The Homeschool Scientist had a challenge to Investigate the Possibilities Experiements. In this challenge we were able to sample a hands-on science lesson found in the Investigate The Possibilities physical science series from Master Books. I picked bending a stream of water and was sent the experiment, the student journal and the teacher's manual.
Okay, back to the experiment... I asked my son if he could bend water. He gave me a puzzled look and then decided he could bend water when drinking water with a bend-y straw.
Um, next question...Using a balloon, could he move paper without touching it? Yes! He remembered that rubbing a balloon on his hair would make his sister's hair stand up. YEAH, Prior Knowledge :)
Using that prior knowledge, the paper moved up toward the balloon. However, if we rubbed our hand over the balloon, the balloon lost its charge. Next, we tried bending water by 'charging' the balloon again. At first, we could not get the water to 'bend.' (Charges from static electricity usually do not last long.) We then used a wool sweater to charge the balloon. (We also used a water bottle that would pour a steady stream.)
It worked! Now came the why questions...
This lesson did a wonderful job of explaining the "science stuff" of static electricity and molecules. It compared a water molecule to a teddy bear face which helped my son in creating what his water molecule should look like. We were able to draw and learn the chemical formula for water. We even made our own water molecule! But the lesson did not stop there. The lesson included 'think about' questions for the activity and 'what did you learn' question.
In case that wasn't enough, this lesson included a 'making connections' and a 'dig deeper' page. I loved this page as it encouraged him to think more about water in just the liquid state. This will lead to more experiments. :)
Overall, I was very happy with this experiment and the way the lesson was presented.
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