KIPP Heritage Academy
September 2020 - May 2021
Opportunity X Representatives: Anika Bhatia, Nikhil Jagota, Swathi Badrinarayanan, Rhea Nanavati, Nimisha Gupta
Sponsoring Teacher: Ms. Simran Sabharwal
We are so excited to resume our school program at KIPP Heritage Academy, held afterschool on Fridays!
Material Kits
Every four weeks, the team plans the experiments and collects the materials for the kits. About 15 kits are assembled each time, and then Anika drops them at the school, where Ms. Ly and the other teachers will distribute them to the students!
Group Photo
10/23/2020 ~ Week 1 ~ Blind Spot Activity
For our first online meeting, we did a Blind Spot Activity and saw some fascinating optical illusions! We also reviewed the eye’s structure, how images are processed, and their pathway to the brain. Then, we discussed how blind spots occur and some other instances in which the blind spot comes into play. Finally, we wrapped up with a Kahoot to review what was discussed and showed the optical illusions!
10/30/2020 ~ Week 2 ~ Lava Lamps
Today the students performed a Lava Lamp experiment and set up for next week’s Bouncy Egg experiment! The students had their water bottles filled with water and oil and added food coloring for a bit of personalization. Next, Alka-seltzer tablets were placed in the bottle, and the students excitedly watched how the Lava Lamp was simulated. We then discussed the concepts of polarity, density, and immiscibility to describe why water and oil do not mix and why oil sits on top of the water. Then, we played the review Kahoot and explained the setup of the Bouncy Egg experiment (put the egg in a cup with vinegar and add food coloring for personalization)!
11/06/2020 ~ Week 3 ~ Bouncy Egg
We continued with the Bouncy eggs experiment, took out the eggs from vinegar, and rinsed off the disintegrated eggshells with water. The students then watched a video demonstrating the bouncy egg’s information to review what we would do next. Next, we went over the concepts regarding the reaction between the calcium eggshell and the vinegar, especially how carbon dioxide bubbles are created when the shell is dissolving. We also reviewed permeability in the shells and membranes on the egg while making connections between the egg and human cells’ membranes. We then learned about osmosis: liquids going through permeable membranes. After talking about osmosis, we played a Kahoot!
11/13/2020 ~ Week 4 ~ Rainbow Skittles
This week we started off by talking about the point system and what prizes we would give out to the winners. Afterward, we reviewed the Rainbow Skittles experiment concepts, which included concentration gradients and density. Then we conducted the experiment: circle the Skittles on the edge of a bowl/plate, slowly pour water into the bowl, and watch. We reviewed the concepts once more with a review question and played the Kahoot. This week we had the opportunity to have the teacher’s sister join us! She attended medical school and spoke to us about her experiences and work.
11/20/2020 ~ Week 5 ~ Lemon Volcanoes:
We started the meeting by overviewing the upcoming experiments in the next few weeks. Today’s experiment is an exciting lemon volcano! The concepts of today’s experiment focused on pH, specifically about ions, bases, and acids and how bases and acids neutralize each other when mixed. Next, we moved onto the experiment for the day: cut a piece of lemon in half, scoop a bit of the lemon out, add food coloring if desired, and finally add a spoonful of baking soda into the lemon. Watch as it starts to bubble and rise. The students really enjoyed this one!
12/03/2020 ~ Week 6 ~ Balloon in a Bottle
Today we did a balloon in a bottle experiment, where we learned about pressure changes from different water temperatures. The hot water inside the bottle would partially inflate the balloon, and the cold water outside would induce the change in pressure and cause the balloon to contract and come inside the bottle. The student had to try a few times and heat the water properly before the experiment worked.
12/10/2020 ~ Week 7 ~ Jumping Raisins
This week, we carried out an exciting experiment with raisins and clear soda. The students learned about buoyancy and density to explain how the raisins move up and down through the soda. The bubbles in the fizz allow the raisin to float to the top, but once the bubbles pop, the raisin falls.
12/17/2020 ~ Week 8 ~ Dancing Snowflakes
During our last meeting of the year, we decided to do a themed experiment! This week’s demonstration was related to static electricity, with the use of tissue paper and balloons. The students cut out snowflakes and leaves and rub the balloons with the tissue for a minute. Next, they held the balloon over tissues and watched as it floated and stuck to the balloon. Some students also rubbed the balloons to their hair and watched as the balloon stuck to their heads. Finally, we discussed some resolutions and plans for the holidays!
1/8/2021 ~ Week 9 ~ Unpoppable Water Balloon
We first watched a video comparing a balloon without water and a balloon with water when placed over a candle. The balloon with water didn’t pop. Then we talked about why that is. We talked about the specific heat of the water. Finally, we played Kahoot and watched the video one more time.
1/15/2021 ~ Week 10 ~ Robotics Presentation
Today was different from the normal meetings and experiments, we did a presentation about Robotics, asking who had experience and telling the students a little bit about what they were, asking them what they knew and whether they would want to try it out. Most students had no experience. We also talked about the different organizations in Robotics. We detailed the reasons for joining Robotics, like Discovery, Innovation, Impact, Inclusion, Teamwork, and having Fun! We also watched a video that showed a robot dancing to music. We also detailed the design process of building a robot. We gave examples of robots that were built in other seasons. We explained the components of robots as well. These included sensors, motors, and control systems. We also watched another video of a robot peeling grapes. Finally, we played a Kahoot reviewing what we learned about robots. Lastly, we watched a video of another robot competition example.
1/22/2021 ~ Week 11 ~ Floating Stickman
We started by watching a video about the experiment, which is a floating stick man. We then got the materials and tried it out for ourselves. We watched the same video to understand why the stick man floated upward. We then talked more about the concepts and the reasons that the experiment works. We described what polymers are. We also spoke about the polarity of molecules and the composition of Expo-Marker ink. We then asked them some questions to test their understanding. After that, we asked whether they have all the materials for the water filter and finally played Kahoot.
1/29/2021 ~ Week 12 ~ Water Filter
We started out today by starting our experiments for the water filter, getting the materials first. There were a few problems with students not having all the materials. We got creative with materials to replace missing ones. It took a while to get everyone’s filters set up correctly. Eventually a few people had somewhat successful experiments. We then learned about water filters and how they work, and went through the concepts relating to them. We also learned about wells and aquifers and the like.
2/12/2021 ~ Week 13 ~ Capillary Action
We started out by discussing some possible science projects. Then, we started the experiment, first gathering materials. Then, we watched a video demonstrating the experiment and what to do, even though it was a little different. Finally we started doing the experiment, giving them the procedures for what to do. We filled the cups with water and then put food coloring in them. It took a while to get results, since the experiment takes a long time. Then, we talked about the concepts, specifically the reasons why water climbs up the paper towel, which are adhesion, cohesion, and surface tension. All of these have to do with the fact that water is a very sticky liquid, and sticks to many things. Adhesion is why water sticks to other things, cohesion is why water sticks to itself, and surface tension is the tendency for water to shrink to expose as little surface as possible.
2/25/2021 ~ Week 14 ~ Penny in a Balloon
We introduced ourselves to the new members. Afterward, we discussed why scientists did experiments and gave some questions for them to read. We gave some examples of science projects as well. And talked about independent and dependent variables, and about details on the science fair. We had everyone get the materials, a penny and a balloon, and went through the procedures for the experiment. We talked about the centripetal and centrifugal forces for the content, describing why the penny keeps rotating in the balloon. We explained why the balloon would pop if you spin it too fast.
3/5/2021 ~ Week 15 ~ Science Fair
Today we starting thinking about possible ideas for the science project and went in depth about the scientific method. We introduced the Science Exploration Project, which is not an experiment but is about researching and reporting to explain an interesting scientific phenomenon. We talked a lot about the scientific method and gave examples of how to use it. We shared examples of experiments to do for the science fair. We went through the steps of the scientific method, like how to write a hypothesis and test it, how to analyze data, and how to communicate your findings with others.
3/12/2021 ~ Week 16 ~ X-Ray & Tape
Today we had a shorter meeting. We checked in on the ideas for the upcoming science fair project to see if any of the students had yet thought about potential ideas for their project. We had ideas such as filtering water, and tried finding what questions to ask that can be tested. After this, we talked about X-rays, and gave examples like at the dentist’s office. We watched a video about the discovery of X-rays. We talked about radiation and how it affects our DNA, and what that will do to the rest of our body. We also talked about triboluminescence, which is an emission of visible light caused by rubbing, or other frictional contact. We watched a second video about triboluminescence, demonstrating how lifesavers (the candy) give off light when putting pressure on them. We watched a third video on how peeling tape quickly can give off X-rays.
4/2+9/2021 ~ Week 17 & 18 ~ Science Fair Project
Today we thought about science fair projects for the science fair. We watched a video about batteries and electromagnets. We discussed the concepts of conductivity, which is the degree to which a specified material conducts electricity, and electromagnetism, which is where things with electricity running through them create a magnetic field. We discussed what a battery is, which is a device that stores energy in the form of chemicals. These chemicals are called electrolytes, and the two poles of a battery are called electrodes. We watched another video detailing how to make an electromagnet. Once we did these, we played Kahoot. We then continued discussing our science fair projects. Finally, we introduced an event of an online science fair with kids from multiple schools.
4/23+30/2021 ~ Week 19 & 20 ~ Working on Science Fair Projects
We spent time working on the Science Fair Projects with the students. The students got the materials for their science fair projects, and so we continued working on the projects. We assisted them in going through the Scientific method, and discussing how to analyze their data.
5/7/2020 ~ Week 21 ~ Finalizing Science Fair Projects:
The students had finished their data collection and analysis, and we started working on their slides and helped record the videos for submission.