Hands-on science workshop electrifies studies about conductivity
Canajoharie’s media specialist visited Fort Plain with her student interns to give fourth graders a science workshop.
Add a little Play-Doh to some wires, and you’ve got yourself a makeshift controller to play video games. Plug the wires into some bananas and you’ve got a digital piano.
It was an electric lesson for the fourth grade students at Harry Hoag Elementary, thanks to Canajoharie High School’s computer science students. Tammy Jones, Canajoharie’s media specialist, visited Fort Plain with her student interns to give the fourth graders a workshop about electricity and conductivity.
Canajoharie ninth graders Conner Ambridge, Vincenzo Decrescenzo, Skylar Ferrara, Aiden Hoag, Ryley Myers and Henry Yerdon showed the fourth graders how to use a science kit called Makey Makey. It turns everyday objects into touch pads using cables and alligator clips.
In addition to creating game controllers and musical instruments, students themselves became a circuit. Students joined hands, while a person on one end touched the ground board, and a person on the other touched the banana piano. Students were wowed to hear the banana piano sound off, learning electricity travels through each person to complete the circuit.
“The fourth graders are learning about electricity and conductivity, and this workshop helped bring their studies to life,” Matt Heiser said. He is the Technology Integration Specialist at Harry Hoag Elementary who worked with Jones to set up the workshops. “Mrs. Jones’ interns did an amazing job and we are grateful that our students had this opportunity.”
