October is here! Monthly calendars and newsletters were sent home on Wednesday. Please contact me if you require an additional copy. We learned all about fall this week. We sorted summer vs. fall activities, read some fall books like 'Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf', went on a fall scavenger hunt with our Grade 6 buddies, and today we conducted an experiment (we even used the safety goggles!) to find the answer to our question:
First we collected golden yellow leaves and ripped them into tiny pieces. Then, we combined the leaves and rubbing alcohol in a jar. We took turns mashing the leaves up very well, and then covered the jar with plastic. We put the jar in a glass bowl and poured hot water into the bowl, so the jar was surrounded by hot water. After half an hour, we removed the plastic wrap and inserted filter paper. By the end of the day, we could see that the filter paper had turned green and yellow!
By using rubbing alcohol and energy (hot water) to separate the colours, we were able to discover that there were always two colours (green and golden yellow) in the leaves. Chlorophyll gives leaves their green colour and is so dominant it hides the other colours in the leaves. But in the fall, chlorophyll in the leaves breaks down allowing the other colours to finally shine through and show their beautiful reds, yellows, and oranges.
Important Information for Next Week:
- Our Student of the Week Winners spun the wheel at assembly and earned us a PJ Day!!! Students may wear their pajamas to school on Monday, October 5th.
- Early Dismissal is Wednesday, October 7th @ 2:15
- Please send in Parent-Teacher Conference forms as soon as possible. I will notify parents of meeting times by Thursday, October 8th.
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| Safety-goggle Scientists discovering the answer to our question "Why Do Leaves Change Colour?" during our Sci-Fri experiment |
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