Baking is Science, too!

Our church community has Soup Suppers during Lent.  It is baking season for us!  Fresh rolls are so nice with homemade soups.  Let’s put together a few lessons about the science of baking.  First, The Chemistry of Bread-Making has an info-graphic. Exploratorium’s Bread Science 101  is another good place to start. Here is a ChemMatters article, ‘Leavening: How Great Cooks Loaf’, perfect for a bit of background. 3 Differences Between Yeast and Baking Soda  is a good background article.  Attack of the Gluten examines gluten sensitivity and explains what gluten is.  Baking and Pastry Chemistry is really a Chemistry mini-unit for a science elective.  Lastly, The Great Biscuit Baking Trials is an excellent capstone lab.  I know I’m on a quest for a great biscuit.  You might add the challenge of making good, gluten-free biscuits.  Exploring the Chemistry of Baking is a great way to promote science, particularly if you have a teen for whom baking is her passion.  Let her personal goal of the perfect baguette drive her to explore more of the underlying science.

How does a microwave work?

 Like our faulty furnace, the microwave decided to stop popping popcorn.  I am convinced the appliances collude!  Yes, we’ll need to replace Chef Mike.  He is a valued appliance in our household.  Microwave Magic explains how a microwave cooks food.  I have friends concerned about microwave safety.  Make it a research project!  Microwaves use non iodizing radiation as opposed to Iodizing radiation in smoke detectors.  (FYI, Americium is an alpha emitter, which is stopped by the plastic housing of the smoke detector.  Your skin or a piece of paper stops alpha emissions.  Don’t panic and yank your smoke detectors.)  Surprise!  I have a worksheet, Average Dose.  Here is some background about radiation exposure.  When I taught Chemistry and Society at a local college, we examined all manner of interesting topics.  Again, make ordinary events opportunities for important lessons, such as Should we replace the microwave?

How does the furnace work?

 Our furnace just went out; the heat exchanger cracked.  Well, it is Lent, after all.  Yes, the entire unit has to be replaced; it doesn’t make sense to spent $5000 on a 15 year old furnace.  How does a furnace work?  Britannica has Heating and Ventilating for students.  Teach Your Kids About HVAC is a practical guide.  Here are the basic terms for a gas forced-air furnace.  Middle has more heat pump facts.  Many home-school families invest time with their kids explaining how appliances work, their costs, and maintenance.  Yes, these are also science lessons!  Do a comparison of the costs and energy savings among furnace, heat pump, and geothermal unit.  I like to look at the initial costs and pay-back in energy savings.  When I taught Physical Science, Energy is a huge unit.  Here is my favorite Energy lesson.  Teens estimate their families’ electricity bills. This version looks good, too.  My classes like to see how closely they can match the monthly bill.  See if your library has an Electricity Usage Meter your family can borrow.  Plan ways to reduce your bill.  I love practical, science lessons.  By all means, add  this family unit to your digital portfolio!  

Good Will Update

I gave up social media for Lent and will likely be posting more frequently.  There are always a plethora of telescopes.  (Did you know you can see bat silhouettes against the moon?  I learned this at a science conference.  I laughed out loud.  Alone.  Evidently my ignorance is vast.) There are always interesting listings.  Take a look!

Spring Trip!

 Is your family taking a spring break trip?  Ours has a trip planned to Florida in May.  Plan a bit of science around your trip!  For years, we had family living in Kissimmee, Florida, just outside Disney World.  We did visit Disney two or three times; we found much more to do outside the theme parks, such as the Kissimmee Prairie Reserve.  (Okay, we went to an alligator park and an airboat ride, too.)  Even big cities, such as Miami, Florida, have parks and trails. We’re meeting family for a long weekend in May.  I booked a house in Tampa.  One stop for us is the Lowry Park Zoo.  It’s a favorite!  We have a bunch of family to see; otherwise we might try MOSI.  Some areas, such as Washington, D.C. have loads of Science. (The Zoo in D.C. is disappointing.  I feel as though I’m getting a long lecture.  What I want is to see some animals.)  Even the Bahamas have cool Parks.  A hike outdoors to a local park really lifts everyone’s spirits.  Take a little time to read a few interpretive signs.  Plan to add a little science. Remember to take loads of photos and add them to your digital portfolio!

Apple, Mushroom, and Chili Pepper Dissections

 The daffodils are almost in bloom.  Well cut them up on Tuesday.  Today we dissected apples, mushrooms, and chilis.  Yes, a mushroom is a fungi.  Since we were cutting up fruits, the kids did the mushroom today, too.  (We started paper chromatography, too.  We’ll finish pen chromatography and add spinach chromatography.)  I had the kids take photos and annotate the images—just to add a bit of tech and make it more engaging.  The kids uploaded their images into a file in Classroom.  

DIY Radio Shack Kits

 Who remembers Radio Shack.  You could find all sorts of electronics to build kits.  In fact, their science kits predate KiWi Co and the like.  Good Will has a set of kits listed.  Are there DIY instructions?  Yes, there are!  

1. Make your own Room Alarm or this $5 Burglar Alarm.

2. Build your own Radio.

3. How about a Soil Moisture Detector?

4.  Similar kits abound.  You can still buy a kit to make your own DIY radio.

Acid Base Lab

 The Co-op class tested acids and bases with several indicators in lab.  Litmus and red cabbage are natural indicators.  Litmus is from lichens; red cabbage has plant anthocyanins.  This was my launch into the Botany unit.  Next class were dissecting mushrooms, apples, chili peppers and daffodils, provided they bloom.  I had extra indicators, such as phenol red and bromothymol blue, the kids used, too.

More Anatomy Models…..

 Once you do a few searches any number of interesting posts pop up in your feed: Human Hand Model, Styrofoam Eyeball Model, and a 3D Ear.  Why should you make models?  I think models work because the student has to pay close attention to details to get good results.  Actually models, labs, coloring, and any hands-on activities comprise my main teaching strategy.  I saturate the kids with things they see, hear, and make.  Kids remember everything they do and nearly nothing you say.  Say less and make more.

Ways to get more science into your curriculum!

 My home-school friends at church first approached me about doing a summer science camp after VBS.  Our priest approved the project; about half of the kids participating were home-schoolers.  Many of the families explained that their kids did most of their hands-on projects, (such as Mad Science)  during camp week.  I get that.  Cramming a year’s worth of fun labs into one week is one way to do more science.  Does your Co-op have Home-school Science afternoons or Science in the Park?  Plan around themes, such as Valentine’s Day or Spring.  Include labs (such as Fall experiments) with broad appeal to families with young children.  Science in the Park promises to contain the mess and allow moms with toddlers to take advantage of the playground while older kiddos work on science.  Another technique I’ve used is to have kids in Co-op provide out-reach events.  One year I taught Young Explorers Human Anatomy to a group of kiddos ages six to eleven and to a Bio class of high schoolers.  Once a month, the two groups plans out-reach events for the Head Start kids meeting at the Knights of Columbus building.  The home-schoolers planned, set-up, and worked at rotating stations.  Everyone had a blast.  Many of the stations were similar to those we use at science camp, such as Anatomy Academy.  The nice thing about working with four year olds is that you can add related stories or songs to flesh out a morning of fun activities; although between one to two hours is usually plenty of time for everyone, hosts and participants alike.  Let me recommend you talk to the families at your Co-op.  Could you try to schedule a Friday morning at the local park?  Would three moms help pick a theme and organize the labs and supplies?  Plan a trial event.  What do you have to lose?  

Let’s test acids and bases!

Kids like to do acid and base tests.  There is enough equipment and household chemicals to make them feel like scientists.  Here is the lab I’m using with household goods I already have on hand.  We’re using a bunch of indicators.  (See below.). One topic in the Plants unit is about anthocyanins; red cabbage has loads!  The acid-base lab will discuss red cabbage and just what anthocyanins are—types of plant pigments.  Plant pigments and natural or commercial dyes changes color in the presence of acids or bases, which is why they serve as acid-base indicators.  I distributed different household chemicals the kids will share between groups.  I’m ready to launch lab Tuesday.