I received materials that will facilitate hands on activities in my science lab. I am so so grateful for these materials.

I am especially grateful that my Santa picked out the items that were more science related, like the pipettes, the foil squares and the baggies.

These materials will be used in at least 6 different lab activities that my students will participate in this year and when possible will continue to be used over and over again.

Here is a listing of the labs I will be able to utilize these materials in.

We use the pipettes in 3 different labs. One is a problem based activity in which students identify "mixed up water samples" from a river, a tidal creek, the sound and the ocean. The pipettes help the students to sort the samples by density and allow them to fill a straw with the differing density samples. They will use these pipettes in an activity modeling disease transmission, and in a third inquiry lab in which students do trials to make working bubble solutions with the least amount of soap.

The foil sheets will be used in an engineering activity in which students will create a boat that holds the most pennies before sinking. They will also be used in a lab determining properties of metals, nonmetals and metalloids.

The baggies that our Santa provided are utilized in several different ways. One way is that we add differing "chemicals" to different baggies, observe the evidences of chemical change, and are actually able to feel through the baggie, in addition to with a thermometer, that the reactions are either endo or exothermic.

We also use baggies to do reactions in which we add rock salt to an outer baggie of ice, thereby lowering the freezing point of the ice, much like salt on our roadways does, (at least here in NC). Students need to understand that the addition of a solute, changes the boiling and freezing point of water. We have an inner baggie in which we add milk and a small amount of sugar and chocolate sauce or vanilla to make small individual baggies of ice cream.

Our Santa also provided us with a large sleeve of clear disposable cups. We utilize these cups like beakers throughout the year, washing them out and reusing them as long as is possible.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your generous gift and for your focus on the items that were a little trickier to get at a school supply store. Thank you for supporting hands on Science in our middle school classroom!!

We are so grateful.

I just received the materials today, and wanted to reply quickly, our office takes a while to expedite packages. Unfortunately, I had technology challenges when trying to upload photos. I will try again in the future.