Grade 2 students at CAPE experiment with pop rocks and Coke during science day Friday. Clockwise from left: Liam Gayle, Taranvir Chahal and Zaina Ibrahim.--NEWS PHOTO JEREMY APPEL
Students from kindergarten to Grade 3 at the Centre for Academic and Personal Excellence charter school received a hands-on scientific learning experience Friday.
The annual “science day” occurs the day prior to the school’s older students participating in their science fair, giving students of all ages the opportunity to demonstrate their scientific knowledge.
“Kids learn best from hands-on activities,” says CAPE vice principal Cali Berard. “The kindergartens to Grade 3s don’t do science fair, so they still get a similar type of activity without all of the extra reports.”
In the morning, the young ones rotate classrooms, which have various activities. For instance, one focused on the human skeleton, while another class experimented with pop rocks and Coke, and another built stethoscopes from paper towel rolls.
In the afternoon, the students frequented the gymnasium, where they rotated through more practical scientific activities, such as cooking, as well as arts and crafts.
Berard highlighted the “great deal of diversity” in the range of activities.
“At some point you’re going to find something that you’re really interested in. You’re going to find something really cool,” she said. “If you’re in the classroom and are watching the children, their faces are just lit up and they’re having a blast.”
Grade 1 teacher Susan Wheeler’s students were working on puzzles of the human skeleton when she spoke with the News.
Earlier, they had done an activity where they were split into partners, painted each other’s hands, made a print of them and then pasted Q-Tips over top to represent the bones in the hands and wrist.
“We talked about the fun names of bones, like metatarsal and fibia. They know which is the smallest bone, which is the stapes in the ear, and the largest one is the femur,” said Wheeler.
She said she’s experienced “total engagement” from her students.
“Everybody’s paying attention. Everybody’s excited. Everybody’s engaged in every activity,” Wheeler said.
