wmcdermo@phila.k12.pa.us

If someone were to ask you to describe a physics lab, you would probably think of a place where there is lots of electronic equipment, or a darkened room where scientists experiment with lasers, or a room filled with computers that can track satellites and other spacecraft. You probably would not thing of an ordinary "playground" museum in a school where "student" scientists slide down slides, use pendulums to find out what makes a swing move back and forth, use record players as models of merry go rounds, and test balance and weight by making miniature seesaws!

At the R.S. Walton school, students ages five through ten and up study moving objects in a science toy museum and they to describe how and why things move. The student "scientists in the city" construct their own knowledge as they investigate individually or in collaborative work groups with toys that are swinging back and forth, spinning around or moving up and down. The toy projects are drawn from nearly every area of science, math and technology, and the hands on exhibits invite a variety of child centered explorations and investigations. The toys themselves provoke interaction by challenging and encouraging the students to further explore in cognitive ways, thereby helping them to construct and deepen their understanding of basic ideas, concepts and principals in science, math and technology.

Public Science Day 1998 is an excellent vehicle for spreading the word about this one-of-a-kind museum in a Philadelphia elementary school setting. Our student scientists will become tour guides for scheduled classes within the school, visiting schools, parents, administrators and the community at large on an ongoing basis throughout the school year. A brief questionnaire will be given to museum visitors and the written responses, continuing constructive feedback will be used by the museum1s curators as suggestions for improvement.

By challenging our students with this innovative, instructional approach, they will become better thinkers and learners as they make vital connections to classroom lessons and field trips to other museums and other science resources interesting and more meaningful. The Walton School has World Wide Web access through an Internet server maintained by the School District of Philadelphia. The access point is in room 205, the main computer lab. Currently, one line feeds into one computer for access. Plans are underway for expanding Internet access over a Local Area Network to be installed within the school. Web Whacker software is available to provide access to previously downloaded pages to all computers in the building. Mr. Bill McDermott, the Technology Teacher Leader, has been assigned the Internet account for the school at wmcdermo@phila.k12.pa.us.