Throwback Thursday (Becoming Scientists)

I'm linking up today with the fabulous Cara Carroll for a new and fun weekly linky that she has started:

I LOVE the idea for this linky! 

I have an end of the school year summer tradition that I look forward to every.single.year! After I finished student teaching in second grade (3 years ago now), my cooperating teacher has had me and the rest of her 2nd grade team over for an end of the school year lunch every year! It's a cherished time with good friends, great food, and lots of catching up! We just all had lunch together on Monday, so I thought it would be fun to throwback to a scientist idea I blogged about back in February-since my love of science all began in my 2nd grade student teaching placement! :) So fun! 

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***Originally posted on February 5, 2013***

When I was student teaching I discovered something that I never knew: I L.O.V.E. teaching science! Funny story-I discovered this while creating a plant unit for student teaching and I have the farthest thing from a green thumb out there. Seriously, I think a plant dies just when I look at it! Ha! Good thing that even dead plants work as great scientist projects! ;)

Now, whenever I tell my students that we are going to be scientists (a.k.a. have science) my kids let out a cheer that rivals the cheer that they give when I tell them we have gym! ha! Ok, so maybe the gym cheer is a *little* louder, but it's pretty darn close! ;)

Here is part of the reason that my kids beg for science:

They actually BECOME scientists and get to wear Scientist Lab coats anytime that we do science!

Since science involves lots of hands-on experiments (which I LOVE) and often incorporates supplies and instructions that need to be handled and followed carefully, I came up with the idea to turn old, white T-shirts into scientist lab coats! During science, I address students as "Scientist {insert last name}." All scientists must listen to the head scientist {a.k.a. me} or they will loose their scientist lab coat and the privileges that come with it. Trust me-I've only ever had to take away one lab coat and then there are no problems! At the beginning of the year, I ask parents to send in a clean, white t-shirt and then after learning about being scientists, I have the kids make their own lab coats.

Here's how you can have your class become scientists!

I have the students keep their lab coats in their reading book bags on their chair, so that they can easily get and wear the scientist lab coats for science!

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My kids love being scientists so much that at the end of the year when I told my kiddos they could take their scientist lab coats home. One student exclaimed: "You mean we get to be scientists all summer at home too!" L.O.V.E. :)

Be sure to check out all of the other great Throwback Thursday ideas on Cara's linky party here!

Happy Thursday friends!