When Ms Summers suggested Gross Science as the theme for this weeks Scientastics we weren't sure what to expect.  What she provided us with were recipes to create fake substances, using household ingredients, that were scarily realistic.  For those of us who preferred not to see the sight of fake blood, we could play the Totally Gross Game and discuss the topic of bodily fluids instead.  Needless to say Madrona looked like the set of a horror movie by the end of the day.

Have a look at our pictures but be warned.... they are not for the faint-hearted.

Madrona students donned their swim suits and goggles for an aquatic trip to UBC swimming pool. Arielle took her first diving lessons from Mlle Ichter and Greyson found a quiet moment to relax in the sun.  A lovely combination of new challenges and water games brought all ages together for what became a most memorable day. Have a look at our pictures to see our adventures.

Greyson, showing us how it's done.

Thanks to Mr. John Burns, father of Skye Burns-Kirkness and Executive Editor at Vancouver Magazine we now know the answer.  He kindly invited us to come and spend a morning with him and his colleagues where we were able to see how the magazine is put together from the initial concept to final glossy product.  We even got to make our own version of the front cover!

Follow the link to see pictures of our visit.

So how do you make robots dance?

Step 1 - get them to move in a straight line.  Step 2 - tell them to stop before they crash into the wall.  Step 3 - loop patterns and sequence commands in time to music.  Simple really!

In a series of lessons given by Jason Zhang pupils are challenged in hands-on activities to develop their own innovative solution for each problem presented and have fun along the way.  Have a look at our photos to see how the programmed robots tripped the light fantastic!