Testing on Treats: Children and Teens Become Scientists for Halloween
For October’s Homeschool Day, students of all ages learned the scientific method with the help of Halloween candy.
K – 5th Grade’s White demo activity, where grade students learned about density, the scientific method and how to make a hypothesis
6th – 12th Grade’s demo activity, where middle and high schoolers learned how to apply the scientific method and create
Walker’s jack-o-lantern, featuring a hydrogen peroxide solution.
Dana Buskovitz, education coordinator, and Kaycee Walker, assistant education coordinator, collaborate together on a science lesson plan for each Homeschool Day, which started one year ago.
“We started Homeschool Day because we wanted to reach out to all students,” Dana said.
The lesson plan was Halloween inspired, just in time for the upcoming holiday. However, there was a twist.
Grade school students hypothesized which candy bars would sink or float.
Middle and high schooler students hypothesized which type of solvents would dissolve candy corn the fastest.
Students were not allowed to eat the candy! But they were able to play with their food as they performed science experiments.
Grade schoolers completed a STEM challenge to construct a cube from gummy drops and toothpicks.
Middle and high schoolers built catapults out of forks, spoons, popsicle sticks and rubber bands. They then competed in a candy corn launching contest to see whose would go the farthest.
If you would like to join the Conservancy for next month’s Homeschool Day, you can register at piedmontpark.org/homeschool. If you would like to sign up for a field trip in the Park, you can schedule a field trip at piedmontpark.org/field-trips.
Author: Jessica Vue
