What Now America

The First Saturday of the month is SCIENCE DAY! This Saturday we decided to cover the anatomy of the eye and we had such an educational and fun filled day. First we had the students go to the computer lab and research the various parts of the eye and complete handout exercises. They also learned about science experiments and activities on activitytv.com. 

After our time spent in the computer lab we headed back into the classroom to discuss the human eye and how it functions. This week’s dynamic overall was very different from all other days as we had an open discussion which felt a bit like a formal lecture yet the students felt very involved as they were equally contributing to the topic. They learned what the function of eyelashes, as well as the location of their tear ducts which many of them had no idea where their own tears were generated. We did a bit of “show and tell” as they got to see their classmates tear ducts close up. We covered the purpose of the iris, pupil and lens; as well as the function of the retina. The most shocking fact of the day that we learned was how the retina receives inverted images and the brain is actually where the information is processed via the optic nerve. 

We also covered the topic of color blindness and realized we all have a blindspot. The kids were given three different colorblind tests to determine whether they could make out the numbers in each given diagram. We covered the importance of our rods and cones located in our retina and how any malfunction or change can affect our vision and perception of colors. The students also took a blindspot test, which was a bit challenging, yet fun as they got to try to see their dot appear as they moved their papers away from them.

For the social activity we made our own color wheels and spun them. This was very cool as we saw how the colors blend together and are perceived as white. Overall, we had a great day, the kids learned a lot and appreciated all the time spent talking about a body part we all can relate, an organ that we use on a daily basis but take for granted.