Be inspired! Read this article!

 High-Earners Families are Ditching Traditional Schools is fascinating.  Look at Forge Prep, this article on Forge Prep Challenges, Modules,  and Education in a Post Test World.  What can you, as a home-school parent take away?  Do more projects.  Here are some ideas.  Do I know anything about projects?  A little bit.

1. Kids Gardening has an avalanche of ideas: Raised Beds 101, Theme Gardens, and Garden Photography.   Here is more of a kit to planning a garden with kids.  There are loads and loads of steps!  

2. Outreach: My kiddos have planned and implemented tons of outreach projects.  My favorite are kindergarten and Head Start outreach events.  Basically, we take fun experiments and play with kiddos.  When I taught professionally, the AGW club partnered with the SPED class and led stations.  I’ve had Co-op kiddos do Outreach events with Head Start and at the library.  Here are suggested activities.  Any simple experiments are fine.  Tornado tubes, Cartesian divers, UV bead bracelets, and  Marble Paper are all hits.  Teach speed with Hot Wheels.  

3.  Another giant project is Watersheds.  Intro activities are Wad-A-Watershed,  Color Me a Watershed, Seeing Watersheds,  and Watershed in a Box. Save Our Streams has a guide to conduct a stream study. Here are instructions for a DIY kick-seine net.  This can lead to Riparian Buffer Projects, painting rain barrels, hydroponics, planting trees, and restoring wetlands.  

Happy July 4th!

 Happy July 4th!  Here’s hoping for a fun, patriotic celebration!  

Summer Science: Chemistry Experiments for Kiddos!

Make a decision about your DIY Chemistry kit.  Will the experiments be edible or not?  You don’t want your child to eat something contaminated by glue.  You may want to keep a set of equipment dedicated to edible chemistry in the kitchen, on top of the fridge.  Okay!  These experiments are just, plain fun!  I’m in the process of collecting experiments for fall’s Chem and Phys class and next year’s Science Camp, All the Hits! (I just started collecting materials.)  Below is a list of my favorites.  I’m hunting for more ideas because my kiddos have done most of these.  I’ll keep you posted.

 ACS Adventures in Chemistry is designed for kiddos.  There are over 30 experiments. Celebrating Chemistry  has archives full of past years’ experiments for kids, part of National Chemistry Week celebrations. Sample the activties in  this issue, Material World.  Don’t forget this classic, Indicator Blues with red cabbage.  I keep Jiffy Juice red cabbage powder on hand.

 The Exploratorium is another good sources: Inverted Bottles, Penny Battery, and Separation Anxiety (Chromatography)—might feel more like school than summer fun.

National Geographic’s Science Lab has all the classics, such as Elephant’s Toothpaste, Lava Lamp, Color Explosion,  etc—with videos.  This site is not breaking new ground; however, the instructions are clear for newbies.

Make Hand Chalk.  You are making a precipitate.  Here are additional instructions from ACS.

Sure, use 9 Slime Recipes.  Arm and Hammer has 5 Ways to Make Slime with Baking Soda.  Time for Slime is from ACS; it’s the classic white glue and borax recipe, if your child is are comfortable with borax. (Years ago, I had a teen who experienced a skin reaction to borax.  He was on Accutane for severe acne, rising the likelihood of a skin reaction.  We sent him to the nurse.  He bandaged his own hands with toilet paper and returned to class. Evidently, the nurse wasn’t concerned.  For the rest of the year, we didn’t take any chances with the student touching any chemicals. Ever.  Yes, the student dined out on his experience for months whenever we had lab.)  Make Magnetic Slime.  (We just add iron filings.)

Summer Science: Edible Chemistry Experiments for Kiddos!

Okay, you are going to need another coffee can or a shoebox to hold supplies, such as citric acid, baking soda, sugar, etc.  Which labs are fun?  I looked for a bunch of edible experiments.  Why?  Daring your sister to try some nasty concoction you just mixed up is half the fun.

1. Sherbert and Popping Candy require Pop Rocks.  The sherbert is more of a powder—more like FunDip.

2.  Fizz Bizz involves clear soda and candy. (Add Dancing Raisins for tiny kiddos.)  This experiment has much more science than exploding Mentos in Coke. You’ll need seltzer water, straws, pipe-cleaners, M&Ms, Skittles, and Mentos.  Once caveat; this may be too much school and not enough summer fun.  I’m teaching Chem and Phys this fall and plan to use it. 

3.  Packets of sodium alginate and calcium lactate are a splurge.  However, kiddos love these experiments!  Steve Spangler has Worms instructions.  The ‘string slime goo’ is sodium alginate; the string slime activator is calcium lactate, calcium chloride, or calcium acetate—any of these work.  Use a pipette or plastic syringe to play with spherification, Water Ball Science.  Powdered Kool-aid or food coloring add to the fun.  Be sure to add sugar to these experiments!  The Fizz Wizard and Jammin’ Jelly kit has several similar labs.  This kit has the same components as the Edible Chemistry kit.  

4. Butterfly Pea Tea uses baking soda and vinegar; it won’t harm your kiddo when he can’t resist a taste.  It will however be nasty.

5.  Another classic is Make your soda—pop!  Kiddos make their own fizzy drinks.  Kool-aid powder adds drama.  Your children will beg you to try their drink mixtures.  Add sugar!  

Summer Science: DIY Chemistry Kits for Kiddos!

Kiddos love chemistry.  No, they aren’t going to learn how to balance equations or name elements; they want to mess with mixtures and solutions.  Make them a simple kit.  Save coffee cans to hold supplies.  Add yogurt cups or 3-oz cups. What else do you need? Keep scrolling!  I usually buy in bulk for science camp.  These kits make great presents, too.

First, set a set of test tubes.  Buy a bag of 100, plastic culture tubes (12x 60mm) if you’re planning to use them for gifts or a camp.  These should fit into a cassette case.  (Ask the thrift store to save you cassette cases.)

Yes, you can buy cassette cases, too.  They hold plastic pipettes, too.  The first time I saw a cassette case used as a rack I was enthralled.  Who thought of it?  Genius!

Pipettes are fun to add to a kit. Too!  Kiddos love to play with them.  Generally, I buy a box of 500 for Co-op.  

You may want to splurge and buy test tube sets—especially if you’re making up only one or two kits.

Clothespins make excellent test tube holders.

Funnels, paint palettes (reaction plates), and wood stir sticks add to a quality kit.

Graduated cylinder are also a nice addition—if you can find a good deal! The 10 mL cylinders will fit into with all the other equipment in the coffee cans.

One optional item is a balance scale.  We use coins as weights (coin specifications) and cupcake liners instead of weigh boats.  For example, 5g of a substance is two pennies.  Could we just use digital scales?  Certainly.  However, your children are using math and deductive reasoning instead.