Mad Scientist...Week 3

Tina and I have come to the conclusion that although the boys are learning and having a good time, we might actually be getting more out of it. Chemistry is interesting stuff! I think if my high school science teacher was able to explain the periodic table and the scientific method using the juvenile, living books we are using AND if he had us do the cool experiments we are having our boys do, I may have actually learned something! I am not as intimidated as I had been before we started. That is a good feeling! This week we read a simple explanation about the scientific method scientists use to perform their experiments. We also learned solutes + solvents=solutions. Below is Magnus' narration... Magnus narrated while I wrote it down. This is working really well for us!

Thane's narration includes a visual representation of a molecule and an atom...
For our experiments this week we watched molecules in motion.

Experiment One: The boys were really involved in the first one. We gave them a cup full of room temperature water and had them observe them as we placed 2-3 drops of food coloring into them.
Next we walked them through the scientific method. For the final part of the experiment, we placed a cup full of hot water and a cup full of ice water in front of them and asked what they thought would happen. They hypothesized that the food coloring would spread faster in the hot water and spread slower in the ice water.
The experiment was conducted. You know what? Their hypothesis was right on!


When asked why that happened, Ameer and Thane said it was because the "cold water made it freeze" and Magnus answered, "Because the hot water molecules are moving faster than the cold". Aren't our boys brilliant! It's so exciting when they all use their brains to figure stuff out.

Experiment Two: We placed one tablespoon of water (added food coloring) in one test tube and one tablespoon of rubbing alcohol (with food coloring) in a second test tube. We asked the boys what they thought would happen when we placed them together.

Magnus: The water would float on top of the alcohol and make 2 tablespoons of liquid.
Thane: It would create 3 tablespoons of liquid.
Ameer: They would mix together and make 2 tablespoons of liquid.
Tamir: They would make 2 tablespoons of liquid.
So we poured them into each other...
and...

nothing. It didn't work right. It was suppose to only create 1 1/2 tablespoons of liquid, but created 2. So, I guess Magnus, Ameer, and Tamir were correct. Tina and I conducted the experiment again but still got 2 tablespoons of liquid.

Experiment Three: We gave the boys a coffee filter with a drop of red, blue, and yellow food coloring mixed together.
They then placed the tip of the filter into water.


Look what happened...
The colors separated and climbed up the filter. Pretty cool.

Needless to say, we are having SO MUCH FUN with science this year! It really helps to have a friend hold you accountable. Thanks Tina!

Mad Scientists Week 2

We read a book about Atoms this week from a series called Simply Science. I was very pleased with the boys' narrations and Thane would not let me forget that "everything is made of matter".

We did a few different things with the boys this week. My friend, Tina, came up with a great atom model mobile for them to create. Do I dare tell you that she had a dream about it and then pieced it together the next day? They all turned out awesome!

Here Magnus is threading his electrons (plastic beads) onto the "path" (pipe cleaner).

Thane is creating his protons and neutrons (clay).

Ameer and Tamir are carefully piecing their atoms together.

The finished products!

Next, Miss Tina explained molecules to them...specifically water and carbon dioxide. I am not sure how much they got out of it, but I finally understood it pretty well by the time she was done!

Magnus showing off his carbon dioxide model. I think they really enjoyed eating the elements (marshmellows)!

Next the boys created CO2.

They were each given vinegar and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda...I didn't know that was it's "official" name.)

Mad scientist at work!

Mad Scientists Week 1

I am way excited about science this year. We are using NOEO Chemistry 1. I love that it suggests a variety of (mostly) living books, notebooking pages for narration, and lots of experiments. We're doing things a bit different than we did last year and I am sure it will have a positive outcome. During the week, I am completing the reading and narrations with the boys, then on Friday afternoons, we are getting together with my friend (Tina) and her sons (Ameer and Tamir) to do the experiments!

This week, due to scheduling conflicts, we did our experiment today. We read "What's Smaller Than a Pygmy Shrew"...highly recommend this great book...and learned about cells, atoms, ect. It only seemed appropriate to create our own model of a cell. BUT...ours was edible! We followed this plan..http://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/ATG/data/released/0251-NickHoffman/. Before we got our hands dirty, Tina went over the various parts of a cell and what their functions are. The boys kept saying, "My nucleus is telling my vacuole to store some food!" We didn't make them wait long...

Our little scientists!

We used Jello for the cytoplasm and Thane used a red candy for his nucleus and jelly bellies for his vacuole.

Magnus is carefully placing his ribosomes (Nerds) in his cytoplasm. The green blob is a golgi body (some sort of jelly candy) and I believe the white mass is a lysome (marshmellow).

This is Magnus's cell. Tina had the fabulous idea of using a Fruit Roll-Up for the cell membrane! Isn't she creative!?! It came in handy because the Jello started "melting" after awhile.

A view of Thane's cell from the top!

Thane and his cell.

Time to eat!

This was the best project to get started with. The boys were really into it and can not wait for next week! Tina's got some sort of wire mobile model idea whirling around in her head so we may be trying something like that next time!