Sometimes the best idea is...

The best part about teaching a science class sometimes is the lab. There are some activities that I have done in the class that have been pushed aside by other things. Today the students were asked to determine the mass of two gases by using oxygen as a standard and the volume of a gas by water displacement. I have not seen students talking as much, or laughing as much, as they were today. It seems that I have forgotten that some of the basic measurements can be done with activities that students find fun doing. If all activities in science generated this kind of excitement or conversation maybe there would be more people going into science fields.

I forget sometimes and want to create a new activity with lots of "bells and whistles" when there are activities that are a little more simple (and student led investigations) which are already in use.