We Swim in This?
Fourth-grader amazed when they peer into living water.
In the science lab, our 4th-graders had an eye-opening moment they’ll never forget.
After weeks of mastering the microscope with Science Specialist Deborah Landon, the students were finally ready for the main event. Ms. Landon had collected murky samples from the pond nestled between the school and Deerwood. A few kids wrinkled their noses at the earthy smell, but that didn’t stop them from diving in!
Each group carefully centered a small sample of pond water on the stage, flipped on the light, and peered through the eyepiece. Slowly, they twisted the focus knob...and gasped!
Suddenly, an entire invisible universe came alive.
Tadpoles wriggled like tiny commas. Insect larvae darted and twisted. Globular green volvox colonies rolled past like miniature glass balls, while stringy filaments of algae waved like underwater hair. And, to everyone’s delight, a few, tiny, baby fish flickered through the scene.
For many students, it was their first time realizing that the lakes and streams they swim and fish in are teeming with life too small for the naked eye.
One wide-eyed fourth-grader immediately asked, “Will we see all this stuff when we swim in the lake at Camp Montgomery on Friday?”
Ms. Landon smiled. “Most likely, yes!”
“Fourth grade is a wondrous time in science lab,” she later said. “They start the year surveying the infinite wonders of space...and finish it exploring the infinite wonders of the world under the microscope.”
Sharky loves how the endless curiosity of our students is so lovingly nurtured by the science program at JCDS.
Jacksonville Country Day School
Located in Jacksonville, FL, Jacksonville Country Day School is a private school for Pre-K 3 through 5th grade. JCDS prepares students for a healthy and productive lifetime of intellectual exploration, character development, and social responsibility.
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