Science

Our Science Program and Nature Trail is led by Mrs. Sandra Morfit, recipient of the Connie Wootton Excellence in Teaching Award presented by Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools.

What makes the Episcopal Day School a remarkable private school is that our campus includes a nature trail that gives the students an opportunity to learn about Brownsville’s natural beauty. The time on nature trail gives our students the educational support and skills to care for this wonderful treasure. On Fridays during the school year, 3K-6th grades enjoy outdoor education classes exploring the distinctive riparian habitat on our EDS Nature Trail.

The EDS Science Lab is a discovery room that opens the mind to new ways of seeing and thinking. Students synergize as they observe objects and events, think about how they relate to what is known and test ideas to create explanations. Students learn Science by doing Science. In 4th-6th grades, students come to the science lab Monday – Thursday.

Here are some of the highlights of our Science Program:

4th Grade
Salad Garden- plant, harvest and eat your own salad
Bahia Grande Restoration -collect & propagate Black Mangrove seeds to help restore the Bahia
Grande Wetlands
Eat or Be Eaten? Watch Out? – food chains and webs in action
Simulated Toxic Spill – identify an unknown substance spilled in the lab
Landfill Field Trip – see what happens to all of our trash
Click It – begin by building simple circuits and end up discovering electromagnet applications

5th Grade
Experimental Science Investigation – conduct a yearlong individual investigation and perhaps go on to the Episcopal Schools State Science Competition
Meet a Tree – experience Native Trees up-close and personal
Mission to Mars – manipulate the variables of a mini-rocket and land it on Mars!
Onion Skins and Your Own Cheek – find out what all cells have in common
Fizz Quiz – test your skills with mixing, separating, bubbling and fizzing solutions
Adolescence – Help! Something crazy is happening to my body!

6th Grade
Experimental Science Investigation – conduct a yearlong individual investigation and the winner proceeds to the Episcopal Schools State Science Competition
Solar Energy – harness the power of the sun and see energy transform
Terminal Velocity – build a race track and discover speed and velocity
Speed up Geologic Time – form rivers, resacas, canyons & deltas in 5 minutes!
Aquatic Field Studies –test pH, salinity and turbidity and use chemical titration to measure the dissolved oxygen level in our resaca
Rendezvous with a Comet – take a field trip beyond Earth’s boundaries! It is as real as it gets without needing a spacesuit