Static Electricity

We loved carrying out our investigations with static electricity but our results were inconclusive and required us to go back and evaluate our methodology. We had some really thoughtful conversations about what could have caused the differences in results and what we might do differently if we had the chance to investigate again.

We were able to pose questions such as:

• Did the surface area of the balloon affect how much rice it was able to pick up?
• Did the cumulative total of rubs the balloon received make a difference? Should we have used a new balloon each time?
• Did the ‘back and forth’ motion of rubbing transfer some of the static back onto the person’s head?
• If we did it again, would using a single layer of rice mean that more would be picked up?
• Could we create an investigation that would measure how long a balloon would stay attached to a surface?

 Then we had a go at trying out some of our theories!

Properties of Materials

We have been testing out materials and their properties. It has been a great hands-on unit and we have enjoyed creating solutions, watching things burn and stinking out the classroom with vinegar! Here are some pictures of our latest investigations (mixing milk and vinegar to make milk plastic) and our double page spreads to show off what we know!

Model Solar System

To help us with our understanding of the solar system we used fruit to make a scaled model. We were very surprised at the amount of space needed to create our model and also that the planets differed in size so much.