First+Day+Science

I use this fun activity the first day of school to encourage the students to become interested in science as well as opening a discussion on focusing, attention, and listening skills. I tell the students that we are going to do a simple experiment and listening to directions will be a key to its success. First, I will ask the entire group a series of questions all of which have an answer of 10. They will answer orally and I continue the questions, speeding up as I go. They will quickly sense that all the answers will always be 10 so this happens rapidly. I use basic facts, i.e. like 3+7, 4+6, 9+1, 2+8, etc. to keep it easy and simple. After I have said the questions 12-15 times, I say, "Write down the first vegetable that comes to mind with out talking." Give them a moment and then tally their answers on the board. It is amazing that the majority of the answers will be carrot. In a study of the brain, scientists found that 10 and carrot are "stored" next to each other thus producing the answer carrot. We discuss how fascinating it is find out about the world around us and the uniqueness of God's creation. Some students have said that they didn't get the "right" answer due to not focusing or really trying to do their best. Overall, it's fun and lets the students interact about a variety of topics.