EASY Kinetic Theory Experiment

Watch John Isaac here.  All you need is water and food coloring.


We liked this one, too - that explains kinetic and atomic theories.

More helpful resources

Amazon has a few periodic table placemats that may be helpful for the memory work coming our way.

I haven't tried the board game Periodic Quest, but it seems to have high reviews. Of course, you can always get the Periodic Table shower curtain on Amazon. Nothing says "I'm a homeschooler" like a Periodic Table shower curtain, now, does it?

Also, for Netflix subscribers, I'd personally recommend America: The Story of Us produced by the History Channel and Liberty's Kids: The Complete Series, both available to Watch Instantly. The former is a twelve-episode live-action reenactment of American History (PG level violence, for the most part). Liberty's Kids (rated TV Y7) is an animated cartoon that used to air on FOX and tells, through 40 24-minute episodes, the story of the Revolution. My kids love it, and have never role played American history so frequently!

Songs for this week

A few songs may help with memory this week.

The verse can be sung to the tune of "Happy Birthday":
And over all these
virtues put on love
which binds them all to-ge-ther
in perfect u-ni-ty!

If you'd like to add the reference, tack "Co-lossians 3:14" on the end in the same tune as the last line.

For our history song, try it to "Old McDonald":
In 1534, Jacques Cartier*
a French explorer
won sailed along the east coast
of Ca-na-da
searching for a western route!
to China!
later sailed up
the Lawrence River!
and cla-imed Mont-re-al fo-or France.

The moon phases can be sung to "Itsy-Bitsy Spider" or "The Ants Go Marching One by One."

Clouds match-up worksheet

Here's a simple match-up worksheet generated from theteacherscorner.net incorporating this week's science memory work.

Clouds for kids

Here's a good overview of cloud types with photos of the clouds we're studying this week.

This site has a ton of great links, including NASA's cloud site for kids; cool clouds from space; how to make a water cycle wheel; and more.

Here's a link to some easy hands-on experiments from this brief, informative summary on clouds with more links to more pictures.

And here's a link with poetry, another science experiment, and a number of art projects related to clouds!

NASA's created a couple of videos for kids on this: a basic one on clouds and their types, and this one on shapes and formation of clouds, with a neat demonstration on making a cloud. This video also demonstrated the creation of clouds--less exciting, but pretty explanatory, and shows how you can make a cloud with a 2-liter bottle at home. Here's a very basic video on types of clouds for reading-aged children with no voice-over.

For older students, here are some wonderful worksheets that incorporate some math, too.

For memory purposes, the poem can loosely be formed to "The Farmer in the Dell." (Someday my creativity will think of a different song that has the same meter.)

Them Bones

Here's a printable skeleton puzzle. For longevity, I laminated it. You could use it for Halloween decorations or talking about the body.  It was a hit with John Isaac - because he asked, "Can I do it again?"

Below is Kristi singing the major bones in the body, from last year. (or here on YouTube)


HT: Chasing Cheerios

also posted on Works for Me Wednesday.

Geysers in action

Taking my cue from our grammar memory work this week, our science fact can also be put to "Ring Around the Rosie."

Here's a good overview of geysers along with a couple of videos from geology.com, and a coloring page for those kids who can't get enough of their Crayolas.

You can also see helpful animation on how geysers work. Some kids might appreciate this "electronic field trip" to Yellowstone, too.

Wanna make your own geyser? Here's an idea using Alka-Seltzer and a two-liter bottle, or you can go the Coke-and-Mentos route.

Earthquakes: Shakin' it up

I'm slightly amazed that the U.S. government has a whole website for kids on earthquakes! It's got puzzles and games, animations, photos, the science of earthquakes, and even "today in earthquake history."

You'll also find some good resources through its page for students and teachers, sortable by grade level (complete with some pretty cool coloring pages, too)! There are some very creative hands-on ideas like this one regarding faults or even using crayon shavings to illustrate the formation of other rocks from heat and pressure. But I may have to do the one using cookies to demonstrate erosion--who cares if we're not talking about erosion yet...! And that's a small fraction of the ideas on this site; I'm sure there are earth science resources that we can use the rest of the semester. Seriously worth checking out.

Among its hyperlinks, you can create a virtual earthquake of different kinds and magnitudes, and watch its effects.

And even though yes, I know that "video" doesn't equal "creative," it does make our job a little more visual and interesting! Here's a video on Earthquakes 101--see the video after it, too, entitled "Inside Earthquakes". And here's few more helpful earthquake videos from National Geographic that cover the "above ground" effects. Howstuffworks also has a worthwhile earthquake video.

Check out these photos that convey some of God's power displayed in earthquakes; these verses also detail the earthquakes mentioned in the Bible.

Fortunately, there are enough resources out there to make earthquakes come alive for nearly any learning style!

And P.S.--surprise, surprise--the memory work can be sung to (drumroll, please) ...The Farmer in the Dell.

-Janel

Rockin' minerals--and rock candy

To elaborate on our science fact this week, you may to try to grow your own crystals with household items. Note: This takes a few days, so you may want to start early in the week. Consider using this site's description to make a clear tie into our science fact; scroll to the bottom, click on "Fun Activities", and then "Growing Crystals Activity".

(Note: To tie the crystals discussion into math, you may consider discussing geometry this week, namely three-dimensional figures [corners, faces, prisms, cubes, etc.]--a discussion made a little more hands on by swiping rectangular prisms of cereal boxes, cylinders of tin cans or marshmallows, or construction-paper cones from around the house [with boys, my clan will probably go on an imaginary archery hunt around the house and shoot cubes, pyramids, spheres, etc.]. The latter site mentioned above mentions these three-dimensional figures and how they affect the formations of crystals. This could even be turned into a drawing lesson of 3D shapes...but I digress.)

But as an alternative, I think we're going to attempt making rock candy! You may just have to check out this cool photo tutorial. My kids are going to love this, and edible experiments definitely grease the homeschool wheels over here.

Without telling them, see if your kids can identify why the crystals you make wouldn't qualify as minerals. Our man-made rock candy won't qualify as minerals like halite (i.e. table salt) crystals would, because cane sugar is organic as opposed to inorganic, and even in the first (salt) experiment, our homegrown crystals are man-made, not naturally occurring. Yes, I had to look that up.


This Learning Zone site is a great intro to minerals including the Moh scale, and I love how this site compares minerals to, of all things, a cake.


And as much as I've tried to change it up, our science work still often goes best to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell", which I'd recommend this week.

You might consider making or having your student make five flashcards of minerals' characteristics, possibly in five different colors and/or fonts (maybe even pictures!) for all those visual learners out there. From the Learning Zone site hyperlinked above:

•Minerals are naturally occurring
They are not made by humans

•Minerals are inorganic
They have never been alive and are not made up from plants or animals

•Minerals are solids
They are not liquids (like water), or gases (like the air around you)

•Minerals have a definite chemical composition
Each one is made of a particular mix of chemical elements

•Minerals have an ordered atomic arrangement
The chemical elements that make up each mineral are arranged in a particular way - this is why minerals 'grow' as crystals

-Janel

Memory work: songs and actions

Our history fact on Charlemagne this week can be sung to "The Wheels on the Bus" with a wee bit of finagling.

Our science fact can be sung to the first lines of "Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man" (it actually works with "Wheels on the Bus", too, but hey, let's not confuse the poor kids). Suggested actions:

1. "Sedimentary and igneous rocks": hit your fist on your palm to the beat.

2. "over time/may change form": hold your hands up, palms out, then flip them to show the backs of your hands

3. "add some heat and pressure": hold up imaginary salt and pepper shakers; shake one, then the other

4. "metamorphic they become": form a mountain with your hands, then make it rise with the imaginary underground heat and pressure

-Janel

Science facts to music: Did you know?

Did you know that the majority of our science facts can be put to song? Their rhythm is fairly easily conformed to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell". This week's fact on fossils is a little more challenging, but it can be done. For my kids, music is even easier to remember than poetry!