Fossils are Fantastic

We have been looking at some fossils and trying to work out what they are.

What do you think?

A big thank you to Rex for loaning us these fossils.

Today the Year 5 and 6 classes were lucky to be visited by Julian from GNS Science. He spoke to us about Fossils and some of the most important finds in NZ.

Joan Wiffen wasn't a scientist but she was interested in rocks and fossils. She was the first person to discover that NZ had dinosaurs when she found a bone from a dinosaurs spine in Hawkes Bay. Before that scientists didn't think that there had been dinosaurs in NZ.

You can read more about Joan here.

Julian also told us about the dinosaur footprints that have been found at the top of the South Island. You can read more about this in Julian's blog.

Investigating in Science using a Model

We wanted to find out how pumice is made. We knew it was an igneous rock that comes from a volcano but not how it was formed.

Sadly it is too dangerous to visit an actual volcano while it is erupting so Miss Harrison said we could learn about pumice by creating a model to replicate what happens.

Luckily for us the model taught us things as well as tasted good!!!!!

We got to make Hokey Pokey because it is formed in much the same way as pumice.

First you boil up some sugar and golden syrup. This is like the hot magma under the ground.

Then you add the baking soda to create the eruption.

The baking soda creates a chemical reaction with the hot liquid to produce a gas called carbon dioxide. The gas makes the mixture expand and puff up as it fill with lots of air bubbles.

When a volcano erupts the magma explodes out as lava and also there are lots of volcanic gases. If the lava mixes with the gases it puffs up and expands.

As the hokey pokey cools the air bubbles are trapped in the mixture.

This happens to the puffed up lava too. It cools really quickly and traps all the air bubbles. The rock that forms is called PUMICE. That is why pumice is really light and can float - it is filled with lots of little air bubbles and holes.

When you observe pumice carefully it looks a lot like the hokey pokey.

Can the electricity get through?

This week the Year 2 students have been learning about making a simple electrical circuit using a battery, bulb and wires. They then tested whether electricity can go through different types of materials.

What they found out

• Electricity could only go through the materials that were made from metal.
• Electricity could not go through metal that was painted.
• Electricity could not go through objects made from plastic, wood, rubber, glass or fabric.

An object that lets electricity go through is called a CONDUCTOR.
An object that does not let electricity go through is called an INSULATOR.

If you want to play some electricity games then check out the links on the right.

Forensic Science - Fibres

This term in Science Club the students will be Crime Scene Investigators as they try to solve the mystery of the disappearing girl.

Each week they will learn a different forensic technique that is used to solve crimes.

This week they investigated fibres and fabrics.

A criminal will always leave a trace of themselves at a crime scene in the form of hair or fibres from their clothing. Forensic scientists examine these samples and match them to where they have come from.

Today we used our microscope to view a range of fabrics. We then looked at magnified pictures of the fabrics and had to match up the fabric to the picture.


Some examples of what we saw under the microscope:

The Amazing Life of Rocks

Wow - rocks are amazing. Did you know that there are 3 main types of rocks?

Sedimentary - Igneous - Metamorphic

The different types of rocks all have different features.

Sedimentary Rocks are formed when layers of sand, mud or small rocks form under the sea. Over millions of years it turns into rock.

Igneous Rocks form when magma cools under the earth or when lava erupts out of a volcano.

Metamorphic Rocks are formed in the earth when other types of rock are heated up and put under lots of pressure.

Rocks can turn into different types of rocks through the rock cycle.
Watch this Study Jam to learn what happens in the rock cycle.

This week the Year 5 and 6 students have been learning to identify different types of rocks. They used their eyes and microscopes to view different rocks.

Using the Proscope microscope to have a close look at the rocks features.

Carefully studying the rock.

What paper is the best to wrap a parcel?

The Year 2 students have been learning that different materials are used for different jobs.
For example - We use glass for windows because we can see through it. We use metal for a hammer because it is hard. We use fabric for clothes because it is soft and can bend around our bodies.

We thought about the different types of papers there are and that some would be better for wrapping a parcel than others.

Foil Paper Newspaper Tissue Paper

Each class looked at different types of papers and had to test which would be the best to wrap a parcel to post to a friend.

We decided that the paper had to be strong and waterproof.

To test which paper was the strongest we made a handle out of the paper and loaded the cup with marbles. The paper that held the most marbles was the strongest.

To test which paper was the most waterproof we used a dropper to put water on the paper. The paper that held the most water before it started to drip through was the most waterproof.

In this class the strongest and most waterproof paper was the foil so we decided this would be the best to wrap a parcel.

The students had to be scientists today by observing, testing, measuring, counting and recording their results.