Science Olympiad / Research Project / Bubbles

The Science Olympiad is tomorrow. Unfortunately, I got scheduled to work so I won't be able to attend the competition. I'm confident that not only my group, but that my class did an amazing job in preparing activities for the students to complete. The tasks are challenging, but fun. I'm really glad that I had an opportunity to be a part of it this year and would love to get involved again next year. The planning process has helped me gather ideas for my own classroom. If it's done the right way, science can be educational and really fun at the same time!!

As far as my research project goes, I think I've got a solid foundation. I have had my fair share of cavities and my dentist told me how terrible soda is for your teeth. When I had to come up with a research idea, I thought it would be interesting to see just how bad soda is for your teeth. I've been told that chocolate causes acne and that you'll cramp if you swim within thirty minutes of eating, but I don't know either of those things to be true. I wanted to explore something that is relevant to college students and possibly to my own future students. I know that soda is bad for your teeth because I've started doing some preliminary research, but I'm still really excited to see how much of the substance I'm using will erode/dissolve into the soda.

I've never thought about how much fun bubbles can be. We explored bubbles in a lab this past week and I felt like a kid again. I was so excited to see the next bubble and to try to catch them in my hands without popping them. I could use this lab in my own classrooms or when I'm babysitting. I loved that the bubbles would take a spherical shape regardless of the shape that was used to make them. The coat hangers still resulted in spherical bubbles to do the stability of that shape. I want to be the kind of teacher whose students want to come to class and want to explore. I've never liked labs before because I always thought they had to be rigid. Now, I've come to realize that labs don't have to be rigid at all. (Of course, in using chemicals, rigidity may be necessary.) My students can explore and form questions. I want them to be intrigued and excited about science. I remember things better when I've seem them in action rather than reading about the outcome. I've truly come to realize that the lab scene can be laid back and really interactive. The bubble lab changed my outlook on labs.