Thirsty Celery Experiment- Science

The girls had a fun time watching the celery veins change colors over night.  This science experiment is an example of absorption.  They learned that the stem of the celery stalk soaks up water through the ground to survive.  When we cut the stalks in half the girls noticed that the colored water was sucked up through little holes in the stalk. The veins in the leaves also turned a color.

 

The data was recorded over a three day period using this data record observation form from ABCteach.

Science Experiment-What makes healthy soil?

                                                                      Project 1:
                               We used shredded carrot, lettuce, plastic bag scraps, and soil

 

Cover the items in soil and put the lid on the plastic container.

Questions: 

What do you think will happen?

  Which items will decompose and which items will remain?

What happens when items decompose?

 

(This photo is taken after a week).

Explain that compost is made when the nutrients from the lettuce and carrot combine with the soil, this is healthy for the earth, but the plastic bag will remain for years.

Have your children make predictions on what will happen after a week. Olive was happy that her predictions turned out to be correct.

We are linked up with ABC & 123!

Insects- Ants

We started our Science lesson on insects from Living Learning Books and made this fun ant craft to go along with it.

To make this craft you will need three sections of an egg carton, markers to color, eyes, glue, pipe cleaners for the legs and antennae.

All insects have six legs and three body parts- a head, thorax, and abdomen.

12 things to look at with a microscope.

We just purchased a microscope for the girls. Here is a list of 12 fun things we've looked at under the microscope.
-skin of a cricket
-spider web
-grass
-dog fur, plenty of that to go around!
-flower petals
-plain Greek yogurt!
-hair
-water from pond
-ocean water
-ant
-leaf
-blood smear
Please keep us posted if you think of anything super cool to discover!

Living Learning Books- Butterflies

Our caterpillars have arrived in the mail and have already started making their chrysalis. This is the third year that we have ordered monarch butterflies from Insect Lore and it never gets old for my two girls. In about 3 weeks the butterflies will be named and released into grammy's garden.

I am so excited to be using our new science curriculum called Living Learning Books,  created by veteran homeschool mom, Sandi Strenkowski. In level one science we will be learning about animals, human body, and plants. The best part about Living Learning Books new format is that you are now provided with weekly lesson plans and an easy downloadable format for both vertebrates, invertebrates, and the human body (coming soon). I love that these lessons can be used for multiple ages and you can add as much to a subject as you would like or keep it simple with just the basics. Each lesson has coloring and activity pages, crafts, cooking, and suggested reading.

Our Butterfly Lesson: 
Read-                                     Monarch Butterfly by Gail Gibbons
                                              Waiting for Wings by Lous Ehlert
                                              The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
                                              The Butterfly House by Eve Bunting

Projects-                                Antennae headband
                                              Baggie Butterfly Garden
                                              coloring pages
                     
 Cooking-                              Butterfly Apples
                                              Caterpillar Cookies                          
                                              

I think this is a good start to the week ahead...plus as an added bonus their is a free sample unit to download on Sandi's site here!

Jello Volcanoes

We made a fun science experiment today with vinegar, jello, and baking soda....Jello Volcanoes!

 

All you need to do is add:

1/4 cup of vinegar

4 tsp. of red Jello

2 tsp. of baking soda

and watch the smile on her face!

Homemade Bouncy Balls

We made these cool homemade bouncy balls and they really bounce! Give it a try, you'll be surprised that these simply ingredients really work.

Things You'll Need:

1 tablespoon white (Elmer's) glue or tacky glue, but not the washable kind.

1/2 teaspon borax (you can find this in Target or your grocery store in the detergent section).


1 tablespoon cornstarch 

4 tablespoons warm water (add more as needed).

2 popsicle sticks for stirring.

2 small disposable cups


-Put glue in one cup
-Put borax, cornstarch and water in the other cup- wait 15 seconds
-Add water mix to glue cup and stir.
-Once hard to stir, remove and mold into a ball....and bounce away!


PS: You could also add food coloring to the glue mix to make colored bouncy balls.

"Egg"cellent Science

Now for our cool "egg"cellent science experiment:

What will a raw egg do in fresh water?

What will a raw egg do in salted water?

Notice that the egg will float in the saltwater but sinks in the ordinary tap water. The saltwater is denser than the regular water, meaning the egg is lighter than the saltwater. Density is the relationship between weight and size.

Marvelous Monday Unplugged-Floating Liquids

I had a wonderful birthday weekend.  My Buzz Lightyear took me camping and cooked on the open fire like a cowboy, and we got our feet freezing cold in the sand...it was perfect. Then I arrived home to a delicious birthday cake and a tidy house, thanks to the girls and Grammy. 33 is looking like a good year!

Now for our fun experiment:  Even if your kids don't understand density yet they will still enjoy this project. You can explain that the heavier liquids are closer to the bottom and that the lighter liquids float closer to the top.

What we used from top to bottom:     

oil
(yes, I put a sock around my oil to prevent marks on my cabinets)

colored water

dish soap

honey

molasses

Add each liquid slowly and slide them down the side of a clear glass.



An easier way to see this is to just use oil and colored water. The girls enjoyed stirring the liquids up and watching them separate.