Surprises

My husband surprised Ignacio with a 130 in one Electronic Project Lab today. So exciting! We also picked up Ignacio's new glasses today. I was afraid he wouldn't want to wear them, but he was actually counting down the days until they came in.

Sorry for the blurry picture.

Everyday Surprises

I love stumbling along unexpected discoveries, as small as they may be.  I was reminded of one such moment when I came across these pictures.  A few months ago we were in the middle of a simple experiment, one that we’ve done quite a few times.  Ignacio likes to observe the changes in flowers when soaking in dyed water.  On this day there was one small change.  We normally use either red or blue dye, both primary colors.  On this occasion Ignacio asked to use purple instead.  I only added a few drops to the water, it wasn’t too concentrated.  Well, an interesting thing happened.  As the flower absorbed the water, it divided the primary colors within the mixed dye. 

Here you can see how the red remained close to the base of the flower.

Only the blue made it to the tips of the petals.

Have you ever really taken a look at the insides of a flower?  So beautiful.

Life is all about the details.  Remember to pause and enjoy them.

New Year – New Posts

I’m back from my longer than planned hiatus.  I just needed time to focus on other things.  I have many plans though, so stay tuned.

Since a post is not a post without a picture, here is a solar system Ignacio drew as a gift to our doctor.  He ran out of space and I had to tape more paper to extend it.  Yes, he did include Pluto.  He knows it is a dwarf planet, that doesn't stop him from showing his love.  (Oil pastels on construction paper)  

See you soon!

2012 Science Fair / Art Show

Our homeschooling group hosts a Science Fair/Art Show on the last meeting of the school year.  This was the first year that we attended.  Ignacio initially wanted his entire project on Betelgeuse, his favorite star.  Honestly, I couldn’t think of what we could do as the actual project so I suggested we broaden it to include all stars.

1. He came up with this awesome title all by himself!  The middle panel had random star facts and a size chart to compare multiple stars to planets in our solar system.  We also made an outer space word search puzzle and brought in books to show what Orion and the Orion Nebula really look like.
2. Our actual experiment was very simple.  We shaped a half circle out of clay and stuck a paperclip in it.  Then we stuck star stickers onto a clear glass bowl.  The clay represents the Earth and the paperclip represents the child.  You hold the glass bowl slightly above the base and slowly turn the cardboard.  Make sure to point out where the different stars are in relation to the paperclip.  This is a simple way to demonstrate that stars do not move.  Stars only appear to move because the Earth spins on its axis.  I found this project in Janice VanCleave's Solar System book.
3. Orion, Ignacio’s favorite constellation.  The red star represents Betelgeuse and the blue star represents Rigel.
4. We needed another constellation to keep things balanced, he chose the Big Dipper.
5. Ignacio and his best friend Mia.
6. For the art show, Mia made this adorable bean mosaic.
7. Rigel, Ignacio’s second favorite star.
8. Betelgeuse, Ignacio’s favorite star.
9. The science fair ended with a session of creative movement led by two of the moms.  They acted out everything from bears to tornadoes.  At the end they were told to act like their science project.  This is Ignacio’s version of Orion.

For the art show, we chose to share his Earth Day and Rainbow collages.

Here is a detailed view of Mia’s mosaic.  Isn’t it beautiful?!

Earth Day | Follow-up 2

A little late, but here it goes.  I’ve decided to focus on Earth and Space for science next year.  I thought I would use Earth Day as a sort of introduction into Earth Science.  We saw a documentary about the natural wonders of the world on Netflix (sorry, can’t remember the name).  We also read Usborne’s See Inside the Planet Earth by Alex Frith.  We picked up the April issue of Click magazine, which was devoted entirely to Recycling.  (Although, truth be told we haven’t read it yet, hopefully soon.)  I found a really good experiment in the book Catch the Wind, Harness the Sun: 22 Super-Charged Projects for Kids by Michael J. Caduto.

This was a very simple project.  Simply cut the top off of two plastic bottles.  Place a thermometer inside each bottle and tightly cover one of them with clear plastic.  Place both bottles next to each other in the sun.  Monitor the temperature of both throughout the day.  Make sure to continue the experiment late into the evening.  Do you think there will be a difference in the temperature within each container?  What do you think will happen once night falls?

This experiment is meant to emulate Global Warming.  The sun’s heat does not escape properly in the covered bottle.  I left the bottles out all day.  I checked the temperature when I brought them in at night and had Ignacio fill in the final data the following morning.  He had a lot of fun checking in on the thermometers.

Disclaimer: Please excuse my dirty garden window; I’m too short to reach the glass.  :)

Dangly Monkeys

One of Ignacio's favorite math manipulatives is his balancing scale.  He likes to make one side very heavy, then balance it with the other side.  Sometimes he uses his foam pattern blocks, other times he throws in random toys.

We've read a few MathStart books on the subject.  I thought it would be easier for him to begin learning weights if he first got a good grasp on heavy and light.  I recently ordered a copy of The Usborne Big Book of Science Things to Make and Do. 

Its been on my wishlist for a while, I finally decided to buy it.  I'm glad I did!  I love Usborne books and this one did not disappoint.  There are many little projects that we will be trying.  When I saw their Dangly Monkeys project I got to work.  It was perfect timing.

One thing to note about this book is that while it includes instructions and pictures, it does not include patterns.  I drew and cut out my own monkeys.  We used markers to color them in.  We only colored one side, but I think I might have him color the backs also.  He colored two of them and asked me to help so... I colored four.  Not originally my intention, but we had plans later that afternoon.

Can't forget the details!

Beautiful!

I made the branch using pipe cleaners. I hung the branch by tying a piece of yarn to it and taping the other end to the top of a doorway. 

I was hoping he would be able to balance the monkeys all by himself, but he needed my help.  This was really my fault for two reasons.  First, I don't think I gave the monkeys' arms and tails enough of a "hook".  Second, the book instructed you to tape the hanging branch to the end of a table.  I am seven months pregnant and decided I would rather work standing up.  Well, in order to attach the branch to the doorway the yarn had to be like three feet long.  This made the branch very sensitive to balance, as it swayed very easily.  The monkeys did balance though. 

Ignacio loved it.  I love how something that was so fun for him is also so educational.  There were bits of math and science... all topped off with some art!  We love getting crafty.  ;)

After that we were off to enjoy a fun afternoon in the park with new friends.