Elementary Homeschooling SCIENCE Archives

Colored Ice Castles – Homeschooling Science Experiment

January 27, 2009 By Laura 14 Comments

This is how home schooling happens a lot in our family:

Someone gets a cool idea they think would be a fun to try, (in this case, that would be me), and we decide to do it. For fun. So we discuss our plan, start getting stuff together, and as we get to work on the project……….we start to wonder, or predict out loud.

And suddenly it hits me. “Hey! This is a science experiment! Yes….this is going to count for science.”

But ‘the lesson’ was not planned for school. It was just something fun to do. Curiosities arose that we wanted to explore and experiment with. We were just LIVING. Yes . . . . learning often times just happens.

As you can guess by now, that’s exactly what happened with this project. The kids are always watching the outdoors thermometer through the window of our school room. If it’s below freezing, they like to put a bowl of water out, and check it all day to see how long it took to freeze. You know…’just for fun.’ So I thought to myself, “Wouldn’t it be fun to fill up all kinds of containers, all different shapes and sizes, and then build an ice castle? “ (and continuing to talk to myself in my head….because a lot of conversation happens with myself up there, I said…) “Hey!! We could use food coloring and make them COLORED ICE CASTLES!!!!” Because I am a color freak, I got REAL excited the other day, to tell the kids what we were going to do.

Creating Colored Ice Castles

So we gathered everything we needed, bundled up as best we could, and went out and got to work.

The kids started filling up all of the containers with hose water.
*

And took turns choosing colors, and squeezing drops of food coloring in.

When one of them added yellow to the red, the colors intoxicated me…..and I went CrAzY taking photos from then on.

And I love most all of the photos I took.

So now you’re going to have to see them all. : )

Because I have little control, when it comes to these kinds of things, you know. : )

Just look at the beautiful colors floating and swirling!

Oh….it gets better.

Look at that!!! The kids started adding color to different containers at the same time, which resulted in lots of outbursts of excitement at the same time…“Look at this one, Daddy!” “Mama look at these colors together!! Hurry!”
We were getting dizzy. But it was all good!

I was having so much fun taking photos. I just knew they were going to be beautiful.

Here below, {O and J} swap colors.

THIS ONE, ABOVE, IS MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE!!

Honestly, I get butterflies.

And by this time, I was (incorrectly) thinking that we were going to have the COOLEST TIE-DYE ICE CASTLES!

Oh Dear….Unexpected Science Experiment Happenings

About now we start to notice that the 2 colors are mixing and changing to one color.

BUMMER!!

No tie-dye ice castles?? I, personally, might have sulked for a moment or 2 over that development and reality check. But, this is all part of science experiments, and the kids were still excited. They got me excited again, too.

When I saw all of the multi-colors were gone, I thought “Good thing I took photos!!!” lol

They still looked vivid and beautiful, all together.

Now, I did say to the kids at the start, “Let’s try NOT to get food coloring all over our hands. OK?”

Reality check number 2. lol

But you know….I love the colors, even all over my children’s faces and hands. I do!! Even if we’re going out…..going to Mass…where ever. If it doesn’t come off all of the way….OH WELL!! I think it’s evidence of their creativity!

DIRT is another story!!

Watching, Waiting, and Wondering….For Days

So the next couple of days were annoying, temperature wise. It kept being a little warmer than it was supposed to be, and the darn water in the containers would not freeze all of the way!! We knew it needed to be 32 degrees or colder, to freeze. (We’re like Einsteins, huh? Ha haha!) But for how long would it need to be that cold? And how much longer would the BIG containers take, than the small ones? These are the scientific questions we had, and the things we observed and studied over the next few days. We knew…..it was taking a lot longer than we ever wanted it to!!

What’s more….we could see the color really settling to the bottom of the containers.

Why, we wondered?? Which led us to what ‘wondering’ always does. Research!!

The Scientific Explanation

BECAUSE: Cold water does not allow the molecules of the food coloring to break down as easily….or dissolve. So, because it could not really ‘mix’ with the water, being a separate element, it all settled. What’s more, the molecules of the food coloring were so big, that they were not able to freeze all of the way. So the food coloring ended up being pockets of slush, within the frozen water/ice. It was interesting that the 2 elements were able to separate that much in the end, from being 2 colors swirling around each other, when first added to the water.

By this morning, we were done waiting. The big containers STILL did not seem solid all of the way through—-but gosh darn it….WE WERE BUILDING OUR CASTLES TODAY!!

The Results

{S}(on the far right) was excited about the pizza slice container one. He is also very partial to green, because it is ‘his color‘. (As triplets, we had a lot of color coding going on when they were babies.)

TA-DAAAA!!!!!!!

I LOVE this shot of my kids, and their ice creations!!

They had SO much fun doing this!! So did I!! So did their Daddy!!

We built it in the front yard, for the world to see. (You know…the ones who happen to drive down our dead-end street. Ha haha!).

Another lesson learned: We don’t always get what we’re expecting to. But we learn to love what we DO get.

Because it’s ours. Because we made it. Because we created memories together, doing it.
And that makes it all beautiful, to us!

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God’s World News / World News Group – A Newspaper for Your Kids!

January 17, 2009 By Laura 4 Comments

(now….)

* See UPDATE Below.

Hi there Everyone!!

We’ve been wanting to share with our readers, a subscription that we have found our children really, really benefit from. It’s put out by * ** God’s World News, and there are various titles, for various reading/age/grade levels to fit the level of any child, Pre-K through young teens! We have received it for a number of years, and it has proved to be a valuable and educational news source throughout. It’s a newspaper for kids!!

* UPDATE/Revision: God’s World News is now: WORLD News Group – The links in this post (for God’s World News), will still bring you to the correct site, under their new titles. From there, there are individual site links to the newspaper for the proper age range for your child(ren): God’s Big World/Pre-Schoolers, worldkids/Elementary age, WORLD TEEN/Teenagers
** IMPORTANT NOTE: Although the titles of the newspapers has changed, the high quality content has not! The intent of the newspaper publications, for age appropriate world news, reported in the light of faith, remains unchanged.

(Is this photo of our boy, reading his newspaper, not a RIOT??! He often does sit just like this….while reading, at Mass, etc. It always cracks us up, but he looked especially like a little man, sitting in his chair with his legs crossed, reading his newspaper. Look at his flickering toes. lol)

Our triplet 6 year olds receive God’s Word News-Early Edition (now World Kids). Our 11 year old receives God’s World News-Top Story (now World Teen).

Our kids benefit from their age-appropriate newspaper-magazines so much, because they ENJOY it so much! They enjoy it so much, because it has SO much to offer! There is a LOT in each edition, and a huge (educational) variety at that. If you homeschool your kids, we highly recommend this subscription! If your kids are enrolled in school, we highly recommend this subscription! : ) This rave review is fueled solely by our family receiving this magazine, and us as parents, consistently seeing what happens with our kids, when they get it into their hands. They get many hours of social studies educational exposure and information from each issue. All in the name of QUIET for us FUN for them! That’s why we had to tell you all about it…..it just seems like it’s something GREAT for any and all kids! Read on.

I don’t know about you, but I want my kids to know what is going on in the world. They should generally be aware of current events, politics, new-breaking stories, scientific findings, history, etc. But in an age appropriate way!
The problem is, television news, as well as newspaper news, are not geared towards communicating to children.

Naturally, it’s not their mission, as it is all meant to inform adults, and rightly so. So it’s simply not conveyed in a way all children would understand, nor necessarily be emotionally ready for.

That’s what we love about this magazine. In it HIGHLY informative about the world’s news, presented in a way to catch and hold kid’s attention, and is easily understood, in kids’ terms and ways they can relate to. It draws them in. In younger level editions, it’s snippets of info they can read and truly comprehend and retain. Older kid’s issues are generally the same topics, but with more detail, longer articles and a more in-depth study overall. Then additional stuff. What I love most, is that the contents is delivered in a Christian/Biblical Worldview style.

But it’s not just serious current events news stories. Each issue is also jam packed with (reading, of course), science, history, geography, weather, funny stories, etc. And all with LOTS of photos. There are games, experiments, activities and puzzles that strengthen skills such as logic, observation, process of elimination, …. the list goes on. AND on!

Beyond the magazine itself, they have a website that has even MORE to supplement each edition. There are parent/teacher resources, bonus pages to enhance or expand on all the kids have learned, and even quizzes and keys you can use. There is LOTS at the web site, that is another educational tool all it’s own.

010_God's-World-News-World-News-Group

When our kids are reading their issues, they are so amused by something, or intrigued with something they learned, that they feel compelled to share it with us, or read it to us. Sometimes, they ask questions, because they want to know more and more. This often launches great discussions to have with your children, that can get as deep as you want, or give you an opportunity to ask them questions, that encourage them to think through concepts, varied opinions, or their own perspectives. It’s a wonderful tool to help jump-start really good discussions, about often very important topics in the world, with your children.

For example: Here, {A} is reading about Fidel Castro-how he came to be a dictator, his ways of dictatorship, and all of the effects it has had on his country.

Here’s another page of Top Story (sorry about the glare. : ):

010_God's-World-News-World-News-Group

Each issue (all editions for all ages) most always has wonderful maps, educational fold-out spreads, and/or pull-out posters, like this one:

I love also, how these arrivals in our mailbox, bring our kids together too! They love to share with each other what they are reading, and have discussions of their own about the topic. They end up laughing together, reading together, learning together, which all means they are simply enjoying more of being ….together!

If you find yourself remotely intrigued, we encourage you to check out the God’s World News web site. Look around!! There are peeks inside these subscriptions, and you are also likely able to get a free copy if you request one, to decide for yourself what you think of them! For us, it’s been just too good of a great thing, NOT to let any parent, or teaching parent, know about this amazing tool. We find it WELL worth the cost of the subscription. We all know that our kids learn the most, when they are enjoying what they are doing, or enjoying HOW they are learning…anything at all! The more ways we can find to give them that, the better. Because when they are having fun learning, they want to learn more and more and more. So we hope you find this newspaper-magazine to be ‘good mail’ in your family.

We’re pretty excited about MANY things we’ve got coming up to share with you on our blog, so come back soon!! In the meantime, if your kids are receiving a subscription, or have a book, or watch a show….that YOU find very valuable, educational, and they really enjoy, please share it with us! We know there is a wealth of info and resources out there, and what better way than to share it with each other, complete with reviews and gold stars!

We hope you are all enjoying this long weekend!

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Last Frog Released

December 1, 2008 By Laura Leave a Comment

This special day is actually from back on October 25, when {A} released her last frog. Festivities, other events, and work sort of prevented this from being posted about in a timely manner. Nonetheless, we couldn’t let November end, and get into all of the special times that December holds, without sharing this milestone moment with you. Especially if you have been with us from the beginning, with {A}’s ambitious mission to study bullfrogs this year. If you have not, you are welcome to catch up, if interested, with the help of these links in chronological order:

Now just as a little background info, our neighbors, who have a Better Homes and Gardens like yard, created 2 ponds. One was created for fish, but it ended up to be quite the frog haven. The kids had been invited to come visit the frogs whenever they want, and {A} takes full advantage of that invitation. : ) It’s a beautiful little pond, with a large frog statue on a bench, and frog stepping stones. It’s a Frog Paradise!

It even has a waterfall. The sound of the trickling water is probably what beckoned the escaped frogs in that direction.

SO!….The day came in October when she decided it was time to let her last frog go. As I said, some had escaped her observatory months prior, and found their way to the neighbor’s pond. So when it was time to let this last one go, {A} decided it would be the best new home for it. Complete with long lost family!

So first she brought the frog container out of the sanctuary. This very home-made, make-shift pond, was just part of their home. They had the entire sanctuary to hunt and hop around in. (There are lots of crickets, bugs and spiders!)

Then she had to find her (the frog) in the water, because she had hopped off her favorite rock she spent MANY HOURS on. {A} assures us this one is a girl.

Got her!!

Peek-A-Boo!

Here’s a really good look at one of the beauties {A} raised since she was just a little tadpole.

Like a Mama not wanting to forget the details of their babies, {A} gave her a good last look over. And I photographed even the sweet little foot. Lord knows how big these flippers will grow to be someday!

Possibly their last portrait together.

Eskimo Kisses!!

The long good-bye. (I thought I would step back and give them some privacy for this sad yet proud moment.)…

Letting her go….

Can you see her?

Home Sweet Home!

{A} thinks they’ll winter well here because of all of the mud at the bottom, and she’ll see them all again in spring. It was a very rewarding and educational experience to catch all of these amphibians back at the break of spring, feeding and caring for them, and recording their metamorphosis. It’s also nice to have such a fancy new home to be able to release them to, so close by.

We hope you enjoyed {A}’s frog adventures and updates along the way. I’ve already heard she has big plans for this coming spring once again. I know she misses her wild creatures throughout the winter months, but the winter season holds traditions, adventures and experiences of their own, that she enjoys so very much, and I am sure it’ll pass the time quickly enough until the earth springs anew with fresh life, and her little creatures wake up once again.

We’ve been very busy preparing hearth, home, and hearts for the Christmas season upon us! Lots of decorating, creating and gift making going on here, of which we’ll share what we can. As tomorrow brings us the first day of December, visit us often to see what we’ve been up to, and feel free to comment to say hello or share your thoughts or experiences with us.

Whale Carcass Washes Ashore – A Spontaneous Field Trip

September 23, 2008 By Laura 1 Comment

This morning, after having had an extended weekend away, we were planning a regular school day today, with getting some our book lessons done. That is, until we woke up to helicopters, circling around and around, near our house. So my husband turned on the tv to find out what might be going on, and low and behold, there was a whale carcass washed ashore on our beach nearby. Time for a spontaneous field trip! THIS is the beauty of homeschooling!

So the kids ate breakfast, washed up and got dressed as fast as they could, and we all headed out in search of the whale. After a driving down a few side-roads that had public access ways, and checking the shore there, we finally found the spot. Except the only way down was very steep, very sandy and rocky cliff. But if you know us…..we went for it. We all made it down safely, as I wondered out loud, repeatedly, how we’d ever make it back up! But we’d figure that out later I guess. We had a dead whale to study. : )

Though it didn’t seem to be a full grown adult, it was rather impressive, nonetheless. (And seemed huge to our little kids.) It was so interesting to see all of it’s parts, up close and in person. as a whole, it was not pretty by any means!! Not anymore, anyway. Part of it was really decomposing, as it seemed to have been dead awhile, and just finally got washed ashore.

This side (photo below), was the worst. It was barely recognizable as a whale at all. And in standing on the other side, where the breeze came on off-water, the smell was intolerable. UGH! But it was this side that you could see the bones of the jaw, on the far right, as well as the eye socket. So it was fascinating, visually.

The kids enjoyed walking around it, checking it out, asking questions and stepping on it’s tail. LOL. Naturally, I was taking photos, and thinking about blogging with such yucky, yet interesting photos, about our unexpected experience. Below at this angle you can see the upper jaw bones even better, on the far left this time.

As we were looking at it, yet another couple of helicopters were flying around over head. Other people began to arrive too, and some guessed we were homeschoolers.

Once we had our fill of fascination and disgust, we decided to figure out which one of the many sets of beach access stairs, that climbed the cliff-side, were public. As we made our way down the beach, we came across a scattered intestines of the whale, here and there, that had washed up separately. (Yuck.) Once up the cliff and on our way up the road, back to our van, we saw the environmental police showing up. Marine biologists had already been there, in the earlier morning hours.

When we got home, we did some research and determined that it was a humpback whale. Later TV news reports throughout the day confirmed that. It’s not yet determined if this whale died of natural causes, or by accident due to being bumped by a ship, or caught up in fishing nets. It seems they plan to retrieve the the skeleton of the whale for museum display, and either bury the flesh, or drag it back out to sea.

It was yet another homeschooling adventure our kids were able to witness! They talked about it the rest of the day, and the little ones colored pictures of whales and other sea creatures, and recreated the scene with imaginary play. After we got all of our book lessons done of course.

Meet ‘Webington Ringaling’ – a Ringneck Snake

September 7, 2008 By Laura Leave a Comment

I swear that half the fun of getting a new pet, is naming them!

‘Webington Ringaling’ was rescued by {A}. She was on a job site with her Dad on Friday, when she spotted him, with his tail all caught up in a spider’s web. (Thus his cool name.) He’s a Ringneck snake. He’d probably been dangling there for hours, but just couldn’t break free. He had been in the shade, and lucky for him, {A} saved him before the approaching late afternoon sun got to him.

Aside from our formal lessons, every day occurrences like this, are how Science is taught at our home. Natural, real curiosity leads to research, and research leads to reading, and learning. Real life observation provides even more.

There are 12 subspecies of ringneck snakes found over much of the eastern and southern parts of the United States, as well as parts of the Pacific Coast States. ‘Webington Ringaling’ is just a baby, only about 4 inches long. But adults can range from 10-27 inches in length. {A} has learned all kinds of facts about ringnecks, and exactly how to care for this one for awhile, providing for him a safe and healthy environment while she observes him. She’s handled him some too, but not much, because this variety of snake is edgy and nervous, and shouldn’t really be handled unless necessary. (The photo below counts as ‘necessary’ in my book.)

Not sure how long we’ll allow her to keep him. It may depend on how fast he starts growing. He has everything he needs in his terrarium, and she feeds him small insects and slugs. So he’s in a pretty happy environment for the time being.

Just makes me wonder what lessons God has in store for us next.

Creating Colored Ice Castles

Oh Dear….Unexpected Science Experiment Happenings

Watching, Waiting, and Wondering….For Days

The Scientific Explanation

The Results

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