My 4 year old son has been obsessed with states of matter lately (thank you “Sid the Science Kid” and “Zula Patrol.”) »»]]>

My 4 year old son has been obsessed with states of matter lately (thank you “Sid the Science Kid” and “Zula Patrol.”) He’s constantly pointing out “this is a solid,” and “that is a liquid.” And of course, since he’s four, he’s going to eventually follow up with some kind of “why” question.

Like: “Momma, why do the eggs turn from a liquid to a solid when you cook them?”

Uhhhhh….

…

So it was bound to happen that while we were eating Jello my Little Prince would turn and ask, “Momma, is Jello a liquid or a solid?”

Now THAT, I did remember from science class! The answer is “Neither.” But I couldn’t remember what it was called so I turned to Google because I *heart* Google. (Hey - remember back when we used to look these things up in encyclopedias? (Insert hysterical laughter here.)

I found the answer in several places across the internet but this one had the best explanation that my kids would understand:

Gelatin itself is made of a protein. (Proteins are solids at most temperatures.) When you mix the jello powder into the hot water, the protein actually dissolves in the water. But like many things, it’s harder for the protein to stay dissolved in cold water than in hot water. So as the solution cools down, the protein comes out of solution and turns back into a solid. But it doesn’t just form a solid that settles onto the bottom, like a mixture of water and sand would.

As the protein molecules come out of solution, they stick to each other. When they stick to each other, they form a complicated matrix that runs all through the jello. You can think of it as a giant mixed-up jungle gym of little protein molecules all sticking together. They water molecules get caught up inside this matrix so they can’t just drain out.

So all things said and done, jello is basically a solid suspended in a liquid. The scientific word for this is a ’colloid’. If you heat it up enough, the solid will become dissolved again it will become a liquid all through. But if you cool it down enough, the liquid water will freeze and it will become a solid all through.

So jello is neither a liquid, nor a solid, it is a colloid. You learn something new everyday. Even while eating your dessert. ; )

And just for grins and giggles - you can make your own Jello-style gelatin dessert at home using real fruit juice and gelatin (which we now know is a protein - that adds nutritional value RIGHT?) and without all the artificial flavors and colors. Imagine turning it into a whole science lesson! Make a bowl of jello, chill and set. Put a small serving in the freezer, put a small serving in a sauce pan. The best part? Eating the rest of the jello while you wait for your jello experiments to freeze and melt!

Oh - and for those of you wondering about the eggs? Protein plays an important part in that answer, too. (Read Scene 6 or watch the 2nd video segment.)

Science and food. Food and science. I like this relationship. =)

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/ / CC BY 2.0

One of the things Princess needed to do for her science class was a flower dissection, which she’s really been looking forward to. (Princess is currently »»]]> Ah, science!

One of the things Princess needed to do for her science class was a flower dissection, which she’s really been looking forward to. (Princess is currently using Switched On Schoolhouse, level 5.)

Of course, we turned it into a group project for both of the girls. It just so happens that Drama Queen just learned about flowers and their parts (on a smaller scale, roots, leaves, etc.) only a week before Princess needed to do this. When I went to the store I picked up some red tulips (love me some tulips!) and some white daisies (so cute) for our project.

Obviously the added bonus is that we didn’t need ALL of the flowers for the dissection. ; ) I’ve really enjoyed having some fresh flowers in my house this past week. (I think I may make that a new habit.)

When Little Prince was away at grandma’s house,we snagged the interruption-free opportunity and we got to work dissecting our flowers:

Flower Dissection

Needed: 2 different flowers for each child, sharp knife, flower diagram for reference, white paper for each flower, magnifying glass, paper and pencil to draw and record observations.

1.) One at a time, cut each flower in half carefully, observe and then draw what you see. (For a younger child, or a more hands on child, you can follow the modifications listed at the end.)

2.) If needed (as for the daisy) you can carefully pick apart pieces of the flower to find the parts you are looking for. The stamen, located at the base of each petal, can only be found upon closer inspection!

3.) Allow the child the opportunity to further examine and explore the flower until their curiosity is satisfied. Note the neat piles of the visual learner.

4.) Review the parts of the flower and their functions. Discuss how the two flowers were similar or different and where each of those parts were found or what they looked like. Record your observations.

Modification: If you have a younger child following along, or a very hands on and kinesthetic child (or a child who is both, like Drama Queen!) you can skip the initial step of cutting in half and allow the child to pull the flower apart, piece by piece.

1.) Pull the petals off and examine them. Are they “alone” like the petals of the tulip? Or do they hold a tiny stamen at the base like the petals of the daisy? How do they look, feel, smell?

2.) Whether the stamen are on the petals or still on the flower , pull them off and examine them. What color are they? Are they big or little? See if you can scrape some of the pollen off onto the white paper and look at it under the magnifying glass.

~

3.) Turn your attention to the pistil(s) in the middle. Is there one or many? Now cut the remaining flower in half, and see if you can identify the ovary.

4.) Now let your child explore for as long as their attention span holds. Warning: If you hand your tactile learner a knife and let him or her further explore the insides of the flower.. you may end up with something like this: ; )

And that concludes your flower dissection — enjoy!!

If you’re homeschooling with littles underfoot, one question you often get asked (and ask yourself) is “what do you do with the littles while »»]]>

If you’re homeschooling with littles underfoot, one question you often get asked (and ask yourself) is “what do you do with the littles while you’re schooling the olders?”

Obviously there are many answers and not a one size fits all answer for everybody. The things we have done have varied with the different personalities and temperaments of each child, with their age and abilities, and so on.

For a long time it has been easy to occupy our toddler son with drawing - he loves to draw, and I don’t discount that as educational. Every penstroke, every circle he draws, is preparing him with the motor skills to form and shape letters and numbers later on. Every critter and creature he sketches is encouraging and expanding his imagination, or allowing him the opportunity to ponder things he learned earlier in the day.

In fact, my son loves to draw SO MUCH, that in all honesty, he goes through entirely. too. much. paper. Or, he gets ahold of my dry erase markers (and once a permanent marker!) and scribbles all over my to do lists and math lessons.

Which is why I was really excited to find this:

That, my fellow delighted moms (and dads), is a double sided dry erase lap board. And my four year old son LOVES it. Since he has recently been expressing an interest in letters in addition to drawing (finally!) he has the opportunity to flip back and forth between the two, drawing and then “writing”, drawing and then “writing.” It occupies him for LONG periods of time. (With low odor markers of course!)

And sometimes after I get the girls settled in with their school I’ll sit down with him and work on some very simple handwriting and phonics. He gets into it and asks “what makes this sound” and “what says that” and “how do you write ___”… It’s all really cute, of course.

After he tires of his lap board, sometimes we’ll move on to other activities. He likes to sit in my lap while I read a science lesson to the 6 year old, and he likes to pretend to “do school” with preschool workbooks. Sometimes he gets to water paint (which he also loves and uses too much paper for) and sometimes it’s time for a movie and a nap. ;0)

Either way, the double sided dry erase lap board is DEFINITELY working to entertain — and educate — our rambunctious toddler boy!

What works for you?

Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by Kristen @ We Are That Family. {P.S. If you’re looking for a blogging tip, (which this week’s WFMW is SUPPOSED to be about..) I did a series for beginning bloggers a while back called How To Blog.}

~ Buy this on Amazon: Board Dudes Double Sided Dry Erase Lapboard (Or try to find it on clearance at JoAnn’s like I did.)

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