Fun Science! Color Changing Milk

I'm a fan of Steve Spangler. I love his science experiments. They are wacky, easy, and very educational. I will preface this post by saying we follow the Sonlight science curriculum and supplement with Magic School Bus books/videos, etc..., but this week I just felt like doing something random and fun - turns out those are usually the things the kids remember and learn the most from.

This color changing milk experiment only required a few things: milk, food coloring, cotton swabs, and dish soap. I had all of those things on hand already, so we were set. To prepare, I watched this video:

I gathered the supplies:

First we tried the experiment with whole milk and it worked really well!

Next, we changed one variable (the type of liquid) and used 2% milk. It worked, but not quite as well as with the whole milk.

Finally, we changed the same variable again and used water. It didn't work at all!

I didn't have the kids write anything while we did this... I just wanted them to have fun and experiment! I did, however, talk to them about some basic principles of conducting an experiment:

• making predictions
• changing just ONE variable (this was our liquid)
  
• drawing conclusions
  

Steve Spangler does a great job in the video explaining what was going on during the experiment. My children and I watched the video after we had finished. They went on to pick out more experiments on his site they would like to try.

Each day we educate at home I can see the spark in my children's eyes get brighter, and they are becoming more self-motivated. Activities like this one foster their love of learning and curiosity.
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Science on The Magic School Bus

A dear friend of mine from church had been encouraging me to homeschool ever since I first asked her about it, and while I didn't initially start homeschooling, she never judged my decision, but quietly kept herself involved in my life. Looking back, I think this was just the support and encouragement that I needed. I will never forget the Sunday before Thanskgiving when I stopped her before the church service and said "I did it. I took Anna out of school!" She hugged me and promised to help me in any way she could.

This friend has three children - and she homeschooled each of them up until the sixth grade, at which point she sent them to an exceptional private school in our area. This year marked her last year of homeschooling, so a few weeks ago she invited me to her home to pour through her resources - jackpot! As we sat on her basement floor pouring through boxes of books, games, etc..., I asked a lot of questions and she offered advice to me. One of the things I had expressed some concern about was science. Yes, last year I had purchased the science curriculum that came along with the Sonlight Core 3 Newcomer package, and I really liked some parts of it, but this coming year I wanted to do science together with my Kindergarten and Fourth Grader. It sounds like a stretch in age range, but my friend had a great idea and I am going to try it this year!

On a few occasions this past year, we have read a Magic School Bus book together. We even did a complete lapbook about sharks based on "The Great Shark Escape". Check out what a great job my daughter did here. Both of my children enjoyed the book, and also enjoyed several of the Magic School Bus movies from the library during the year. My friend "willed" me her complete set of The Magic School Bus books and suggested I take a book every two weeks and go in depth with it by supplementing with other library books, experiments, and videos. She said I had better do it this year because my oldest may not be interested in The Magic School Bus after this year. I am so excited to begin! If you aren't familiar with The Magic School Bus you should really check it out. Miss Frizzle takes her students on a school bus to impossible places of learning - inside the human body, to the moon, and to the ocean floor to name a few! She is quite likable and the adventures are fun and interesting. There are also activities on the Scholastic website to support a lot of what you do, including experiments, games, video clips, and much more.

Now, if you want a science curriculum for the little ones with everything ready for you, this may not be it. But, if you are like me and enjoy having a "spine" and then being creative from there, this just might be the thing for you. Check back to see where the bus takes us this year!

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Sharks, Sharks, Sharks!

This week we have been taking the California Achievement Test, so I wanted the rest of our school activities to be fun and stress free. In our "Mysteries and Marvels of Nature" book we had come across a section about sharks that seemed to fascinate both kids. So, I hopped online and did some research.

I found a really cute lapbook about The Magic School Bus book, "The Great Shark Escape". I ordered the book on Amazon and it seemed to be right at a level where both my eight and five year old could enjoy it. (On a side note, two years ago we bought the Amazon Prime Membership, which ensures you get free shipping on qualifying items. Most items do qualify, and we get two day shipping for free. This has been a great investment!) This morning after testing I just gave my daughter a ziploc bag which contained the lapbook directions and all of the minibook supplies she would need. She did the first 10 books in about 45 minutes and learned a whole lot about sharks in the process!

Tomorrow after testing I have some shark books we checked out from the library and I will also let Anna play on the Scholastic Magic School Bus site. These books seem like a great way for me to do unit studies about science that will appeal to both of my children. Check them out!