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PreK Students Explore Parachutes & Wind Power


Over the past several weeks, PreK students have been exploring parachutes. In our first investigation session, students experimented with different ways to attach their Lego figure to their coffee filter parachute. Our first investigation then prompted a follow-up study, to see whether the length of the strings influenced how quickly or slowly the parachute descended. Our data trend was that parachutes with shorter strings yielded smoother, slower flights to the ground for our Lego figures.


In another exploration, students built pathways out of our Keva planks. Then, using a straw, students had to try to blow a lightweight Keva ball and a marble through their pathway. Through this experience, students were able to identify properties of both the ball and the marble that made them easier or more difficult to steer through the maze. While the lightweight ball took less air force to move, it tended to bounce and roll all over the place. The marble, while more difficult to get going, tended to stay more inside the track. 

Over the course of both investigations, our PreK students demonstrated improvement in their ability to cite evidence to support their emerging scientific theories.


 



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