First graders in Jill Hasbargen’s class at Indus School spent Halloween week exploring math and science.
Taking advantage of the mysteriousness of Halloween, Hasbargen engaged her students in making “potions.” She also did popcorn experiments which included watching popcorn seeds expand from 1 cup of kernels to 25 cups of popped popcorn. And, she repeated an annual favorite, having students practice math by counting pumpkin seeds, making groups of 10, estimating, measuring, weighing, etc.
The first “potion” the class made was slime, while learning about matter and its properties. They carefully mixed up the ingredients, added color, and then had fun squishing the slime together.
Next, was potion No. 2, elephant toothpaste! This was a concoction of hydrogen peroxide and yeast, which became bubbly when shaken inside a bottle. Students learned about reactions of ingredients.
A third science experiment was making snow using a powdered snow mix which expands to 100 times its original volume and doesn’t melt!
For the fourth potion, curious students learned how to make a bubbling lava lamp from oil, water, food color, and effervescent tablets.
The fifth experiment involved putting eggs into vinegar to soften the shells. Hasbargen also added color to the vinegar to create more interest. Students watched with wonder as the eggs were removed from the vinegar and became rubbery. They learned more about the properties of matter and to understand the differences between liquids, gases, and solids.
The Halloween Day potion was called “Haunted Halloween Potion.” It contained gummy worms, Jell-o squares, Pop Rocks, and soda. The bubbles were quite enjoyable as students distinguished and combined all three states of matter in one drinkable potion.
First graders squish the slime they made while exploring science.
Students fill plastic gloves with popcorn for a Halloween snack.
Yili Schiro measures the circumference of a pumpkin.
Rubbery eggs (made by soaking eggs in vinegar) help first graders learn about science.
