Our Lower School students agree: physics is fun! Through age-appropriate lessons with Science Teacher Cyndi Trapanese, students in grades kindergarten through fifth recently wrapped up their Physical Science units with hands-on projects bringing complex concepts to life. “Each grade level has been deeply involved in discovering the fundamental physics that move our universe,” explains Science Teacher Cyndi Trapanese. “Our students have been building ramps, rolling objects, colliding things, dropping stuff, and making models,” continues Trapanese, “and exploring hands-on applications of Newton’s Laws of Motion. The students created and tested simple machines; explored states of matter; generated forms of energy; and experimented with sound, light, and wave properties. They even checked in with the International Space Station astronauts to learn about the vast expanse of astrophysics!” 

• Kindergartners explored how to push and pull, used all kinds of wheels, and walked around campus looking for wheels in use!
• First graders experimented with sound waves by making musical instruments out of recycled or discarded items.
• Mixing cornstarch and water, second grade students created "oobleck," a non-Newtonian fluid that behaves like a solid when pressure is applied. This messy, fun activity helped them understand the complexities of states of matter. 
• Third graders built and launched catapults…ready, set, launch!
• The fourth graders ended the unit with a highly energized exploration of static electricity! 
• Fifth-grade students made temporary Rube Goldberg machines using objects from around the classroom. Everyone stepped up to the challenge of including one element that created sound!