Curious minds are abuzz in the Science Lab, and what better way to start off the year but for students to ask their most burning science questions? Check out the wall outside of the Lab for a taste of what students are curious about. We'll try to answer some of those questions during the school year.
Our first round of lab sessions focused on the scientific method. I chose a simple theme that everyone had experience with - paper towels. I wanted to show that scientific process can help us answer many types of questions, even those about ordinary, everyday things.
So we designed an experiment to test how much liquid a school paper towel absorbs versus a Scott brand paper towel. I was impressed with the students' ingenuity when it came to methods. In order to be fair across the board though, each class tested the paper towels using the same method. Upper grades performed the experiments in groups, providing a lot of data to look at. Here are the results:
Tests performed: 93
School paper towels absorbed more in 11 tests
Scott brand paper towels absorbed more in 68 tests
Both towels absorbed the same amount in 14 tests
Our school wide conclusion is that Scott brand paper towels absorb more liquid. Maybe I should stock up for all those upcoming experiments, they're "kid-tested" and kid-approved!
