Students in Grades K-4 Study Ferns with Four Winds Nature Program

First Grade Sound Studies

The First Grade has been studying sound as part of our greater Sound and Light unit.  We have investigated how the ear works, and used a plastic cup to model the mechanism of the eardrum.  We then drew how sound enters the ear and is picked up by our brain.  We investigated a variety of sound stations, using drums, guitars, tuning forks, and our own voice - exploring the connection between vibrations and sound.  Lastly, we engineered and tested our own cup phones, maximizing the sound quality and exploring why some design elements were more successful than others.

voice as vibration

drum makes beans jump

tuning fork makes water waves

guitar strings make paper buzz

which is better - loose or tight?

Which works better, not pinching the string...

or pinching the string?

which is better close or far?

Second Grade Studies Reversible vs. Irreversible Change

In second grade, we have been studying states of matter.  In this investigation, students conducted an experiment where they melted crayons - changing solid to liquid.  They then poured the melted wax into a mold to create a shell shaped crayon - changing liquid to solid.  It changed color and shape, but it was still a reversible change.

Woodstock Students Compete at the Vermont Technical College Popsicle Stick Bridge Building Competition

Our bridge builders and their coaches!

Third Grade Constructs Cars

Third Graders were given an engineering challenge to design and build cars using our Stix-N-Bitz construction toy.

Fifth and Sixth Grade Studies Metric Measurement

Student's were given a set of liquids and asked to combine them in different color and volume combinations.  At the end, all cups were visually compared to see if they had measured correctly.

what correct looks like!