We set Scott up in the hall where he explained what liquid nitrogen was, and then proceeded to perform a series of really exciting experiments which included;
- Freezing & defrosting rubber balls - talking about the process & what happened. The children even got an opportunity to touch the cold rubber balls - they were so excited!
- Scott filled a balloon with air, exposed it into liquid nitrogen, and then when he removed the balloon from the liquid nitrogen the balloon refilled itself with air again - magic!
- A competition to see if Scott could fill a balloon with liquid nitrogen faster than Ari could fill a balloon with air. Ari did a great job, but could quite beat Scott - maybe next time Ari!
Here are some cool (excuse the pun) facts about nitrogen;
- Nitrogen is in a liquid state when at a very low temperature. Liquid nitrogen boils at 77 kelvin (−196 °C, −321 °F). It is easily transported and has many useful applications including storing items at cold temperatures, in the field of cryogenics (how materials behave at very low temperatures), as a computer coolant (a fluid used to prevent overheating), removing warts and much more.
Meanwhile in the Learning Hub, Alan and Helen talked to the children about birds and fossils. Alan talked about a number of existing & extinct bird species which included Kiwi & Moa. The children were given turns at holding a Kiwi skull + beak, and even some Moa bones! I now know that female Moa's were much larger than their male counterparts and this was clearly evident in the different sized bones that Alan brought in for us to inspect.
Alan also talked to us about Sharks which was fascinating. We learnt that Sharks have numerous teeth and that they constantly shed them throughout their lives. Some sharks can shed up to 35,000 teeth in a lifetime - wow! The children examined some fossilised shark teeth and even got to touch & hold a Megalodon shark tooth which once belonged to one of the largest sharks on earth!
We then wrapped up the day with a "Teaching Science" session for teachers in the Learning Hub after school. We got to talk to Scott & Helen about their work, and we tried out a number of fantastic experiments. It was a lot of fun, and we now have a number of science experiments for classrooms & the Learning Hub.
From Tuesday to Thursday I then shifted my focus to volcanoes. I had small groups coming through the Learning Hub for every available session, and we learnt a LOT about volcanoes! We watched some amazing videos, learnt what an NZ Volcanologist does, and we made our own volcanoes using baking soda, food colouring, and vinegar. The children made their own salt dough volcanoes which they will go onto decorate next week, and we had a great time making & examining lava lamps!
It has been a very busy, but incredibly fun week of learning about Science & I really look forward to sharing more of our learning with you as the term progresses!
Karin : )
The Learning Hub