In
the lab the Kindergarten through Grade 2 students got to learn about lobster anatomy
while visiting with our 5 year old lobster, Pinchy, who is the same age as many
of the students in the group. Pinchy was
a great helper in showing the students about crusher and pincher claws, how
lobsters walk and ‘swim’, and demonstrating colour variations in lobsters. At the end of the lab the students had the
chance to make their very own colourful lobster craft.
The
Grade 3-5 group had lots of fun in the lab constructing and testing deep sea soda
cup landers. When placed in the big tank
of water the landers sunk to the bottom but then floated to the top when the
water hit the Alka-Seltzer tablet in the ascent engine causing a chemical
reaction between the powdered citric acid and sodium bicarbonate which produced
carbon dioxide gas. Some of the students
tested ½ or ¼ of a tablet to see if it would take longer for the lander to
surface. I am anxious to hear if any of
the students were able to make their landers work at home.
While
in the lab the Grade 6+ students observed four different animals: a rock crab,
a hermit crab, a green crab, and a barnacle.
The students learned that these animals are all arthropods, which means
they have jointed legs and an exoskeleton.
The lab was filled with the giggles of the girls and the shouts of
excitement from the boys while working with the crabs. To finish off the lab we played a short game
of Abiotic-Biotic Pictionary. It was a
hit!
While
not in the lab the students watched the movie Encountering Sea Monsters in the
theatre and had worksheets to complete while exploring the aquarium.
I
look forward to our next session in February!
Pinchy the lobster!
Lobster craft - I chose blue!
Soda cup lander ready to explore the deep sea.
Green crab - boy, they were active!
The rock crabs just wanted to hide.
