Written by: Mrs. Kamille L. Dawson
Middle School Science/Math Teacher
Bonne Année(Happy New Year)!!!
I pray everyone is safe, happy and healthy during these trying times. All we can ask for is patience and understanding with one another as we navigate the challenges we face.
Alright let’s discuss what our Middle Schoolers have been up to!
In Middle School we have a Friday activity called “Fun Friday”, where the students get to choose between a selection of activities that the Middle School teachers offer.
The activities last for three weeks and then another selection of activities are offered.
So…I had to come up with an activity that was Scientific of course but that also offered the students a chance to have fun! Let’s mix Science and food! Tada!! Science You Can Eat was created!
Three weeks, three activities, three Science lessons to learn and lots of grocery shopping! Our activities included Fibonacci Sequence Lemonade, Fizzy Lemonade, Growing Gummy Bears, and Microwavable dishes.
Fibonacci Sequence Lemonade
If you are not familiar with Fibonacci’s Sequence here’s the short of it.
In mathematics the Fibonacci numbers form a sequence where each number is the sum of the two preceding ones. Normally you can start with a 0 to 1 but the students used a 1 to 1 sequence and the goal was seven layers. A combination of fresh squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup, food coloring and H₂O was used to create the beautiful layers. However, the key ingredient is patience, and let me tell you Middle Schoolers do not have patience. Check out the photos below!
Fizzy Lemonade
What kid doesn’t like the opportunity to drink a chemical reaction?
Fizzy Lemonade delivered! In this acid-base reaction, students used Sodium Bicarbonate(base) and fresh squeezed lemon juice (acid), to produce Carbon Dioxide, and we added some simple syrup to sweeten the deal. Check out the photos below!
Growing Gummy Bears
This experiment came with Homework that everyone was excited about!
First the students started with a healthy gummy recipe where we used fruit juice, honey and pectin as our base. The students pointed out that we started with liquid but once the gummies come out of the fridge we will have solid. But the cool thing about these gummy bears and worms is that they are also semi-permeable which allows water to pass through them. So I tasked the students with the homework to grow their gummy treats by placing them in an edible liquid for an extended period of time. Check out the photos below!
Microwavable Dishes
This by far was my favorite Friday experiment, stressful but very rewarding.
It was basically the ‘Alaskan Baking Show Jr.’ with microwaves. First the students were educated on one of the most important Science created appliances of modern times. Students learned just how the microwave works and what elements are used in creating the thermal energy used to cook/heat our food. The students prepared two mug cakes and scrambled eggs with cheese!
Parents you are welcome for the free educational cooking lesson that was provided. Enjoy the photos below!
Thank you for taking the time to read my Blog.
Until next time I leave you with this quote by chef, author and Food Network TV personality Alton Brown.