Science and fun don’t always go together but students at St. Augustine Catholic School were able to mix fanciful concoctions while still learning.
Bringing science into the classroom was Sam Marion, an outreach co-ordinator with the Telus World of Science, who showed students different scientific tests based on their curriculum Oct. 16 and 17. She wowed kids by making ice cream with liquid nitrogen and showed the difference between hot, cold and frozen liquids.
The program was funded partially by the school and also by recycling milk containers says Grade 2 teacher Marion Dick. “It’s all hands on science and they walk away with a product they get to take home.”
Students seem to love the programming.
“You see the excitement in the room,” said Dick.
She is able to give her students their current science curriculum from a different point of view, which helps reinforce what she has already been teaching. Having someone from the Telus World of Science teach students is a benefit to everyone involved.
“This way, we buy one expensive piece of equipment and share it with all the schools,” said Marion, referring to a large container storing the liquid nitrogen.
The point of the program is to give students hands-on learning when teachers do not have some of the extra resources. Marion enjoys seeing the excitement of students’ faces when they see ice cream being made in a matter of seconds.
Science in Motion offers different presentations based on the needs of the school and classroom. Marion says they bring different lessons for each grade. The program started in 1995 and has since seen more than 29,000 participants and 63 Alberta communities have been visited.