First Science Lab

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My Science classes conducted their first science lab last Monday. It was a straightforward and simple lab only requiring four components. The components were: 1 plastic cup 1 10cm X 10cm square of light cardboard (think cereal box) 1 sink 1 water faucet The students also wore goggles, more for getting into the safety habit than the need to protect themselves from water. They thought it was kind of neat wearing the goggles. The experiment today was designed to help the students understand air pressure by observing it at work. This was accomplished by: First: students filled the plastic cup to the rim with water Second: students placed the cardboard square on the cup Third: students then, with one hand holding the cardboard square against the cup and the other holding the base of the cup, inverted the cup. Fourth: students then slowly took away the hand now holding the cardboard square against the upside down cup. Fifth: students gasped in wonder as the cardboard square remained in place, holding the water in the upside down cup. Sixth: I explained to the students that it wasn't magic, it was the air pressure pressing against the cardboard that held it in place. Seventh: we then had a lot of fun finding different ways to get the water to come out of the cups. Eighth: we then had not quite as much fun cleaning up all the water. When the supplies were all put up on the racks to dry, and the goggles were put back in the cabinet to be sanitized by UV light for the next class, the students sat back at their tables and I modeled for them how to write an entry in their lab journals about how we conducted the lab and what they observed. All in all, I think it was a very successful lesson. Did you do a lot of hands on labs in junior high or middle school?