The second grade teachers at Cartmell Elementary want all of their monthly programs in the 4-H area of SET. Meeting monthly, I have the opportunity to teach different areas of science. Chemical reactions, magnetism, habitats, bristlebots, density, weather, geodes and their ending lesson where they make their own paper rocket and we launch them.

It is interesting to hear the stories month after month where they take their paper home on how to do the experiment and they will show their parents at home what they learned.  The teachers are as excited as the students and go out of their way to get their students excited before I enter the classroom.

The second grade has 148 students.  For instance the density lesson is one where many questions is  asked by the students.  We start with "do you know that liquids can make layers?"  Some liquids have more mass than others and the students are so eager to see which liquid is more dense than the other.  After they have layered their liquids, I have them pour the liquid into a ziplock bag and mix it up and then ask "Do you think the liquids will stay mixed up like this or will they go back to their layers?'  One hundred percent of the students say that it will never go back into layers.  But when I explain that nothing was taken out of the different liquids -- they are still the same as before, the students pour the liquids  back into their bottle and realize that they do go back into layers.  They call this "magic"... I call it science.  So much is learned with this activity and they go home (although they do not have all of the same liquids, they experiment with different ones and continue experimenting at home).  Geodes is another great activity that has really made a difference in the students going outside instead of staying indoors.  Many of the students have brought in geodes into the classroom that the family has found right here in Carroll County. The last meeting is launching their rockets that they have made.  They get a paper showing how to make the PVC pipe launcher and they take their rocket home and re launch.

Many families have told me how much their children enjoy 4-H enrichment in the classroom and how they have repeated the lessons at home.

Magnets

Density

Rockets...