Here at NNB, we like to stay anonymous – and third person plural. But, I’ll not only go first person today, but as — part of our ongoing science education theme — I’ll drag my son into it. So, conflict of interest/bragging parent alert.

Escuela Amigos/Amigos School is a public bilingual emersion K-8 school in Cambridge, Massaschusetts. As a middleschooler, my son is pretty fluent in Spanish at this point. He also knows far more about physics – in both English and Spanish – than I did at his age. This thanks to his incredibly enthusiastic science teacher.

The sixth grade classes go on field trips to the Charles River – about two blocks from the school — and keep a Wiki page. Trumanator offered this report:

When we arrived, we settled down and got out all sorts of tools to test the water. We found out that the turbidity of the water was 8 JTU, which means the water was quite murky (due to the litter people throw in). We found out that the pH was 8, and that the dissolved oxygen was 4 ppm (parts per million), which means there was a fair amount of oxygen in the water…

Who knew a river smack dab in the middle of two busy streets could be so full of life? I learned a few things, also. I learned that burdock are not plants, but are SEEDS of plants. I also learned that the area around the Charles River is covered in Canada Geese (and unfortunately, what they leave behind!). And finally, I learned that you can have fun while doing science!

Two weeks ago, he and a classmate – both now in seventh grade — manned a bilingual poster on the physics of roller coasters at their science fair.

The introduction of his accompanying report basically says – Everyone thinks they know about roller coasters, but he’s going to explain the role potential and kinetic energy play in how the ride works.

Todos sabemos que es una montana rusa. Subes lentamente hasta llegar al punto más alto, después subes y calles unas veces y fin. Pero muchos no saben TANTO de las montaña rusas. Probablemente no sabes cómo funcionan con energía potencial y cinética.

More on science/ciencias at Amigos and in the Cambridge public schools.