Mad, Ears, October SIB, Booed

I am so mad at myself!  I have so ignored my blog which frustrates me.  I have been dealing with a double ear infection and it has taken about a month to feel close to "my" normal (I have a hearing lost in both ears due to chronic ear infections as a child).  So the double ear infections really diminished my hearing which was exhausting me by my struggle to hear, and the infection.   I could barely keep my eyes open long enough for schoolwork so the blog got put on the back burner.  Now I am back, close to 100% and wanting to share my October Science in the Bag (SIB) experiments for my school....

Kindergarten - Second Grade - Discovery Box
I made a discovery box of magnetic & non-magnetic items to explore using a wand magnet.  I got the idea from Pinterest (fav!)  at Chalk Talk. Mrs. Larremore used an open tray of items and a wand magnet to pick up the magnetic items and then sort them by magnetic & non-magnetic. I used a large clear storage container and placed various items in the container. 

The students then used a wand magnet to find which items are magnetic.  Then they were to journal / draw about those items in the science notebook & why they thought some items wouldn't move or stick.

Third - Fifth Grade - Floating Magnets
This one I really cheated on or you can look at it that I struck gold by finding floating magnet kits in our science lab closet.  The kits come with donut magnets, rubber washers, a pencil & foam base.  The students are to figure out that if you stack the magnets a certain way (The same polarity repels.) they will resist and push against each other and float on the pencil.  So far the kids have thought this was really cool.

Sixth - Eighth Grade  - ???????
This one I have not figured out yet since last month's "Magic" Ketchup (last post) was a little too challenging for them.  Many of the students just brought the bag back not even touched. Ouch!  Hmmmmmm?  I first thought of having them make a homemade compass by rubbing a magnet on a needle or pin which floats on soap in a bowl of water.  Again too challenging? 

I am really leaning towards sending the Floating Magnets home with them too. Not very creative but I think it will be a quicker experiments for those busy middle schoolers with all that homework and easier on me.  What do you think?

 

 

I saw this really cute Halloween linky party at Tori's Teacher Tips where you "Boo" other teacher blogs.  I think that may be my next post, barring no more ear infections or other cooties:)  So come back soon and see who I "Booed!"

Happy Fall,