourth grade science class made a model of a cloud in a glass.  We demonstrated how water condenses in the atmosphere to form clouds, small droplets unite to form larger drops, and large drops continue to collect smaller drops until they are heavy enough to fall to the Earth as precipitation.  

     The bowl contains ice water and the glass underneath contains warm water.  

The third grade Science class compared honey with cornstarch suspension.  Try putting some honey in the refrigerator and microwaving some honey for a few seconds.  Which honey will flow faster?  Honey's viscosity, resistance to flow, decreases when it is heated.  

The cornstarch suspension, however, behaves differently!  It's viscosity changes with force applied.  Make some of your own cornstarch goo at home and try it.  

This lab was part of an introduction to the concepts of energy; its forms and its effects on matter.  We applied heat energy to the honey when we microwaved it, and we applied kinetic energy to the cornstarch suspension when we smashed, slapped, and tried to pick it up.  

Our assignment:  Follow directions carefully and independently to build a catapult using only popsicle sticks, masking tape, an index card, and a rubber band.  The results were great!  Our student came up with the idea to build a 'live action' Angry Birds game to go with the catapult.  Please come visit us at the Ruby Christian School booth at Tucker Day on May 12 to see the catapult project and historical background research.   

The Inventors Club is plunging into a study of boats.  We explored how boats have been built throughout history, starting with rafts, dugouts, and outriggers thousands of years ago.  We read about and found pictures of a variety of boats from different time periods and parts of the world, finding each place on the globe.  Then we studied the modern 'descendants' of the ancient boats:  whitewater rafts, fiberglass kayaks, streamlined racing yachts, and supertankers.  

     Armed with knowledge of boat designs and materials throughout history, the scholars now face their challenge.   

Build a boat out of recycled materials that can transport a two-pound rock across a wading pool.  What materials will you use?  How will your boat move?  
Check back to see how the challenge was met!   

The first projects for the Ruby Raptors Inventors Club will be recreating some of the greatest inventions in history and learning about the greatest inventors.  By taking a look at how problems have been solved in the past and how others have built various machines, scholars will gain insight into the problems they face.   As Edmund Burke (1729-1797) said, "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it."  Check this blog for photos of our creations as we 'reinvent the wheel'. 

The science class is learning to use a dichotomous key, a tool that allows the user to determine the identity of items in the natural world.  Scholars used the key found at http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/investigations/es0610/es0610page01.cfm 
and the key at http://www.rockhounds.com/rockshop/rockkey/index.html to identify rock samples.  

We used a hand lens to examine texture, a piece of glass, and an iron nail to test hardness, and vinegar to test reactivity.