A science lesson to blow their socks off please..

[robinpud]

It's science week at school and my firstday on Thursday working with a year 3 class I will be covering for the rest of the year. I am not a year 3 person.. this is a step up from my normal age group. I want to do an inspiring practical science session that will endear me to them . We have various resources but have just moved into a brand new build and I'm not sure where too much is..

Any experts who can fire up my creativity please?

volcanos

I was always fond of the demonstration of the power of a vacuum with a lighted spill, a bell jar and a hard-boiled egg.

rockets from pop bottles

Chromatography with smarties?

What topic are you teaching?

I like the egg in a bottle (NB, not the power of a vacuum, but the power of air pressure if we are being pedantic) but the right size milk bottles can be hard to get.

Flame thrower flame tests are rather cool

Corn starch as a non thxiotropic liquid is ace

Minto in a coke bottle is also similarly arresting (for even more oomph and a chemical rather than just a physical process try a calgon tablet!)

custard as a solid

coke and mentos look impressive

I've a book that has an experiment on extracting your own DNA using household stuff .. DS (year 2) would be interested but he's an odd child

I stand corrected MB - but hell, it's over 30 yrs since I did science

film canisters and alka seltzers is always good there are loads of ideas in how to fossilize your hamster from the new scientist

The custard powder/corn starch thing is good, because they can have a go, but it can be messy

Do you just want a 'wow' lesson, or do you want to actually teach them something in the curriculum?

I've just had to look up thixotropic ... sounds cool

I have custard powder AND corn starch

what do you do? and what does it mean scientifically?

it is the school hols you know

So many ideas.. sorry just popped off to do my online shop.

MB- No need to " teach" them anything. I want fun, memorable and easy to set up. Demanding aren't I?

I like the smarties and chromatography one.. need more details please...

Messy is fine.. it's a state of the art build where we all wear slippers so a little bit of mess is way overdue.

Something they can all have a go at sounds fab...

Thanks everyone so far.. more details please

the cornflour thing

the 'feel the vibrations with a tuning fork' - not as exciting but makes water 'fizz', ping pong balls suspended from string have a mind of their own and (you may not want to do this in the classroom) makes the tip of your nose tingle

Will try to think of some other primary based stuff

the coke and minto is fab too

how about a circuit of several activities then for different topics that they can move around in groups?

could they handle this?

Put a smartie in the middle of a piece of filter paper and use a pipette to drop water on it. The colours will leach out so for eg you will get a yellow and a red stain on the paper. Brown is best of course but they can have fun experimenting with all the different colours of smartie. Very much a doing lesson rather than a demo and they can do some simple recording to be used alongside the experiments as part of a quick display

A lot of primary schools often won't have filter paper and pipettes....

chromotography is fun though

www.fatlion.com/science/
pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/
www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/pringles_pinhole.html
www.unit5.org/christjs/Potato%20Battery.htm

cornflour thing.. is this a volcano simulation?

I definitely like the smarties thing.. am wondering if it works with skittles etc!

copper money in coke
or a tooth if someone will donate one....

They should do popsycal! We do loads of practical investigations requiring basic equipment like this.

eat a polo while holding your nose

daft little one but fun