SCREEN NATIONAL SCHOOL

1. SCREEN NATIONAL SCHOOL AOSME Number WX05 053 91 37142 screen.ns@gmail.com http://screenns.scoilnet.ie/blog

2. Make a Rocket We made rockets out of vitamin tubes with pop off lids. Some groups used the vitamin tablets and others used bread soda. We tried different mixtures in the tube like bread soda and vinegar or vitamin tablets and fizzy water. One group used vinegar, bread soda and fizzy water then shook the rocket to really build up the gas inside! Some of us made a launch pad to control the trajectory of the rocket. The vinegar reacted with the bread soda and caused fizz inside the tube. The pressure built up inside and the lid popped off making the tube fly up into the air!

3. The Moon, Craters and Meteorites We tested to see how the craters are created on the moon by meteorites crashing into it. We made meteorites out of marla and the moon was flour with a layer of chocolate powder. We dropped them from a low height (20 cm) and measured the diameter, then from 40 cm and measured the diameter again.

4. Air Pressure We did an experiment with a wooden ruler and sheets of newspaper. We thought that when we hit the ruler that the newspaper would fly up into the air. We thought that because the paper is really thin and light. When we hit the ruler the paper went up a little bit but it stayed down on the table because of the air pressure pressing down on it. We also blew up balloons to prove that air takes up space even though we can’t see it.

5. Paper Helicopters The fifth and sixth class worked with the second class to make some helicopters. They made two helicopters, a small and a big one. The small one spun faster and hit the ground first. We thought this was because the wings were smaller and there was lest air resistance. The second class had to figure out how to make the helicopter spin clockwise then anticlockwise. They figures out that they had to change the direction of the wings to change the way it spun around. We also put paper clips on the end of the helicopters. The extra weight on them made them spin faster.

6. Composting • Compost • One person from the green schools committee collects all the compost bins, weighs the compost and puts it in the big compost bin. The total is then written in a book.  We’ll let you know the total weight of the compost collected at the end of every month.

7. Gardening The senior classes in our school take responsibility for the gardening. They take care of the flower beds and the flower pots, doing all the planting and weeding.

8. Green Schools Our school works very hard to minimise the amount of rubbish going to landfill. In our school we sort our waste into three categories: biodegradable, composting materials; non-recyclable waste; and recyclable materials. We separate the waste in our classrooms into these categories. 1. Waste paper Waste paper is paper that no longer need or that we are finished with. Each class has a recycling bin which is emptied every second day. 2. Batteries Batteries can cause serious damage to the environment and it is important that they be disposed of properly. We bring in batteries and we put them in a box or a special container. They are collected by the County Council to be refilled with energy. 3. Mobile phones We collect broken phones and they go to the Jack and Jill foundation. This way we help save the environment and help a good cause. 4.   Stamps Each class has a box to save up stamps from old envelopes which we then to give to the religious community to help with their educational work in Africa. 5. Ringos.   Ringos, the plastic packaging around the top of cans, can hurt wildlife and cause pollution. In the school, near the junior and senior infant classroom there is a box   with RINGOS written on the front. That is where we put them until the box is full and they are ready to be collected. 6. Compost One person from the green schools committee collects all the compost bins, weighs the compost and puts it in the big compost bin. The total is then written in a book.  We’ll let you know the total weight of the compost collected at the end of every month. 7. Milk We get milk in the school every day. After lunch we collect the milk cartons, clean them, squash them and put them in the recycling bin

9. A Visit to the Pond Ms. Gately’s Junior Infants and Ms. Dempsey’s Senior and First class went to the pond on a farm near our school. They looked at all the nature and plants in and around the pond. They also looked to see what was below the surface!

10. Dig In! We are taking part in a vegetable growing project supported by Agri Aware and An BordBia. Over the next 2 months we will be growing potatoes, carrots, turnips, lettuce and strawberries. We will also be looking at the origins of food we eat and a healthy diet. Mrs Roche tested our knowledge of fruit and vegetables by bringing in a mango, pomegranate, butternut squash, melon, a piece of root ginger and some asparagus. We were asked to identify them and guess their country of origin. Most of us knew their names but we found it hard to guess where they came from.  We will keep a logbook of our activities which will be submitted for judging and we will then be awarded a Gold, Silver or Bronze Award.

11. CSI Screen Two of our Science Committee, Aishling and Peter came up with an idea for an investigation about forensics. They both worked really hard and came up with a victim, a story, a crime scene and a number of suspects! The task is to use the information to catch the culprit. Here is a sample of two of the possible suspects. SUSPECTS! Look for: Height, Shoe size, Hair colour, Finger Prints, Weight, Build, Occupation. SUSPECTS! Dr. John French: Height: 5ft 7” Shoe size 7 Hair colour: Black Finger prints(on card) Weight: 12 st 6 pounds Build: Very Thin. Occupation: GP Born in Brittany in 1980. Became a GP in 2005. Sent to prison in 2007 for kidnapping. Released on parole in 2009. Victim attended him for treatment. Giggles the Clown: Height: 5ft 5” Shoe size 10 Wig:orange Hair unknown Finger print(on card) Weight 9st 8 pounds Build: small Occupation: Travelling Circus Clown. Birthplace unknown. Born in the late 70s. Never went to school. Sent to prison in 1997 for throwing knives into the audience deliberately during a juggling act. Escaped 5th November 2003. Victim wrote a bad review about his act.

12. Chicken Project Fiona keeps chickens at home and had hens setting. She came up with this idea and will be bringing the chicks into see us very soon!

13. Sound Ms. Dempsey’s class made percussion instruments!

14. Lungs We learned all about our lungs and how they work. We watched a video on kidshealth.org and made a lung. We used the top of a plastic bottle and two balloons. One balloon was the lung and the other was the diaphragm. When the diaphragm was pulled the lung would inflate and when the diaphragm was flat the lung would deflate.