The Grade 5 and 6 class at Hillcrest School wrapped up a month of learning about electricity by hosting a science fair on Dec. 20.
Brian Hayes, who teaches the 23-student class, said the students learned about circuits and how to make a conductor.
“Our science fair was just a culmination of all of our lessons, and applying what we had learned,” said Hayes.
In one of the projects, some students managed to hook some strawberries to a computer and made a piano using the fruits.
“Jeff Walters, our technology guru for the division (South East Cornerstone Public School Division), gave us a really nifty gadget called the Makey Makey,” said Hayes. “This is a little thing that is an extension of your arrow keys, your space bar and your right click on the mouse.
“Basically, using this device, you can turn anything that’s a conductor into an extension of your keyboard.”
Other projects saw students use water as a controller for a Super Mario Bros. game. Some made a drum set using stocks of celery, or they used tin foil and cardboard to create a game board for Dance Dance Revolution.
“All of these items worked because they were all conductors,” said Hayes.
Students and teachers from the school’s different classrooms visited the science fair during the day. Parents and other family members dropped by, and the science fair was open to the public.
The last few weeks have been a great learning experience for the kids, Hayes said. They have learned lots about electricity, and Hayes believes children gain so much more when they’re using hands-on techniques to apply what they learned.
“Here at Hillcrest, we like to get our hands dirty, play with things and just learn through play and experience,” said Hayes.
