A highlight of a few of our activities as a department and as a school (picture overload, you've been warned)-
Activity #1: BOTTLE ROCKETS
Step #1: Assemble rocket with two pop bottles, counter weight, fins, and choice of duct tape.
The girl who made this "Penguin Express" is adorable for the record. As in, I just want to put her in pocket and take her home with me.
Step #2: Fill your rocket half full with water, place on launcher, wait while Mrs. Thatcher pumps the air compressor....or wait until it's your turn.
I realize that these photos probably seem biased. I promise there are pictures of guy students too...Middle school girls are just much more willing to pose for the camera.
Step #3: Pull the string and watch your rocket blast-off, then go and get it to assess the damage
Activity #2: Egg Drop Contest
Step #1: Assemble a device no bigger than a foot in any direction that will stop your egg from cracking when dropped 20 feet. Be creative!
Step #2: Mass your device so you can calculate its acceleration during the drop.
Step #3: Drop your egg and hopefully come out victorious. This kid did.
Students were unbelievably creative with their egg drop devices. A lot of them decided to surround their egg with peanut butter...apparently they saw it on a show (Disney's iCarly I think?). For the record, of the fifteen that chose peanut butter, one survived. Disney lied to the children. His was in a different container so that probably helped. My favorite though was a student who put his egg in a gallon of milk. He cut a hole in the top, dropped the egg in, and duct taped the hole.
It totally worked! Clever, clever kid.
Activity #3: Making Ice Cream with Carbon Dioxide
Step #1: Pour pre-mixed ice cream mix into your cup, wait in line, put your cup next to the ice machine while Mrs. Thatcher shaves dry ice into it, and stir like crazy.
Step #2: Once all of the dry ice bits have been stirred into the mixture, eat your ice cream and try your best not to make Mrs. Thatcher lose her mind while she helps the rest of the students.
We did some other fun activities in science but those were definitely the highlights. Our school also had a talent show, field day, and movie day. Below are pictures of my three favorite students participating in those activities- my cousins. This year three of them attended my school, one of which I had the opportunity to teach.
Kessler. He signed up for Honors Science so I didn't teach him, but look! He's a fellow red-head. We're cool like that.
Rockets
Field Day- He got 1st in the mile!
Talent show. He's workin' the guitar. P.S. I love that they know this song.
Kordell. He signed up for Honors Science too, but his schedule didn't work out to allow it so he got stuck with me. I liked it. He did his best all year to not address me so that he wouldn't have to call me Mrs. Thatcher.
Rockets- He's on the right. One of the few non-ginger cousins.
Field Day- Neither of his feet are touching the ground. Whaaa? He's got speed.
Brynlee. She just started at the middle school so I didn't get to teach her yet. She also has some awesome flaming hair. And I call her my mini-me because she and I are buds plus she's full of spunk and likes to chatter.
Field Day- She got second in her relay
Talent Show. Miss Bryn is drumming it up with her class. She's the little orange head wearing plaid to the right of the impressive, blindingly white afro.
See? We like each other a little. Old picture proof.
Whew! Longest post ever but lots of memories for me to keep. I'll end with this...
My sunscreen for all of those outdoor activities. My students busted up laughing when they saw the SPF. I simply explained to them that I had to protect my ginger skin. They all nodded in agreement knowing full well that I may be the whitest of all white people.
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