Henley High students use hands-on learning to teach concepts to elementary students
As elementary students watched, Danielle Herinckx poured the liquid soap into milk.
“Milk and soap don’t like each other,” she explained as the students watched the reaction. Next, she held up a bottle of oil and water. “What do you think is in this bottle? Why won’t it mix?”
Herinckx was among a group of Henley High School advanced science students who spent the day Friday teaching Henley Elementary students science, math, and technology through hands-on activities. At her station, she showed the younger students the relationship between polar and nonpolar molecules.
It was the third year Henley High and Henley Elementary schools have teamed up to provide Science Day for
kindergarteners, first-, second- and third-graders. Thirty activities were planned by Henley High School science students and their teachers Helena de Jong and Carly Fullerton. The elementary students rotated through the science stations throughout the day, experimenting with chemistry and math concepts — building rockets, spacesuits for marshmallows and little vehicles.
Henley High student Mason Snider dipped a dollar bill into ethanol and water and, as students watched, lit it on fire. Flames engulfed the bill, but it didn’t catch on fire. “Why didn’t the dollar burn?” he asked. Sherman Durant and Katelyn Iversen were in charge of a PVC cannon, which used pressure from gas from evaporated alcohol to shoot a ball into the air.
Sophia Gomez showed students how to build mini-rockets, using Alka-Seltzer tablets and water. Others made slime, learned about the innards of common electronics and experimented with batteries.
“This an amazing opportunity for both the elementary students and high school students to participate in hands-on science activities,” said Henley Elementary School teacher Suzette Nieraeth, who helped organize the event. “Being on a K-12 campus gives Henley students the unique ability to work together on different activities that benefit all students involved.”
Henley Elementary School Teacher Suzette Nieraeth
