"Matter of Science" Assembly by Discovery Place

A couple of weeks ago, Mrs. Frazier contacted Eastover Science about Discovery Place's "Action Reaction" classroom presentations offered on the Eastover Science website. She explained that the 3rd grade was about to start the Matter and Earth Properties curriculum in Science. Discovery Place's classroom visits only allow 25 students. Lucky for us, they also offer assembly size presentations for an additional fee. This allowed us to invite the entire 4th, 3rd, and 2nd grades. Mr. Tampa was able to reserve the auditorium for us (Thanks Mr. Scotland), and the date was set.
The presentation was very exciting and informative at the same time. Discovery Place knows how to entertain and educate without the kids knowing it. It started off with a fire ball explosion of solid plant material ground up into a powder. Then the big kaboom of hydrogen gas balloons got everyones attention. The frozen nitrogen was used to shrink or convert gas in balloons into a liquid. A volunteer from the audience got to have her hair stand on end with an electrical charge, and the final act was another gas explosion from the hydrogen balloons. The presenter also had a real brain in a jar for the kids to view on the way out the door.
Eastover Science is a PTA committee that organizes and pays for presentations such as this to help assist our wonderful teachers and school. Click on pictures and video to enlarge.

Hydrogen balloon explosion

Liquid Nitrogen

Brain Jar

Eastover Garden

Eastover's first garden has now been installed in the courtyard outside the kindergarten class windows. 

This is not your normal vegetable garden. Eastover has teamed up with Friendship Gardens of Charlotte to donate food for Friendship Trays. Friendship Trays generally delivers more than 600 meals daily to elderly, handicapped, and convalescing people who are unable or greatly restricted in their ability to prepare or secure meals. Deliveries are at the lunch hour but the meal is a full one, more like what many people are accustomed to for dinner.

We also planted some new flowers in the outside lunch area where parents often eat with their children. We had many parent volunteers show up and ready to work with the building of the above ground beds. Most of the hard work involved filling up the beds with dirt. After lunch, we had about 20 students show up to help us plant seedlings. We planted spinach, collards, cabbage, onions, broccoli, and lettuce. The kids were a huge help. 

Special thanks to Henry Owens from Friendship Gardens, and the parent volunteers especially Rick Mcmillon. Click on pictures to enlarge.