SCIENCE WEEK ACTIVITIES (21st-25th February 2022)
“The important thing in science is not so much to obtain new facts as to discover new ways of thinking about them.” - William Lawrence Bragg
To help children develop a scientific temperament some activities were organised for students of classes 1-5 as part of the week long celebrations. The theme for this year’s Science Week Activities was 'Kitchen Science'. The kitchen is indeed a great place to ‘study by doing’ and science has always been about doing and observing. Simple experiments were assigned to our students using materials straight from the kitchen, easily available and fun to do!
Class 1 students chose to observe- why do somethings float, while others sink? This is a question which all children often wonder about. The budding scientists of Class 1 decided to find out through a simple experiment using curry leaves, orange peel, some pulses, a lemon and a bottle cap and carefully wrote down their observations on a chart. It was indeed a ‘Eureka’ moment for them.
Class 2 students followed the scientific theory behind solubility of different substances found in the kitchen. In this experiment, students observed which substances dissolve in water and which do not. Using water, salt, sugar, oil, coffee powder, pepper they used different glasses and mixed these items one by one to see the results. With this one simple activity they were able to witness first-hand the concept of soluble and insoluble materials.
The students of Class 3 did the Apple Browning Experiment in which they chose apple to understand the process of oxidation. An apple on being cut turns brown in no time. They cut the apple into six slices and placed it in different liquids like air, salt water, lemon juice, vinegar, milk and baking soda. Hourly observations were neatly tabulated and they understood that while lemon juice which contains Vitamin C will prevent the apple from browning, Vinegar on the other hand does not have Vitamin C and therefore it accelerated the process of apple browning.
Class 4 students soaked certain pulses like chick pea, kidney beans and raisins in both- water and salt water, separately. They observed and concluded that different items when soaked in water absorb it and their size increases. When we put them in salt water they shrink. What a wonderful way to learn a complex process!
The senior students of Class 5 made paneer at home from milk. They understood the scientific principle, behind the coagulation of milk using something sour like a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar. The milk curdled into paneer, it was tied into a soft cloth and pressed down with a heavy weight in order to remove the excess moisture. The students understood the chemical irreversible change that took place on making paneer from milk while doing this process.
The week long activities provided all students with the opportunity to develop abilities of scientific enquiry. The science week culminated with the thought that science is a beautiful gift to humanity. It was a week of fun based learning experience.