Science Week in 3rd Class has been full of surprises, curiosity, and plenty of “Wow!” moments. The students rolled up their sleeves, put on their scientist hats, and got hands-on with experiments that challenged what they thought they knew about the world around them. From bending the rules of gravity and materials to discovering the power of air pressure, our young scientists investigated, questioned, predicted, and tested like true professionals.

Here’s a look at two of the amazing experiments that had everyone talking…

Experiment 1: Pencils Through a Bag of Water!

First, we filled a strong plastic bag with water. Then we tried something that sounded impossible…

We pushed sharp pencils straight through the bag, and guess what?

The water didn’t leak out!

What We Saw

The pencils went in one side and out the other.
No dripping!
The bag stayed sealed the entire time.

Why Did This Happen?

Plastic bags are made of a material called polymer.
Polymers are long, stretchy chains that can move around slightly and stretch around the pencil.

When the pencil pushes through the bag:

The plastic stretches instead of tearing.
The polymer chains slide around the pencil, making a tight seal.
This seal stops the water from leaking.

What We Learned

Materials behave in different ways.
Some materials (like polymer plastic) can stretch and seal.
Water stays inside because there is no hole left open for it to escape.

Experiment 2: Walking on Air (The Balloon Table Test!)

Next, we flipped a table upside-down and slid lots of balloons underneath it.
Then, carefully, the students stood on top of the table.

And something amazing happened…

The balloons didn’t pop!

What We Saw

The table was lifted and supported by the balloons.Some children were very brave and tried standing on the table themselves. Sometimes a balloon or two did pop, and sometimes they didn’t.We discovered that the experiment worked much better when all the balloons were about the same size and when the child spread their weight out evenly across the table.

Why Did This Happen?

It’s all about air pressure and spreading the force.

Here’s how it works:

Each balloon is filled with air.
Air pushes outwards in all directions—this is air pressure.
When many balloons are placed under the table, the weight of the children is shared between all the balloons.
Because the weight is spread out, no single balloon gets too much pressure, so they don’t burst.

What We Learned

Air takes up space and pushes back (air pressure).
Forces can be balanced when spread out.
Lots of balloons together can hold a surprising amount of weight!