News

M & M's Can Float! A Scientific Experiment Captivates First Graders

The first-grade classrooms are full of fun activities and surprises, and Mrs. Cumbee’s class is no different. Students have been studying the scientific inquiry process, where they make an observation, ask questions, form a hypothesis, make a prediction, test the prediction, and then using their findings, adjust their original predictions. Last week they put their new skills into action as Mrs. Cumbee introduced the M&M project. 

The questions at hand, “What will happen to an M&M when you put it in a cup of water?” and “What will happen to the M?” 

Students paired up and dropped their M&M’s in small plastic containers filled with water. As they watched the candy sink to the bottom, Mrs. Cumbee told them to observe what the M&M would do. After several minutes they noticed the water starting to change color. “Now watch,” Mrs. Cumbee directed. “Watch the M, it’s going to float to the top.” And sure enough, after several minutes the class was abuzz with “Wow”s!” and “Oh’s!” as pair by pair they saw the edible sheet of glue that makes up the M of the candy, float in thin sheets to the top of the water’s surface.

It is safe to say that students were certainly surprised and may have a different view of what makes up an M&M!

PCA Has Taken Virtual Learning Overseas!

We know that the love for PCA knows no bounds, and in some cases that extends over oceans and time zones. Current fifth grader in Mrs. Shogren’s homeroom, Ciana Neytcheva, has been a student at PCA since kindergarten. But when COVID cases began to grow, Ciana and her mother went to Bulgaria, a country in South-Eastern Europe where her parents were born and where they still have family. Not wanting Ciana to miss out on the PCA community, they opted for PCA’s Virtual Learning option. Ciana not only gave a Zoom presentation about her life in Bulgaria to her classmates, she also chatted with us via email about her experience living in Bulgaria while Virtual Learning at PCA.

Are you from Bulgaria? My parents are originally from Bulgaria. I was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin. 

What made you choose PCA? Me and my parents chose PCA because it gives us an opportunity to continue our Christian Education.

Were you ever an in-person student at PCA? Yes, I have been at PCA since kindergarten. This year due to Covid I have been doing school virtually.

What is your favorite part? My favorite part of virtual learning is not having to wake up early or getting ready to go to school.

With the 7 hour time difference, do you do "night school"? I start school at 4:15 pm and end at 9:45 pm, sometimes 10 pm, but when my classmates have lunch and recess I have dinner and a long nice break.

What is your favorite part about living in Bulgaria?  My favorite part about living in Bulgaria is being with my grandparents/relatives and learning about Bulgarian culture.

What are some activities that you can do there that are different from here in the states? For me, the only activity that is different from Charleston is using the buses and the subways on a daily basis.

Ciana and her family plan on returning to the States sometime early this year and we cannot wait to have them back in person!