A child once reported, “H20 is hot water and CO2 is cold water.” This child evidently had not spent time in a science lab having the chance to learn firsthand about the properties of water. Students in the Sulphur Springs School District have the chance to visit a Science Lab weekly to experiment, collect data and draw conclusions while covering the California State Content Standards in Science.

Sulphur Springs School District’s Board of Trustees visited the P.T.A. and Community supported Science Lab at Sulphur Springs School, the first school to create a Science Lab, and said, “We need science labs in all of our schools!” By the 2004-2005 school year science labs began in each of the district’s schools. The first step was finding a designated space and then outfitting each room with the appropriate technology and equipment. Many schools contracted with consultants who came in to the lab and demonstrated lessons with the students laying the foundation for the teachers to follow up with in future visits to the lab.

The basic plan for each science lab includes lab tables and stools, an interactive white board, computer and projection system, computers for students to record their data on, along with a refrigerator, dishwasher and the necessary science equipment to provide hands on learning for the students. Each school site personalized their science labs with some adorning the walls with murals of key science curriculum painted by students and staff.

Making science come alive is one of the greatest ideas we can provide to children who have a natural curiosity about the world around them and how it works. Science experiments in the classroom are often too difficult to provide. In the Science Labs everything is on hand, students are motivated and excited to explore and experiment, to develop their own hypothesis and see if their conclusions are correct or not --- learning all the while from the experience.

California began testing 5th grade students each spring as part of the STAR (Student Testing and Accountability) Program. The tests covered the science standards taught in 4th and 5th grades. The first year the results were published (2004) 30% of Sulphur Springs School District’s 5th graders scored at the Advanced or Proficient level. By 2009, with Science Labs being in use for nearly five years, 63% of the 5th graders scored at the Advanced or Proficient level.

A hallmark of pride for the students and staff has been the Science Lab at each of the schools in the district. Time spent there makes science come alive for students and provides them with an enriched experience.