Category: Science Foundation Ireland – Discover Science & Maths

Evidence of Herbertstown National School’s commitment to achieving an award for STEM Excellence.

Step 1 – Science

Step 2 – Technology

Step 3 – Engineering

Step 4 – Maths

Step 5 – STEM Show & Tell

Electric Circuits

Staff

4th & 5th class make simple circuits.

4th & 5th had been investigating electricity in the past week and on Friday they gained experience in using electrical components to construct circuits. They also used symbols to record the circuits they created.

Science Week

Staff

4th & 5th Class look at a couple of practical experiments as part of Science Week 2019.

Experiment 1: The pupils looked at how a simple Carbon Dioxide fire extinguisher works.

Firstly, baking soda was added to vinegar in a jug. This created a reaction where carbon dioxide was produced. Due to the fact that carbon dioxide is more dense than air, the carbon dioxide stayed in the jug for the most part (although it was not visible).

Pupils where then able to ‘pour’ the carbon dioxide onto a candle and extinguish the flame.

Experiment 2: Hot Water vs Cold Water

In experiment 2 the children observed how hot water is less dense than cold water. This was demonstrated by placing a glass of hot water on top of a glass of cold water. The hot water (which had green food colouring in it) stayed on top of the cold water (which was blue). To further prove the theory, we repeated the steps of the experiment but this time placed the cold on top of the hot water. In this instance, the cold water rushed downwards and mixed with the hot as the hot itself would have initially have been trying to rise.

Crystal Drop Workshop – Fourth Class

Staff

Martin and Louise from SSPC came to the school on Wednesday morning to for a workshop which featured a talk about crystals and also saw the children getting the chance to design and make a device which could safely ‘drop’ a crystal to the ground.

The boys and girls had a great time designing their devices and then working in small groups to construct their design using a finite set of resources.

The gallery and videos below show the children working on their designs and also testing them when completed.

Exploring School Grounds for fruit/seeds

Staff

4th & 5th class explore the local school environment for examples of fruit & seeds which would be a food source for birds and other wildlife.

The children found examples of blackberries and ‘haws’ and learned about blackberry bushes and hawthorn trees. We also looked at seed dispersal and the importance of birds to this process. Wind dispersal was also discussed and the sycamore tree on the school grounds allowed everyone to look at ‘helicopters’ and how they can be carried by the wind.

Analog Devices Ireland 6+ STEM Initiative

Staff

Thanks to Shane, Dave and Brian from Analog Devices who visited the school last week to showcase STEM and engineering for the boys and girls in third class!

Shane, David and Brian from Analog Devices came in to see us. First they showed us what STEM stands for. Then after he said that we have to catch Jinx and Knucklehead. He told us that we have to do challenges to catch them. One of our challenges was to ring a doorbell to get Knucklehead out of the house. We got to use circuits, fans, light bulbs and batteries.I really enjoyed Tuesday a lot. Liam

Yesterday we met three men called Shane, Dave and Brian. We got into 5 groups of 4 and they gave us a set of challenges to do and a booklet. In the booklet we had to read a story about 4 superheroes and the villains Jinx and Knucklehead. Jinx was trying to destroy the energy planet. So we started to do the challenges. There were 4 challenges and a board game. At the end we all got certificates and stickers. Shane gave us a poster and colouring sheets. It was so much fun! One of challenges was we had to put had to put lots of pieces together and we had to turn a switch and it a doorbell sound. Molly