We got a cardboard boat to float on the water. The top of the water has surface tension on it. It is like a skin made by water molecules holding tightly on to one another.
The boat floated, but didn't move. When we put just one drop of washing up liquid at the back of the boat, the surface tension is broken and the boat shoots forward. 
This was really impressive, but we could only do it once. (Actually, we did manage to try again, but only after the basin had been washed and dried to get rid of all traces of wash up liquid). We can't wait to try this in the bath.
It is gravity that pulls it down. We could get water to spill sideways. First of all we tried lots of things - pouring it out of the side or the back of the jug, using our fingers or hands to get the water to spill sideways. 
We managed best of all when we used a piece of string, and got the water to run sideways along the string. Water sticks to string with surface tension. Surface tension is like a skin of water caused by water molecules holding tightly on to one another. They were holding so tightly to each other around the string, that even when the string is held sideways, the water will hold on to it and drip sideways, instead of straight down.
This is because the water in the bottle wanted to get out, while the water in the basin wanted to get in, so the water ended up going nowhere and stayed in the bottle. 
Surprise, surprise, the card stayed on the bottom of the pot without falling off. This is because the air on the bottom of the card is pushing the card up into the pot, and the water is trying to get out, so both end up going nowhere at all.
Ms. Flaherty's and Ms. Gilligan's Senior Infants had a great show for us today. 
It was the nativity story set to the music of nursery rhymes. It was tereffic. 
We loved all the singing and dancing, and the costumes were great too. Well done to all involved.
After break we had another surprise: Ms. Keenan's class gave a wonderful performance of the nativity. We loved all the great songs and costumes. It really showed us the true message of Christmas.
We painted some lovely Christmas angels, then decorated them with bits of ribbons and stars. They look lovely.
It was all about a star who didn't want to shine more brightly than the others. In the end she turned out to be the star over Bethlehem, and we were all delighted she shone so brightly.
The show was fantastic, with catchy songs, and some really fantastic actors and actresses. They had so many lines to say. We are all really proud of them.
One of the boys in our class brought in a fantastic Christmas item. It is Santa's boot. It has been in his family for years. His granny saw Santa disappearing up the chimney one Christmas Eve when she was much younger. She was just in time to grab his boot, but it came off! This is his boot. We hope that Santa didn't get too cold that year with only one boot. We presume he now has another pair. We hope he has.
We were treated to a fantastic play in the hall today, by Ms. Maguire's 2nd class. It was about Humpty Dumpty and Little Jack Horner. 
It was great fun, and the singing was wonderful. Well done to all involved!
Here is what we decided. We had great fun talking about how many liked each, how many more or less were in each group.
To make an ordinary volcano you need bread soda and vinegar, but we wanted a delux model so we used red food dye and wash up liquid as well. Bread soda and vinegar mixed together make a fizzy gas called Carbon Dioxide. This gas comes rushing out of the bottle. To make the foam red we used red food colouring, and for lovely bubbles we used a little wash up liquid as well. 
The third and final time we put the bread soda into a balloon and the vinegar in the bottle. When we stood the balloon up, the bread soda dropped into the bottle with the vinegar in it. The gas that was made blew the balloon up. It was exciting!
One of the boys held the funnel while teacher put a little vinegar on top of the powder. The powder and vinegar mixture began to fizz. We heard that when you mix vinegar and baking powder together, a gas called CO2 or Carbon Dioxide (bad air) is made. This gas is heavier than air, so it sits at the bottom of the glass. When enough CO2 is made, it pushes the Oxygen (O2 good air) up higher in the glass. Now that the candle can't reach the O2, the flame goes out. 
We also learned that we breathe in Oxygen and breathe out Carbon Dioxide. Plants and trees do the opposite - they breathe in CO2 and breathe out O2. That is why it is so important to have lots of trees planted around us, and lots of trees in the world. 
It is Advent and we are busy preparing for Christmas. We have an Advent calendar in our classroom, and we also have fun with the calendar from the interactive whiteboard on 
We know the Christmas story, and today we made lovely crib pictures to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas. We have made nice papier mache Santa faces, and we will make lots more Christmas art in December.