"Science Experiments"
teresa
My 6 1/2 year old has been asking to do science experiments lately. We've done some cool ones--making paper helicopters, soup-can "telephones," ice cream in a Ziploc bag, cornstarch-water non-Newtonian fluid, and of course, plenty of fun with baking soda and vinegar.
But I'm not sure I'm getting at what he wants to get at.
I keep the explanations short, focusing on the playing-with rather than talking-about, but he seems a little dissatisfied within a few minutes. He can't really articulate what he's looking for, and I keep getting stumped at the idea that most science experiments begin with a question or wondering about how things work or what-would-happen-if... (which happen as part of our daily life, but don't seem to count for him). I'm trying to bring out "classic" experiments in something of a vacuum, but I almost wonder if he has a mad-scientist laboratory in his mind as what "science" looks like.
This feels like a place where schooly/subject stuff is getting in the way for me; maybe my homeschooled son and (schooled) I mean two different things by "science experiment," and I don't want to fall into a spot where it seems as if school kids get the better end of the stick with chemistry class, physics class, etc. Or maybe I could just turn my kitchen into a mad scientist lab for a day and we could all wear white coats and funny wigs? :) I should add that my husband and I are wordy-history folks, so I am working hard to extend out of my comfort zone with this one.
Thanks for any thoughts.
Teresa
mama to Woody (6 1/2) and Fox (3 1/2)
But I'm not sure I'm getting at what he wants to get at.
I keep the explanations short, focusing on the playing-with rather than talking-about, but he seems a little dissatisfied within a few minutes. He can't really articulate what he's looking for, and I keep getting stumped at the idea that most science experiments begin with a question or wondering about how things work or what-would-happen-if... (which happen as part of our daily life, but don't seem to count for him). I'm trying to bring out "classic" experiments in something of a vacuum, but I almost wonder if he has a mad-scientist laboratory in his mind as what "science" looks like.
This feels like a place where schooly/subject stuff is getting in the way for me; maybe my homeschooled son and (schooled) I mean two different things by "science experiment," and I don't want to fall into a spot where it seems as if school kids get the better end of the stick with chemistry class, physics class, etc. Or maybe I could just turn my kitchen into a mad scientist lab for a day and we could all wear white coats and funny wigs? :) I should add that my husband and I are wordy-history folks, so I am working hard to extend out of my comfort zone with this one.
Thanks for any thoughts.
Teresa
mama to Woody (6 1/2) and Fox (3 1/2)
Jo Isaac
Is it chemistry type of experiments he's looking for? I often set my son (also 6) up at the kitchen table (with an old towel or sheet over it!) with bicarb, vinegar, food colouring, and maybe some containers of salt, flour, whatever...and let him go for it...we're lucky we have test tubes and beakers and what-not (from my husbands workplace), but saucers and cups work just the same....then he's in control , there is no agenda and he can finish up whenever he's had enough. If he going to go back to it later, i'll leave it out (sometimes for days!).
There are also fun science-y activities like making animal prints with plaster of paris, leaf rubbings, etc, if he seems interested in that kind of thing?
Whenever we've tried more organized experiments (the coloured flowers, that kind of thing) he loses interest (and no wonder - takes a whole day for the flower to change colour!).
Maybe just let him play with ingredients and colours and equipment. Let him make up his own experiments, don't try and make it too organized, or feel like you need to have a 'result' or a 'conclusion'. :)
Jo
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There are also fun science-y activities like making animal prints with plaster of paris, leaf rubbings, etc, if he seems interested in that kind of thing?
Whenever we've tried more organized experiments (the coloured flowers, that kind of thing) he loses interest (and no wonder - takes a whole day for the flower to change colour!).
Maybe just let him play with ingredients and colours and equipment. Let him make up his own experiments, don't try and make it too organized, or feel like you need to have a 'result' or a 'conclusion'. :)
Jo
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otherstar
>>>>>This feels like a place where schooly/subject stuff is getting in the way for me; maybe my homeschooled son and (schooled) I mean two different things by "science experiment," and I don't want to fall into a spot where it seems as if school kids get the better end of the stick with chemistry class, physics class, etc. <<<<<<Do some google searching on science experiments. There are lots and lots of ideas. We have a couple of books with experiment ideas. Here is a cool website that might give you lots of ideas: http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments.html
When my oldest was into doing science experiments, we got several science experiment kits. One of them had different chemicals that we could combine and see the different reactions. I think we got a couple of them from the local hobby shop. You can also get them off of Amazon by doing a search on “science kit”. Maybe you could look through the results on Amazon with your son to see if there is a kit that looks particularly interesting. Something else to consider is getting a microscope. We used to do lots of looking at stuff under the microscope. If she got a cut, we would prepare a slide with the blood so she could see what her blood looked like under the microscope. We did it with her hair and anything else we could think of. We also found some kits without the chemicals at the local thrift store.
Another idea is YouTube videos. My 8 year old found the coolest YouTube channel called Slomoguys. http://www.youtube.com/user/theslowmoguys?feature=results_main They do science experiments and record normal stuff like popping popcorn and then slow it down so that you can see how it looks in extreme slow motion. After watching the popcorn pop in slow motion, we got a different popcorn popper so the girls could watch popcorn up close as it pops.
Connie
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Tam
-- I almost wonder if he has a mad-scientist laboratory in his mind as what "science" looks like.--
That's exactly what I thought as I read the start of your email. Finn (6) does sometimes like an actual science experiment, especially if it's something we've discovered on youtube together (like volcanoes or elephant toothpaste etc); the more dramatic the better, which sometimes doesn't happen with the real experiments. You can pick up used chemistry kits and labcoats on ebay for relatively little, with test tubes and flasks etc, with some coloured solutions and some dry ice maybe, it could look pretty good. You could maybe see if he just wanted to 'make potions' (My two love doing this with stuff from the kitchen cupboards and then seeing what it tastes/smells like) or you could do some of the real experiments if that was what he was interested in. I've had these two links bookmarked that have some fun stuff too:
http://cocopreme.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Create-Your-Own-Spooky-Laboratory%c2%a0
http://pinterest.com/kansasdiscovery/diy-at-home-mad-science/%c2%a0
Tam
http://sprout-and-squidge.blogspot.com/
________________________________
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
That's exactly what I thought as I read the start of your email. Finn (6) does sometimes like an actual science experiment, especially if it's something we've discovered on youtube together (like volcanoes or elephant toothpaste etc); the more dramatic the better, which sometimes doesn't happen with the real experiments. You can pick up used chemistry kits and labcoats on ebay for relatively little, with test tubes and flasks etc, with some coloured solutions and some dry ice maybe, it could look pretty good. You could maybe see if he just wanted to 'make potions' (My two love doing this with stuff from the kitchen cupboards and then seeing what it tastes/smells like) or you could do some of the real experiments if that was what he was interested in. I've had these two links bookmarked that have some fun stuff too:
http://cocopreme.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Create-Your-Own-Spooky-Laboratory%c2%a0
http://pinterest.com/kansasdiscovery/diy-at-home-mad-science/%c2%a0
Tam
http://sprout-and-squidge.blogspot.com/
________________________________
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Clare
Hi Teresa,
No advice but my nearly 7 year old is the same - he's asked for a chemistry set for his birthday after seeing the villains make concoctions and formulas in his superhero cartoons! He does lots of mixing up stuff around the house at the moment. Will have to look out for a fun set for him - I am not science-y at all either.
Clare
No advice but my nearly 7 year old is the same - he's asked for a chemistry set for his birthday after seeing the villains make concoctions and formulas in his superhero cartoons! He does lots of mixing up stuff around the house at the moment. Will have to look out for a fun set for him - I am not science-y at all either.
Clare
--- In [email protected], "teresa" <treesock@...> wrote:
>
> My 6 1/2 year old has been asking to do science experiments lately. We've done some cool ones--making paper helicopters, soup-can "telephones," ice cream in a Ziploc bag, cornstarch-water non-Newtonian fluid, and of course, plenty of fun with baking soda and vinegar.
>
Sara Evans
YouTube - search for
"Sick Science",
"Scientific Tuesdays/Household Hacker", and
"Steve Spangler"
We've gotten ideas for some amazing fun there and elsewhere. But YouTube
is a great place to start looking for new things to try.
Then, because we are Harry Potter fans, I pretend to be a Hogwarts
Professor for local homeschool groups I've changed all the ingredient names
for many of the experiments into magical-sounding things. I bottle them
into cool bottles and label them, and even made a textbook. So when we do,
say, a mixture that separates according to each liquid's density, I say
it's a "Potion" and it calls for things like "Goblin Urine" (balsamic
vinegar), "Flobberworm Oil" (cooking oil), "Sopophorous Syrup" (corn
syrup), "Mayan Hotsprings Water" (rubbing alcohol), etc. The kids just
love it, and so do I.
I can send you more offlist if you are fans too and interested.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
"Sick Science",
"Scientific Tuesdays/Household Hacker", and
"Steve Spangler"
We've gotten ideas for some amazing fun there and elsewhere. But YouTube
is a great place to start looking for new things to try.
Then, because we are Harry Potter fans, I pretend to be a Hogwarts
Professor for local homeschool groups I've changed all the ingredient names
for many of the experiments into magical-sounding things. I bottle them
into cool bottles and label them, and even made a textbook. So when we do,
say, a mixture that separates according to each liquid's density, I say
it's a "Potion" and it calls for things like "Goblin Urine" (balsamic
vinegar), "Flobberworm Oil" (cooking oil), "Sopophorous Syrup" (corn
syrup), "Mayan Hotsprings Water" (rubbing alcohol), etc. The kids just
love it, and so do I.
I can send you more offlist if you are fans too and interested.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=-Do some google searching on science experiments. There are lots and lots of ideas. We have a couple of books with experiment ideas. Here is a cool website that might give you lots of ideas: http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments.html
When my oldest was into doing science experiments, we got several science experiment kits-=-
I wanted to point out that those aren't "experiments," really. It's not just that I love language more than I love kitchen-table "science," but it might be worth pointing out (gently, not in a fun-squashing way) that those things are demonstrations, and not experiments. The answer is already known.
Making fake blood and fake scars (those recipes are easy to find) is sciency for real, because you could change the colors and ingredients, and it's not expensive, and you can put it on you (or a tile wall near a bathroom---if you own the home, don't risk discoloring rental-home grout) and take photos of it and then wash it off.
Counting and photographing wildlife is science.
Digging down (if you own your yard and it's not landscaped wall to wall) is science.
Having a compost pile and looking, as you turn it or mix it, to see what's rotting fast and what's going more slowly is science.
Magnets and what will stick....
bending a wire back and forth until it breaks...
folding paper to tear, and seeing that it tears more easily if you fold it back and forth, run a fingernail down it or lick the fold...
Pam Sorooshian told us about something very cool with milk and dish soap. I saved it:
http://sandradodd.com/strew/tadaa
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
When my oldest was into doing science experiments, we got several science experiment kits-=-
I wanted to point out that those aren't "experiments," really. It's not just that I love language more than I love kitchen-table "science," but it might be worth pointing out (gently, not in a fun-squashing way) that those things are demonstrations, and not experiments. The answer is already known.
Making fake blood and fake scars (those recipes are easy to find) is sciency for real, because you could change the colors and ingredients, and it's not expensive, and you can put it on you (or a tile wall near a bathroom---if you own the home, don't risk discoloring rental-home grout) and take photos of it and then wash it off.
Counting and photographing wildlife is science.
Digging down (if you own your yard and it's not landscaped wall to wall) is science.
Having a compost pile and looking, as you turn it or mix it, to see what's rotting fast and what's going more slowly is science.
Magnets and what will stick....
bending a wire back and forth until it breaks...
folding paper to tear, and seeing that it tears more easily if you fold it back and forth, run a fingernail down it or lick the fold...
Pam Sorooshian told us about something very cool with milk and dish soap. I saved it:
http://sandradodd.com/strew/tadaa
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sarah
When my boys (7,5 and 1) want to do 'science experiments' they want test-tubes and a few different coloured waters, with pipettes, stirrers, syringes, beakers and funnels. Less often they like to try experiments from a book, in which case I heartily recommend 'crisp packet fireworks', which has really good explanations and some fun stuff.
Mostly though they want to play at science and have a go with cool equipment.
Real science is when you have a question you want an answer to, and you experiment... They do that a lot too of course, but they don't call it 'doing science experiements'.
I'm guessing that there is a little part of you that pricks up its ears when your kids use a subject name, and maybe that's what's making him feel a bit dissatisfied, as if this should be giving him something more. He's doing real science all the time, the play science doesn't have to produce anything.
Sarah
Mostly though they want to play at science and have a go with cool equipment.
Real science is when you have a question you want an answer to, and you experiment... They do that a lot too of course, but they don't call it 'doing science experiements'.
I'm guessing that there is a little part of you that pricks up its ears when your kids use a subject name, and maybe that's what's making him feel a bit dissatisfied, as if this should be giving him something more. He's doing real science all the time, the play science doesn't have to produce anything.
Sarah
Sandra Dodd
-=- He's doing real science all the time, the play science doesn't have to produce anything.-=-
YES!!
One of the most fun things we ever did in the back yard when my kids were little was play in the sandbox (not a plastic bucket of a sandbox, but a hole Keith dug by a wall, and edged with railroad ties, and filled with purchased sand)... not just the sand, but with water. We would bury the end of the hose, built a mountain over it, and then turn the water on, low.
Soon the water would start leaking out, somewhere, but we never knew where until it came. Then we all tried to stop the "lava" by putting more sand on that place, which would cause it to "erupt" somewhere else.
That never ceased to be fun. :-)
Any kind of digging and water play can be fun, I think, but not all families have the option. Some live in apartments or flats, don't own their own shovels or dirt. Beaches are cool, but you can't get the hose out there, or save what you've created.
Just last week I sprouted seeds, in the house, because my three compost bins didn't have STUFF in them. The worms were up near the surface, and had made nice dirt of all we had put in there, and it's too early in the year to give them fallen leaves. I foundsome popcorn in a cloth bad we had bought in South Dakota. We were in South Dakota that same trip when I learned the platypus was a mammal (mentioned in another thread today), so it was OLD. I popped some, and most of it popped, but it was a little boring, so I thought I would sprout it and give the sprouts to my worms.
Then I thought I should sprout other stuff. Pinto beans and bird seed (from the bird-feeding bucket up by the deck, where we feed sparrows and doves) went into the water. After I soaked them all for a day, I put them in colanders (being a packrat and collector, I have five) and I rinsed them several times a day. Now they're out, planted in the compost piles and the "bird seed" is up and getting leaves. The corn has sprouted up through the dirt just yesterday and this morning, and beans will eventually. I waited until about 1/3 of the seeds had a first white sprout sticking out before I planted them all, and I'm watering them a few times a day.
It's August. I'm not going to grow any mature plants, but I WILL succeed in giving the worms something new to eat. :-)
That was cheap and fun. If you have lentils, those will sprout, too. Or I guess you could buy sprouts and the grocery store and put them in dirt and grown their mama-plants, and if you get tired of them, eat them or give them to the compost pile at your house or your neighbor's.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
YES!!
One of the most fun things we ever did in the back yard when my kids were little was play in the sandbox (not a plastic bucket of a sandbox, but a hole Keith dug by a wall, and edged with railroad ties, and filled with purchased sand)... not just the sand, but with water. We would bury the end of the hose, built a mountain over it, and then turn the water on, low.
Soon the water would start leaking out, somewhere, but we never knew where until it came. Then we all tried to stop the "lava" by putting more sand on that place, which would cause it to "erupt" somewhere else.
That never ceased to be fun. :-)
Any kind of digging and water play can be fun, I think, but not all families have the option. Some live in apartments or flats, don't own their own shovels or dirt. Beaches are cool, but you can't get the hose out there, or save what you've created.
Just last week I sprouted seeds, in the house, because my three compost bins didn't have STUFF in them. The worms were up near the surface, and had made nice dirt of all we had put in there, and it's too early in the year to give them fallen leaves. I foundsome popcorn in a cloth bad we had bought in South Dakota. We were in South Dakota that same trip when I learned the platypus was a mammal (mentioned in another thread today), so it was OLD. I popped some, and most of it popped, but it was a little boring, so I thought I would sprout it and give the sprouts to my worms.
Then I thought I should sprout other stuff. Pinto beans and bird seed (from the bird-feeding bucket up by the deck, where we feed sparrows and doves) went into the water. After I soaked them all for a day, I put them in colanders (being a packrat and collector, I have five) and I rinsed them several times a day. Now they're out, planted in the compost piles and the "bird seed" is up and getting leaves. The corn has sprouted up through the dirt just yesterday and this morning, and beans will eventually. I waited until about 1/3 of the seeds had a first white sprout sticking out before I planted them all, and I'm watering them a few times a day.
It's August. I'm not going to grow any mature plants, but I WILL succeed in giving the worms something new to eat. :-)
That was cheap and fun. If you have lentils, those will sprout, too. Or I guess you could buy sprouts and the grocery store and put them in dirt and grown their mama-plants, and if you get tired of them, eat them or give them to the compost pile at your house or your neighbor's.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Karen
>>>>Or maybe I could just turn my kitchen into a mad scientist lab for a day and we could all wear white coats and funny wigs?<<<<<I used to do this with my son...minus the wigs...but wigs could be fun! I would get up a bit earlier than him in the morning and dress up our kitchen table like a kind of chemistry lab. I did it before he got up, because he liked that surprise. On these occasions I would...
Put out an old shirt of my husband's on a chair. Make a colourful sign that said "Ethan's chemistry lab...Don't disturb!" Put out a bunch of items that were safe to mix. (Soap, flour, water, food colouring, oil, ketchup, vinegar, baking soda, sugar, cornstarch, etc) Label them. Put out some containers to mix in. He would run over to the table and just start mixing. He loved when I did this! He loved it when I watched.
Other things I might put out on the table for him (and his friends) to explore might include...
Make some play dough. (Ethan liked one colour at a time, but I always thought multiple colours would be fun.) Get some straws, popsicle sticks, twigs, forks, pipe cleaners...
Put a big chunk of play dough and all the various items that could be used for supports in the middle of the table. Let him/them build!
Put out a bunch of magnets and some things that were and were not magnetic.
Put out paints and paper. Add a bowl of salt or soap or cut up peppers to experiment with.
Make a maze with wooden blocks, find some things to run through the maze and put them on the table. Items could be balls, hex bugs, magnetic balls and magnets, cars, bristle bots... Often he would take the maze apart and do his own thing.
Experiments for outdoors could include:
Blend up recycled paper and water to make a kind of pulp we could remake into paper. Add various items to the pulp. Ladle our mixture onto a screen (you can use an old found screen), sponge the water off, turn it over onto a surface to dry. You can make paper shapes using cookie cutters. You can smoosh the pulp around and make your own shapes.
Hide things in plaster or sand or ice for him to dig out and find.
Freeze water in various sized containers. Head outside to carve and smash and melt the ice. Freeze items in the ice...food, toys, paint...
Make giant bubbles using string or building materials like Lego or Kinex. You can find good bubble concoctions online. Experiment with various recipes with your son.
Any play is a "science experiment" when there are elements included that have some variability. If he really likes the idea of "doing science," you could dress it up a bit for him. "Today we are going to be archeologists!" Head outdoors with brushes, shovels, flathead screwdrivers and magnifying glasses in hand, and dig! (My young neighbour friend loves it when I do that! He loves archeology.) A couple times my son dug some pretty big holes in our yard, seeing what he could find, or how far he could get. After he was done, I just filled the holes back in. Now, you can't even tell where the holes were, but to him, for those few days, in his imagination, he was a Miner!
alma
He might enjoy watching other people doing science experiments. We love the BBC's "Bang Goes the Theory" - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00lwxj1 - but there's loads of stuff on youtube.
Alison
DS(10) and DS(7)
Alison
DS(10) and DS(7)
--- In [email protected], "teresa" <treesock@...> wrote:
>
> My 6 1/2 year old has been asking to do science experiments lately. We've done some cool ones--making paper helicopters, soup-can "telephones," ice cream in a Ziploc bag, cornstarch-water non-Newtonian fluid, and of course, plenty of fun with baking soda and vinegar.
>
> But I'm not sure I'm getting at what he wants to get at.
>
> I keep the explanations short, focusing on the playing-with rather than talking-about, but he seems a little dissatisfied within a few minutes. He can't really articulate what he's looking for, and I keep getting stumped at the idea that most science experiments begin with a question or wondering about how things work or what-would-happen-if... (which happen as part of our daily life, but don't seem to count for him). I'm trying to bring out "classic" experiments in something of a vacuum, but I almost wonder if he has a mad-scientist laboratory in his mind as what "science" looks like.
>
> This feels like a place where schooly/subject stuff is getting in the way for me; maybe my homeschooled son and (schooled) I mean two different things by "science experiment," and I don't want to fall into a spot where it seems as if school kids get the better end of the stick with chemistry class, physics class, etc. Or maybe I could just turn my kitchen into a mad scientist lab for a day and we could all wear white coats and funny wigs? :) I should add that my husband and I are wordy-history folks, so I am working hard to extend out of my comfort zone with this one.
>
> Thanks for any thoughts.
>
> Teresa
> mama to Woody (6 1/2) and Fox (3 1/2)
>
BRIAN POLIKOWSKY
My son loves the Youtube channel 'Will it blend?"
Those are experiment because no one knows what will happen.
My kids like to say : "let see what happens when....."
Those are experiments.
I find that little kids experiment a lot. Then parents tell them not to play with dirt or put the water in the food....
Alex Polikowsky
________________________________
From: Sara Evans <sunrayemomi@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, August 20, 2012 8:32 AM
Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] "Science Experiments"
YouTube - search for
"Sick Science",
"Scientific Tuesdays/Household Hacker", and
"Steve Spangler"
We've gotten ideas for some amazing fun there and elsewhere. But YouTube
is a great place to start looking for new things to try.
Then, because we are Harry Potter fans, I pretend to be a Hogwarts
Professor for local homeschool groups I've changed all the ingredient names
for many of the experiments into magical-sounding things. I bottle them
into cool bottles and label them, and even made a textbook. So when we do,
say, a mixture that separates according to each liquid's density, I say
it's a "Potion" and it calls for things like "Goblin Urine" (balsamic
vinegar), "Flobberworm Oil" (cooking oil), "Sopophorous Syrup" (corn
syrup), "Mayan Hotsprings Water" (rubbing alcohol), etc. The kids just
love it, and so do I.
I can send you more offlist if you are fans too and interested.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Those are experiment because no one knows what will happen.
My kids like to say : "let see what happens when....."
Those are experiments.
I find that little kids experiment a lot. Then parents tell them not to play with dirt or put the water in the food....
Alex Polikowsky
________________________________
From: Sara Evans <sunrayemomi@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, August 20, 2012 8:32 AM
Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] "Science Experiments"
YouTube - search for
"Sick Science",
"Scientific Tuesdays/Household Hacker", and
"Steve Spangler"
We've gotten ideas for some amazing fun there and elsewhere. But YouTube
is a great place to start looking for new things to try.
Then, because we are Harry Potter fans, I pretend to be a Hogwarts
Professor for local homeschool groups I've changed all the ingredient names
for many of the experiments into magical-sounding things. I bottle them
into cool bottles and label them, and even made a textbook. So when we do,
say, a mixture that separates according to each liquid's density, I say
it's a "Potion" and it calls for things like "Goblin Urine" (balsamic
vinegar), "Flobberworm Oil" (cooking oil), "Sopophorous Syrup" (corn
syrup), "Mayan Hotsprings Water" (rubbing alcohol), etc. The kids just
love it, and so do I.
I can send you more offlist if you are fans too and interested.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
keetry
Our latest science has been discovering very large spiders building webs at our back door and on our front porch that we thought might be brown widows. My husband caught the first one and gave it to another homeschooler in our neighborhood who loves spiders. We spent time trying to identify it on the internet. I think I finally figured out that it's a nondangerous orb weaver rather than any kind of widow spider.
I also found either a real black widow or a false widow in a drain pipe. My 21 year old found a dead dragonfly outside. It was a big as his palm! He brought it inside and put it on the kitchen table for everyone to examine. I love that my kids think to do that rather than just smooshing it or throwing it away.
The boys also collected tadpoles from the ditch next to our house and put them in an aquarium we have. We're hoping they'll survive and change into frogs.
I got one of those chemistry kits. It was fun for a day and then not so much. I think, like Sandra said, that was because it's demonstrations rather than real experiments and my kids enjoy discovering their own things much more. I have several science experiment books using every day household items but I've found that we don't have most of the "common" household items needed.
Alysia
I also found either a real black widow or a false widow in a drain pipe. My 21 year old found a dead dragonfly outside. It was a big as his palm! He brought it inside and put it on the kitchen table for everyone to examine. I love that my kids think to do that rather than just smooshing it or throwing it away.
The boys also collected tadpoles from the ditch next to our house and put them in an aquarium we have. We're hoping they'll survive and change into frogs.
I got one of those chemistry kits. It was fun for a day and then not so much. I think, like Sandra said, that was because it's demonstrations rather than real experiments and my kids enjoy discovering their own things much more. I have several science experiment books using every day household items but I've found that we don't have most of the "common" household items needed.
Alysia
Shauna Reisewitz
What about getting a chemistry set for "older kids" ? he might find something like that a little more satisfactory. You also can go to a science supply site (WARDS for example) and buy a few test tubes, a test tube rack, funnel and beakers... even with equipment like that he can line them up and experiment with mixing different household compounds. That kids of stuff may make it seem more "sciencey" to him..I also love your mad scientist in the kitchen idea. I would start there!
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Meredith
"Karen" <semajrak@...> wrote:
Spices are fun to add to that mix. They add color and scent and some of the oils and acids in the spices make for interesting, unexpected (but safe) results. Dollar stores are a good source for cheap spices.
---Meredith
>(Soap, flour, water, food colouring, oil, ketchup, vinegar, baking soda, sugar, cornstarch, etc)**************
Spices are fun to add to that mix. They add color and scent and some of the oils and acids in the spices make for interesting, unexpected (but safe) results. Dollar stores are a good source for cheap spices.
---Meredith
Trista Teeter
I haven't read all of the replies yet but thought I would throw a suggestion out there.
My 6 1/2 year old daughter's favorite way to do experiments is with the items in our pantry. She enjoys doing science kits and such but there is something about grabbing a bunch of materials and seeing what happens. Drives my husband nuts, especially when she decides to bake a creation that Looks like chocolate cake but is flavored with a quarter bottle of spearmint flavoring and a smattering of hard red lentils.
We keep the pantry stocked with lots of interesting ingredients, most of which come from The Dollar Store, which she also enjoys shopping for.
It is a lot of fun to watch her and even sometimes be a guinea pig for the creations, which she really gets a kick out of!
Trista
Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
My 6 1/2 year old daughter's favorite way to do experiments is with the items in our pantry. She enjoys doing science kits and such but there is something about grabbing a bunch of materials and seeing what happens. Drives my husband nuts, especially when she decides to bake a creation that Looks like chocolate cake but is flavored with a quarter bottle of spearmint flavoring and a smattering of hard red lentils.
We keep the pantry stocked with lots of interesting ingredients, most of which come from The Dollar Store, which she also enjoys shopping for.
It is a lot of fun to watch her and even sometimes be a guinea pig for the creations, which she really gets a kick out of!
Trista
Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Meredith
"keetry" <keetry@...> wrote:
If you have paper wasps around your house, it can be fun to leave out scraps of colored construction paper - sometimes they'll add them to their nests. In spring, it can also be fun to leave out various odds and ends for birds and see who likes what for nest building - some like leafy things, some stems, some will collect bits of yarn, others prefer fluff. Similarly, you can leave out various things near ant hills and see what they collect.
We've had various things stolen from our cars by raccoons when we've left the windows down. Usually it's little things like foil left over from wrapping food, or little bean-bags but once I had a purse stolen - it was a year before the kids found it in the woods, all the shiny parts carefully removed. What the raccoons find interesting is an ongoing "science experiment" around my home.
---Meredith
>**************
> Our latest science has been discovering very large spiders building webs at our back door
If you have paper wasps around your house, it can be fun to leave out scraps of colored construction paper - sometimes they'll add them to their nests. In spring, it can also be fun to leave out various odds and ends for birds and see who likes what for nest building - some like leafy things, some stems, some will collect bits of yarn, others prefer fluff. Similarly, you can leave out various things near ant hills and see what they collect.
We've had various things stolen from our cars by raccoons when we've left the windows down. Usually it's little things like foil left over from wrapping food, or little bean-bags but once I had a purse stolen - it was a year before the kids found it in the woods, all the shiny parts carefully removed. What the raccoons find interesting is an ongoing "science experiment" around my home.
---Meredith
hamsder clan
We recently checked out a copy of "It's not Magic, It's Science!" from
the library. It goes through 50 "magic tricks" and the scientific
explanations behind why they work. The one that comes to mind is
sticking an oiled skewer through a balloon without popping it.
We had *lots* of fun going through many of these and talking about
how/why they worked. We're talking about planning a party and
performing a science/magic show. :)
Here's the Amazon listing:
http://www.amazon.com/Its-Not-Magic-Science-Mystify/dp/1579908837
jenny (Larkin 7, Finn 5)
the library. It goes through 50 "magic tricks" and the scientific
explanations behind why they work. The one that comes to mind is
sticking an oiled skewer through a balloon without popping it.
We had *lots* of fun going through many of these and talking about
how/why they worked. We're talking about planning a party and
performing a science/magic show. :)
Here's the Amazon listing:
http://www.amazon.com/Its-Not-Magic-Science-Mystify/dp/1579908837
jenny (Larkin 7, Finn 5)
--- In [email protected], "teresa" <treesock@...> wrote:
>
> My 6 1/2 year old has been asking to do science experiments lately.
Sandra Dodd
-=-The one that comes to mind is
sticking an oiled skewer through a balloon without popping it.-=-
If you put a piece of tape on a balloon, you can stick a pin in it (through the tape) without it popping. That can be fun. :-)
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
sticking an oiled skewer through a balloon without popping it.-=-
If you put a piece of tape on a balloon, you can stick a pin in it (through the tape) without it popping. That can be fun. :-)
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Joyce Fetteroll
On Aug 20, 2012, at 1:10 PM, Meredith wrote:
I stumbled across raccoon carpet stealers one day looking for inspiration for writing prompts.
http://dragonwritingprompts.blogspot.com/2010/07/carpetbaggers.html
Considering the people set the cameras up to catch the raccoons in the act, those were obviously not the first carpets stolen ;-)
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> What the raccoons find interesting is an ongoing "science experiment" around my home.Raccoons and their proclivities can be found on YouTube -- useful for those far from raccoons. :-)
I stumbled across raccoon carpet stealers one day looking for inspiration for writing prompts.
http://dragonwritingprompts.blogspot.com/2010/07/carpetbaggers.html
Considering the people set the cameras up to catch the raccoons in the act, those were obviously not the first carpets stolen ;-)
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Stephanie Selby
I watched Mr. Wizard as a kid and LOVED it, I've bought it for my girls.
They also have a book that Don Herbert (Mr. Wizard) authored called
*Mr.Wizard's
400 Experiments in Science.*
Young kids do like the ooze of baking soda & vinegar, we like to add food
dye. He'd probably love dry ice, which is sold at some supermarkets. (in
fact you can still get my husband all exited if you put it in a small water
bottle with the top on to see it boom later.
I tell my girls that science is just another word that means questioning
our physical world. ANY single time he wonders about our physical world and
how things work, that's science. Coming up with an answer and then testing
it, is what science is all about. So I may ask him what do you want to know
about, what do you think science is? Things that you obviously know about
but are demonstrating can be science as well if he is thinking about the
outcome or if he is thinking about the explanation behind it. The
helicopter for example, why does it rise? And tada that is science, angle
the blades differently and it won't rise, you have now tested your
hypothesis. Asking what happens if you cut the string on the tin can phone
is science, you cut the string and demonstrate that the string vibrates and
carries sound. Allowing him to question what might happen allows him to
create a hypothesis, and thus you are using and demonstrating the
scientific method. You can get all geeky if you want with him, a lab
notebook, writing down steps, coming up with a hypothesis, etc. if that's
what he is seeking, esp since it is before Halloween finding a lab coat
should be easy! Even when you know the answer it is still an experiment,
adding the question of why or how, and testing it turns into the method.
So obviously, I disagree that it isn't an experiment if the answer is
known, experimentation is defined as "A scientific procedure undertaken to
make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact."
Stephanie
On Mon, Aug 20, 2012 at 12:37 PM, Shauna Reisewitz <
shaunareisewitz@...> wrote:
They also have a book that Don Herbert (Mr. Wizard) authored called
*Mr.Wizard's
400 Experiments in Science.*
Young kids do like the ooze of baking soda & vinegar, we like to add food
dye. He'd probably love dry ice, which is sold at some supermarkets. (in
fact you can still get my husband all exited if you put it in a small water
bottle with the top on to see it boom later.
I tell my girls that science is just another word that means questioning
our physical world. ANY single time he wonders about our physical world and
how things work, that's science. Coming up with an answer and then testing
it, is what science is all about. So I may ask him what do you want to know
about, what do you think science is? Things that you obviously know about
but are demonstrating can be science as well if he is thinking about the
outcome or if he is thinking about the explanation behind it. The
helicopter for example, why does it rise? And tada that is science, angle
the blades differently and it won't rise, you have now tested your
hypothesis. Asking what happens if you cut the string on the tin can phone
is science, you cut the string and demonstrate that the string vibrates and
carries sound. Allowing him to question what might happen allows him to
create a hypothesis, and thus you are using and demonstrating the
scientific method. You can get all geeky if you want with him, a lab
notebook, writing down steps, coming up with a hypothesis, etc. if that's
what he is seeking, esp since it is before Halloween finding a lab coat
should be easy! Even when you know the answer it is still an experiment,
adding the question of why or how, and testing it turns into the method.
So obviously, I disagree that it isn't an experiment if the answer is
known, experimentation is defined as "A scientific procedure undertaken to
make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact."
Stephanie
On Mon, Aug 20, 2012 at 12:37 PM, Shauna Reisewitz <
shaunareisewitz@...> wrote:
> **[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
> What about getting a chemistry set for "older kids" ? he might find
> something like that a little more satisfactory. You also can go to a
> science supply site (WARDS for example) and buy a few test tubes, a test
> tube rack, funnel and beakers... even with equipment like that he can line
> them up and experiment with mixing different household compounds. That kids
> of stuff may make it seem more "sciencey" to him..I also love your mad
> scientist in the kitchen idea. I would start there!
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
Robyn Coburn
If it turns out he is interested in creating a lab, one place to source
inexpensive tools and supplies (like beakers and test tubes) is American
Science and Surplus www.sciplus.com
They have kits and sets of stuff too, and sometimes literature.
--
Robyn L. Coburn
www.craft-it-easy.com
Design Team www.ScraPerfect.com
www.iggyjingles.blogspot.com
www.robyncoburn.blogspot.com
www.allthingsdoll.blogspot.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
inexpensive tools and supplies (like beakers and test tubes) is American
Science and Surplus www.sciplus.com
They have kits and sets of stuff too, and sometimes literature.
--
Robyn L. Coburn
www.craft-it-easy.com
Design Team www.ScraPerfect.com
www.iggyjingles.blogspot.com
www.robyncoburn.blogspot.com
www.allthingsdoll.blogspot.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Meredith
> -=-The one that comes to mind isThat reminds me of bubbles - it's been awhile, but there are ways to make bubbles sturdier (glycerin, I think, added to the mix) which lets you make really big bubbles, but also blow bubbles inside of other bubbles. And if you're lucky enough to live somewhere really cold, you can blow bubbles and have them freeze in the air - it doesn't get cold enough in TN, but it was a big of winter fun when I lived up in Illinois.
> sticking an oiled skewer through a balloon without popping it.-=-
>
---Meredith
Bernadette Lynn
On 20 August 2012 22:39, Meredith <plaidpanties666@...> wrote:
ice. My brother-in-law did a 'Potions class' for his daughter's Harry
Potter party and the children were so fascinated they didn't have time for
all the other planned activities. I was, too, when I came to collect my
children after the party, it was hard to drag myself away.
http://youtu.be/76CNkxizQuc
Also for children with a liking for gory things you could try dissecting an
ox heart or eyeball, or a raw chicken (you can cook them afterwards if your
equipment is clean). You may not need to be precise or formal about it,
simply chopping things up (or watching you chop things up) to see what's
inside can be enjoyable for some children.
Bernadette.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> > -=-The one that comes to mind isBubbles with dry ice are fascinating - washing up liquid and a bowl of dry
> > sticking an oiled skewer through a balloon without popping it.-=-
> >
>
> That reminds me of bubbles - it's been awhile, but there are ways to make
> bubbles sturdier (glycerin, I think, added to the mix) which lets you make
> really big bubbles, but also blow bubbles inside of other bubbles.
>
> ======================
>
ice. My brother-in-law did a 'Potions class' for his daughter's Harry
Potter party and the children were so fascinated they didn't have time for
all the other planned activities. I was, too, when I came to collect my
children after the party, it was hard to drag myself away.
http://youtu.be/76CNkxizQuc
Also for children with a liking for gory things you could try dissecting an
ox heart or eyeball, or a raw chicken (you can cook them afterwards if your
equipment is clean). You may not need to be precise or formal about it,
simply chopping things up (or watching you chop things up) to see what's
inside can be enjoyable for some children.
Bernadette.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
K Pennell
My sons both love going to Burger King or McDonalds and mixing sodas. They'll put fruit punch, cola, root beer, sprite, orange soda and maybe diet all together in the cup. Dr. Pepper if they have it. Sometimes they end up with a nice combo, other times they decide it's revolting, and modify it next time "Too much Dr. Pepper" or "not enough sprite". We never call it science, but they do say they're experimenting. It's a pretty cool, inexpensive bit of fun.
I used to have a perfume lab in my room as a kid. I took (borrowed) all my mothers perfumes, bottles of water, baby powder, liquid soap, maybe some soy or something too, and mix them all together. I'd put them in fancy bottles and bring them down for my mom to try behind her ears.
I used to have a perfume lab in my room as a kid. I took (borrowed) all my mothers perfumes, bottles of water, baby powder, liquid soap, maybe some soy or something too, and mix them all together. I'd put them in fancy bottles and bring them down for my mom to try behind her ears.
--- On Mon, 8/20/12, keetry <keetry@...> wrote:
From: keetry <keetry@...>
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] Re: "Science Experiments"
To: [email protected]
Date: Monday, August 20, 2012, 12:29 PM
Our latest science has been discovering very large spiders building webs at our back door and on our front porch that we thought might be brown widows. My husband caught the first one and gave it to another homeschooler in our neighborhood who loves spiders. We spent time trying to identify it on the internet. I think I finally figured out that it's a nondangerous orb weaver rather than any kind of widow spider.
I also found either a real black widow or a false widow in a drain pipe. My 21 year old found a dead dragonfly outside. It was a big as his palm! He brought it inside and put it on the kitchen table for everyone to examine. I love that my kids think to do that rather than just smooshing it or throwing it away.
The boys also collected tadpoles from the ditch next to our house and put them in an aquarium we have. We're hoping they'll survive and change into frogs.
I got one of those chemistry kits. It was fun for a day and then not so much. I think, like Sandra said, that was because it's demonstrations rather than real experiments and my kids enjoy discovering their own things much more. I have several science experiment books using every day household items but I've found that we don't have most of the "common" household items needed.
Alysia
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