Science Tools

In order to become scientists, we need to now how to use tools the right way.  Scientists use tools to help them observe, experiment, and learn about the world around them.  As new scientists, we might not know how to use these tools.  Below is our experience learning about and using our tools.

The first thing we did was discuss the importance of safety.  We went over guidelines and discussed terms of a contract we put in our science notebooks.  This is something we refer back to weekly (or daily if needed!)

Every few days I introduce a science tool.  We discuss what they are made of, what they are used for, what the tools tell us, how we can use them in the classroom, and how the tools can help us become better scientists.  From there we use the tools.  Most of the time it has been something small, like using tweezers to grab the rocks out of the sand box.  By using the tools for a task, we are practicing how to use them correctly.

More recently we used two tools at once to help with our first experiment.  We answered, "how many drops of water can fit on a penny?"  We made predictions based on observations, preformed the experiment, and used a magnifying glass to help us draw our observations.  Many of us wanted to erase our predictions to write down the correct answer.  This gave us a great opportunity to talk about the importance of predictions and that it is okay if they aren't close to the actual answer.

We still have more tools to explore, but I just wanted to keep you updated on the types of things we are doing!