Students in Ms. Cataldi and Mrs. Lemaire's second grade class at Central Boulevard School celebrated the season with a series of hands-on, Easter-themed activities that brought science, creativity and teamwork to life.
The class kicked off the fun with four egg-citing STEM stations. At the What Do You Hear? station, students used their sense of hearing to identify mystery objects hidden inside eggs. The “Pom-Pom Egg” station challenged them to blow a pom-pom from an egg into a basket. At the “Parachute Egg” station, students designed and built parachutes using eggs, straws and coffee filters to keep a Peep safe during a test drop. Finally, the “Egg Tower” station put their collaboration skills to the test as teams worked together to build the tallest egg tower possible.
The class also conducted a science experiment inspired by a fun fact: Peeps' eyes never disappear, no matter what you soak them in. Students put that claim to the test by submerging Peeps in four different liquids – ketchup, soda, vinegar and lemon juice – and observing the results over three days. True to the rumor, the eyes and noses remained intact in all four liquids. Students also discovered that the Peeps began to break down in the more acidic liquids, making for a sweet and surprising lesson in chemistry.
To round out the Easter festivities, students tried their hand at a traditional egg-coloring technique using leaves and cloth. Food coloring stood in for the berries and onion skins typically used in the method, and the results were stunning with each egg showcasing its own unique pattern and color combination.
