This morning one of the Middle Schoolers in Co-op sat outside with a box of markers, sketching. Many kids love art. Let’s combine art with science. Do art outside and hose off the mess afterwards. Start with Chemistry Colors Our World.
1. Magnet Painting is simple enough for a toddler and still fun for older kiddos.
3. Fizzy Baking Soda Art or Fizzing Sidewalk Paint
5. Tie Dye is always best done outside.
6. Colorful Lather Prints, Chemistry and Art in a Bag,and Art are from ACS.
7. Fresco Art
I love going to the fair. Last summer we planned our drive to Canada to include a local fair. It didn’t disappoint. Did you know Virginia has a Homeschool Day at the State Fair? Yes, there are Competitions! Do you want to compete? Do you want to display your prized chicken or eggs? Do you make delicious baked goods? Do some research before you decide if you want to enter the fair.
1. Let’s begin with basics. Here is an example of a fair entry form. Here is How to Fill Our 4-H Entey Form. Here is a sample online entry. If you have two entries, easy must be listed separately.
2. Here are some tips for 4-H parents preparing for the fair. Here and here are tips about judging.
3. What are the criteria for judging? Virginia Tech has Youth Livestock Resources. Follow the poultry link to Poultry Judging Virtual Workshops on to the National 4-H Justing Manual. Here is the quick start guide. Here are judging tips for canned goods. Another guide is Exhibiting and Judging Vegetables. Sometimes the judging criteria are part of the rules, however vague they may be. If you dig, you can find the judging guidelines for just about any category, such as quilts.
4. Learn more about 4-H Programs. Here is the Virginia 4-H Welcome Guide; here is a program guide.
5. Get more information about FFA and a guide, another group heavily invested in fairs. Just look at the FFA State Fair Guide. Both FFA and 4-H encourage competition, such as Skillathon. Members of 4-H or FFA are going to have an edge at the fair.
You do not have to belong to 4-H to participate in the local fair. There are a huge variety of entries. I entered goods in one fair. I had no idea how strict the requirements were and bombed badly! Do your homework! Start soon! Locally, Stafford County has a fair—without a permanent home. It does have a home-making category and the fair isn’t until October. This type of fair is ideal for your first foray. No pressure!
When we lived in Winchester, VA, there were several local fairs: Warren County, Berkeley County, Jefferson County, Clarke County, and the Shenandoah County Fairs. I toured all of these, except Berkeley County’s fairgrounds. (We used to volunteer at a Pro-Life Booth at Jefferson County.) We were spoiled. I like old-fashioned, county fairs. What is the process?
1. First, look at the fairground’s website, such as Frederick County Fairground. Read the rules! Some, such as Prince William County’s General rules are lengthy and have a fixed cost. Are exhibitors given a free pass?
2. Review the entries, such as Agriculture/Crafts. Read the Judging Criteria. Youth Baked Goods’ criteria are equally specific. Some fairs offer Education Exhibits, which are open-ended, but often agricultural. There are loads of other categories: Hobbies and Collections, Fine Arts, Canning, Horticulture, Sewing, and Photography. Yes, growing food or flowers, understanding photography, baking bread, or creating an educational exhibit all have scientific merit.
3. Look over any special events, such as the Youth Pet Show or Farm Animal Costume Contest. Imagine dressing up your chicken! Hilarious!
4. Livestock at any fair is a special category and takes planning. However, Rabbits and Chickens might work. Take a look at the Poultry Requirements.
5. Read the Livestock Regulations thoroughly. Note this fair requires YOCA Youth for the Quality Care of Animals Training. Check with the local Extension office for information. Typically, youth who exhibit livestock are members of FFA or 4-H.
Now is the time to get organized if you want to take part in your local fair. You need ample time to complete forms, grow produce, practice recipes, or contact a vet. Kiddos like to work with a purpose or goal. Work as a family to decide which entries you want to submit. Make plans! This summer is going to be so much fun!
Are you planning some elective, summer classes? Many families do. Consider forensics. How can you devise your own class?
1. Contact the local police station. Explain you are a teaching a summer forensics class. Does the local police station have any resources? For example, could an officer show the kiddos how to fingerprint or map a crime scene? See if there is information about tours? Does the station have a simulated crime scene or forensics lab? Schedule a field trip.
2. View some videos: Inside the Crime Lab, Kid Science Forensics Lab,
3. HST has Learn About Forensics Science, which is a project. The Science Spot has Forensics Science Lesson Plans, with an outline, slide decks—a year’s worth of materials. Crime Scene Basics has a good overview.
4. Fingerprints: Fingerprint Evidence slides have students roll their fingers over a stamp pad on to an index card to examine their fingerprints. The slide deck explains whorls, loops, and ridge characteristics, too. Here are more fingerprint activities.
5. Do the Strawberry DNA Extraction. DNA Detective has a lesson and video and a Tomato DNA Extraction..
6. Teach Besides Me has Crime Scene Science with handwriting, footprint, and blood-splatter analysis. You Be the Crime Scene Investigator has a series of activities.
7. Create your own Blood Typing Lab. HST’s Blood Typing Science for Kids has good instruction and a simple Blood Compatibility activity with food coloring.
8. If you teach Chemistry, you may have the materials for CSI Live, which was a family show. Regardless scroll down to Print Castings; it requires Plaster of Paris.
9. Host a Mock Crime Scene is a great culminating project. Have your kiddos plan a crime scene and go through the tests, labs, and investigations. Study a room and do Forensics Science Experiments with photos. Here are a DIY Crime Scene, How To Set Up A Crime Scene, and The Ultimate Guide.
10. Have your kiddos keep records, take photos, and create a slide deck summarizing the whole process. Be sure to add this to your digital portfolio.
When I need ideas, there are several reliable sources of engaging experiments, which do not cost a fortune. I need to site Lessons from Educational Innovations. These lessons have ideas for their products, such as The Drinking Bird—really sound ideas. Below are my favorite websites.
1. Science Bob’s Experiments come with images, videos, instructions, and explanations for simple experiments such as The Exploding Lunch Bag. His homepage is obsessed with Elephant’s Toothpaste. (BTW, the kiddo version of Elephant’s Toothpaste requires 3% hydrogen peroxide and yeast. The explosive version requires fresh 30% hydrogen and sodium iodide, a catalyst. You should only do the second version if you have experience with chemicals.)
2. Another celebrity scientist is Steve Spangler. His site is full of familiar and imaginative experiments, such as the Balancing Hex Nut Challenge. I have to try this for Maker Camp. I’m going to be busy in May. My husband, Rob, likes to have a model for every experiment.
3. Toys from Trash literally shows how to make toys from trash, such as the Pencil Spinner. Be sure to look at the Free Films. I stumbled upon Arvind Gupta’s website years ago when I was planning the first Joy of Toys science camps. It doesn’t disappoint.
4. Another winner is Frugal Fun. Sarah Dees has organized her webpage into categories: Summer, LEGO, STEM, etc. Try the STEM Challenges.
5. Exploratorium’s Tools for Teaching and Learning has Watch and Do Science, Tinkering Projects, and Science Snacks. Below are used books. My favorites are The Science Explorer, The Science Explorer, Out and About, and The Explorabook.
I’m stuck on summer projects. I made up a container full of activities: jump rope, bike ride, read, etc. Get out craft sticks and write simple activities on each stick. You may want to have different categories or themes, such as STEM challenges. (Challenges make excellent group activities.) So when your kiddos complain they are bored, tell them to pull out a craft stick from the coffee can. Here is a list of easy suggestions with instructions. I especially like toys kiddos make and play with afterwards. Make a folder with instructions (virtual or digital).
1. Make sidewalk chalk and go outside to chalk dead bodies. Here, here and here are different instructions. No, it isn’t cheating to go buy a box to have on hand.
2. Make eight different types of Super Bubbles. For this activity, you may want to pull the materials and store them in a labeled box or bin, a kit. Younger kiddos love bubbles. Store wands with the bubbles or hula hoop with the bubble kit. Challenge your tribe to hula hoop!
3. Make Cartesian divers: HST (medicine dropper), Science Bob (soy), Steve Spangler (ketchup), and Cartesian Diver (plastic pen top). Here is the pipette version.
4. Pull out 30 Playdough Recipes and 40 Slime Recipes for many hours of fun. How do the recipes compare to commercial playdough or commercial slime? Some recipes are better than others. Label each cart stick Cloud Dough, Oobleck, Glitter Slime, etc.
5. 20 Edible Science Experiments or 19 Edible Science Experiments are hits. Buy Edible Chemistry. Your family will mess with the ingredients for an hour. Refill the containers with sodium alginate, calcium lactate (substitute for calcium acetate), citric acid, and baking soda. The Magic Color Crystals are powdered cabbage. Don’t forget to add sugar! If you don’t the potions are foul.
Be a weather watcher! Is your child a naturalist? I bet this kiddo also likes to track the weather! The National Weather Service has a Just for Kids page with Weather 101. This slide deck, Weather 101 is a good overview of weather technology, web sites, and introduction to weather as a topic. See NASA’s Space Place’s weather page. National Geographic Kids has weather facts. Do you have a serious student? Your kiddo may want to learn how to read a Weather Map. Here is a more advance weather map site. Use this slide deck with Understanding the Weather Map.
Hands-on Activities and Lessons:
1. Create a Weather Wheel is for young kiddos.
2. Here is a wheel of Weathercaster, which aligns with the Sager Weathercaster, outlined here with codes. Here is more information about the Sager Weathercaster. No I had never heard of it either. See if the local airport has a meteorologist with background. Ask for a tour and explanation of weather mapping.
3. These Activity Packs have 5th Grade Weather Systems and 7th Grade Atmosphere lessons with both teachers’ guides and student worksheets.
4. Here are instructions for homemade weather instruments.
5. Here is a plethora of weather related experiments for kiddos from grades K-12.
Has your family tried Geocaching? Look at all the geocache locations just in Stafford County. The sites may have small prizes. Here is some geocaching etiquette. Have items to trade. If a box you find is empty, put in a small prize. Round up small items— many from the dollar store. (Shop your house first!) You’ll need a Geocaching app or Garmin eTrex. There are other GPS devices; the eTrex is a workhorse and has been around for a long time. You may want to Make Your Own Geocache. Here is a guide to hiding your first cache. Sell geocaching as a treasure hunt.
I’ve been looking for family projects. Many of us wind up instruction for the year in May. I like to have projects to do along with summer reading, in between summer camps, such as VBS. Buoyancy and Boat Design has a series of activities about sinking and floating. Finally the kiddos make penny boats with aluminum foil. Perfect for tykes. Float a paper boat.
What about older children? Build a Cardboard Boat; plan on using a lot of duct tape. Here, here, and here are more tips and inspiration. Have you heard of the Concrete Canoe Challenge? (I met a teacher who participated or I would never have heard of it either.). Have you ever considered making a Dugout Canoe? These types of projects work well as a family or group. See what inspires your family.
The high school students in our local Co-op complete summer assignments. The literature classes typically have a reading list. The Finance/Consumer Math class assigns Dave Ramsay’s high school program. Rob gives the NY Regents Algebra I test to Physics students as a summer assignment, to be sure they have mastered the math necessary to be successful. (Typically, the teens take Algebra II concurrently with Physics.) The NY Math Tests for Grade 8 would work as a summer assignment for Physical Science.
I sent out the summer assignment to the students enrolled in next year’s Chemistry classes. I also added their names as students to Google Chemistey Classroom. I want the students to have plenty of time to complete the project. Clever kiddos can finish the project while they complete their lessons; they are free all summer. Below are three assignments.
Advanced Biology did this Infectious Disease project last summer.
Biology classes create a list of 100 species for a giant food web the teens make during the Ecology modules.
Chemistry classes create a set of Periodic Table cards, based on this JCE article, a Periodic Table card game. Here is the blog post explaining which groups of elements and which colors for each group. Below are a few examples teens made.
Project Based Learning or PBL is really a process. Let me walk you through an outreach project, Apple-ka-dabra, a kindergarten, outreach program. At the time, Musselman High School, where I taught, were the Applemen. Everything was about apples—hence Apple-ka-dabra! The outreach was a hands-on science program. High School volunteers picked and prepped hands-on science experiments. These teens hauled all of the materials to a neighboring school and spent the morning doing hands-on stations with the entire group of kindergarteners, and cleaned up after. We did this outreach for a friend’s private school once, too. Later, the Co-op teens led an outreach to Head Start kiddos, who met in the Knights of Columbus building. There are pix from Apple-ka-dabra at bottom.
1. Here is the list of activities, books, and materials we used. We had a coloring station. We just copied sciency coloring pages and had a basket of crayons on hand. We usually had a reading station with sciency books.
2. Planning involved selecting hands-on activities. Our list has time-tested hits for kiddos aged 4-6. BTW color-changing nail polish is a huge hit.
3. Once you select your activities, determine how many kiddos will be in the group. This is essential to budget. Our groups had between 50-150 kiddos participating. You need to determine the costs!
4. Prep before the event. It takes time to prepare all of the solutions, sort, and box materials. Be sure to filed-test every experiment. Save loads and loads of bottles for Cartesian divers and Tornado bottles; one or two liter bottles work well.
5. Set up early. Have plenty of tables to act as stations. We set up a station outside near a hose for tornado tubes, which inevitably leak. Save grocery bags for the kiddos to put their goodies they make. We sought t-shirts from thrift stores and our homes for the kiddos to wear over their clothes and take home. Have extra baggies available to take home instant snow, magic sand, slime, etc. Everything goes in the grocery bags.
6. Enlist extra help for clean-up. Plan to mop the floor and wipe down tables and chair. Someone needs to box all of the materials, too.
7. Meet with the entire group afterwards to debrief the event. What could you do differently? What was a hit or a miss? Were there any snags which could be avoided? Be sure to thank everyone! Outreach projects are enormously rewarding. The teens learn leadership skills. You won’t believe how excited the kiddos get after a few hours of fun!
