St James' National School Barnacogue
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  • School Work Sep - Dec 2020

Science Investigations In Barnacogue NS

Experiment 1 - Starch Is Everywhere
​
Living Things/Materials

Starch is a carbohydrate. It is found in plants. Green plants make carbohydrates through photosynthesis. Starch is therefore in many foods, but also in other things as well, e.g. some paper. Starch is a white powder. Starch reacts with iodine to produce a blue or blue-black colour. It can therefore be used as an ‘indicator’,i.e.to test if starch is present in something. 
​All classes from Junior Infants to 6th class worked like real scientists and tested a huge number of items with iodine to see where starch was present. We were amazed to find it in so many things!!

Experiment 2 - Myself - Fingerprints, Dominant eye, Blind Spot
Living Things


Everybody’s fingerprints are different. This science fact greatly helps the police. Everyone has a dominant eye – it can be the right one or the left one. (The brain might get confused as to where an object actually is,or see on the double, if we did not) Every eye has a blind spot– the place where the optic nerve joins the retina. You are not normally aware of this with two eyes,as this phenomenon does not happen at the same time with the two eyes.

​One team was in charge of carrying out these investigations on every child in the school. We really enjoyed examining just how different everyone's fingerprints are - even twins prints are different!
Experiment 3 - Make an Electric Quiz
Energy & Forces

Electricity will only flow when there is a complete circuit. We love working with our electricity science kit! We worked in teams including infants to 6th class to create an electric quiz! We have included the team who's quiz was based on capital cities!
The correct answer is  connected, behind the cardboard, to the question; so if the correct answer is touched on the front of the cardboard the bulb will light up. If the wrong answer is touched the bulb will not light up, as there will not be a complete circuit.

Experiment 4 - Build a Greenhouse
Environmental Awareness & Care
Plants need light, warm temperatures, air, water, and nutrients to survive and grow; different plants have different requirements for each of these necessities. A greenhouse works by providing light & heat for your plants, but the last three are up to you.
Providing Light
Greenhouses are made mostly of translucent materials, usually in the form of either glass or clear plastic. This gives the plants inside maximum access to sunlight, which they use for photosynthesis: combining carbon dioxide from the air and energy from sunlight to make simple sugars, which the plant then uses as food. On average, plants need about six hours of sunlight per day, although this varies depending on the type of plant; placing your greenhouse where it will get full sun all day will ensure that the plants inside get enough light.
Providing Heat
Greenhouses are warmer than the great outdoors because all that sunlight coming in through the clear glass or plastic walls turns into heat when it hits a solid surface, such as the ground or the plants inside the greenhouse. Light is really a form of energy, which is why plants can use it to fuel photosynthesis.
In teams children were given a milk carton, straws, a sandwich bag and some soil and asked to create their own mini greenhouse - the results were good and we will be planting seeds in them after the Easter holidays.
Experiment 5 - Design & Make a Paper Rocket
​Energy & Forces

​We discussed rockets and travelling into space as a whole school. We watched some you tube clips of rockets launching and we found this very exciting. Then working in groups of mixed classes children used the resources given to build their own rockets. We had great fun testing out our rockets to see whose would travel the furthest.
Experiment 6 - Build A Raft
Energy & Forces

​
Working in teams, children from 1st to 6th class were set a challenge - to build a raft using 40 craft sticks and 20 rubber bands. Whose raft would hold the most marbles. Children spent a week planning and designing their rafts, as well as testing out different ideas. It was such an enjoyable task - and every team's raft floated! Well done - we have some budding boat builders in Barnacogue!!
​

St James' NS, Barnacogue, Swinford, Co.mayo
Tel: +353 (0)94 9367440
Email: info@barnacoguens.ie

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