Inquiry in action 3.3

Science experiments are one of the best parts of homeschool.  The kids look forward to them.  Sarah is always shouting, "I want to do an experient."  I love her pronunciation.

We do the experiment and then the kids usually play for another hour with all the supplies, doing whatever they want with them.  They are quite creative.

Sarah mostly loves mixing anything and everything together.
The following was what she said as she was mixing the ingredients in the above picture (rubbing alcohol and soapy water)

"Alcohol makes alcohol. When i shake it it turns to bubbles class. It makes bubbles inside."

We were experimenting with how different liquids behaved on plastic.  The liquids were water, alcohol, salt water, and soapy water.  After we finished, Derek wanted to go further and ask another question..."what happens on foil."

Derek also discovered on one of these days working with rubbing alcohol, that cuts and alcohol don't mix well:)

Our favorite part of this particular experiment was the result from mixing rubbing alcohol and water.  You put yellow food coloring in the alcohol and green in the water.  On a plastic bag put a dime size drop of each about 1/2 inch apart (just so they don't mix right away).  Take a toothpick and drag the water toward the alcohol, or vic versa.  Watch what happens...soooo cool:)

Random Fun

These first two pictures were taken at a park during one of our visits to Snowflake.  This is Emily's castle.  She was very proud of it.

For Sarah's preschool this year we are making an ABC book.  I have 4 pages for each letter in just a standard 1 subject spiral bound notebook.  We do different activities, like cutting out the letters and pictures from magazines, writing the letter, pasting a short story and highlighting the letters.  She loves cutting out the letters best.

Another of Derek's lizard friends.  This one a baby.

On a weekend that Derek and Darrell went to Snowflake, the girls and I watched an Easter Bunny  movie.  This of course led to making Easter eggs, despite the fact it was the middle of summer:)

Inquiry in Action Activities 1.1 to 1.6

This coming year for science we are studying chemistry.  I am using a book called Inquiry in Action published by the American Chemical Society.  The book is free to download, and is so fun.  We started this past month because I was so excited to begin using it.  

The first unit involved M&Ms, need I say more!  The kids had a blast...more than I thought they would.
The unit focuses on learning to make observations, understanding variables in experiments, and how to investigate their own questions.  The first activity involved observing what happens when an M&M is placed in water.  The second was similar, but you placed the M&Ms in patterns of your choosing to observe (thus, above pics).

We observed that as the color dissolved it would spread out, but the colors would not mix.  Another experiment was to determine if this property was unique to M&Ms, or a property of other sugar substances.  So this experiment with the beakers involved colored corn syrup placed in water.

Darrell read somewhere that science becomes much more exciting for kids when you use actual chemistry glassware instead of just plastic cups, and boy is that true.  They love using Darrell's test tubes, droppers, and beakers to do experiments.

I think their favorite part of science is the "playing" with all the supplies after the official experiment is concluded.  I'm looking forward to the remaining units.  What an awesome find for our homeschool.

Chemistry with Dad

Dad LOVES chemistry and elements.  The kids love when he does experiments with them.  He had them put iodine into a chemical which turns the solution instantaneously clear.  

He also showed them how to use litmus paper for testing the pH in different liquids.  They loved seeing the different colors that appeared on the strip.

Our Spelling Routine

About a month ago I was struggling to find a way to help my oldest learn spelling.  I needed something more flexible than a Mon-Fri routine.  Something to fit in to my Day 1-4 rotation.  I wanted something that eliminated busy work, as he gets so frustrated doing things with no purpose, like writing out words from a list he may already know how to spell.  We had tried All About Spelling, which I liked but he didn't.

One day while searching the internet, yet again, for an idea I came across a website with the perfect Spelling Curriculum.  Best part...so simple, so flexible, he loves it so much better.

I have modified the idea for our needs.  I have a simple index card file and a stack of index cards.  I have one divider to separate his daily words from his review words. I printed word lists from off the internet to use as a reference.  I have 15 words in his daily spelling pile, writing one word on each card (this number could be increased or decreased based on the child's needs and abilities). Each day I have him spell the words.  He usually spells orally, but for longer words I encourage him to write them down.  I make two piles...right & wrong.

He takes the "wrong" pile and writes out the words 5 times as he spells them out loud, and we go over the spelling.  We discuss tips for remembering the spelling, or just pointing out "how" the word is spelled...are there any special rules to remember, phonograms to remember, etc.

I take the "right" pile and put a star on the back of each, and place back in the box.  I also keep one card at the front of the box with a running list of words he spells wrong in his school writing, or words he frequently asks me to spell.

Reviewing Words: After he has 5 stars on the back of a card it is shifted to the review pile (behind a divider in the box).  As cards are removed from the daily pile I replace them with new words from my running list or printed list.  Each day I take 5 words from the review pile to have him spell.  If spelled right a tally is placed on the back.  After 5 tallies I remove it from the box entirely to save for future child.  If spelled incorrectly, he will add to his study pile (I haven't had this happen yet, so I'm not sure yet if I would add it back to the daily pile to earn another 5 stars or what...I will decide if and when he mis-spells a review word)

This has been so wonderful for us, and he remembers the words.  It is extremely flexible.  We go through a larger amount of words much more efficiently.  He isn't having to write out words every day that he already spells with confidence.  Plus, I love the simplicity!

Rainbows

For school one day we learned about rainbows.  So, for a little fun we filled a bowl up with water and placed a mirror halfway in the water.  When we shined the flashlight on it just right, we had dancing rainbows on the ceiling.  The kids really got a kick out of it.

Arts & Crafts and other Fun Things

Painting...Coloring...Drawing.  If I let the girls do these things all day, they would.  Every time I turn around the table has exploded with papers, markers, pencils, tape, paint, scissors, glue.  Emily says she wants to be an artist.  Of course Sarah's paints look a lot different than Emily's.  Emily's are perfectly beautiful and not mixed...Sarah's on the other hand...well eventually her paints end up looking like one color:)

I have been attempting to discipline myself to take time in the afternoon after lunch and school work is done to allow the kids to get out anything they want to work on, and to be available to help them with what they need.  It is difficult for me to jus sit and watch and work with them sometimes, when I can think of a hundred other things I "need" to get done.  I'm trying to remember this time will pass and one day I will wish I watched them more...somedays are easier than others to remember this.

Derek likes to draw too, but on his own time.  During our afternoon project time he usually wants to do something else...such as play chess.  So one day we did this while the girls colored and painted.

He also likes to do science projects.  This project was to make slime...he loved this one.  It was pretty neat to see the ingredients become this solid slime:)