Monthly Archives: September 2016

My Favorite Scent

Posted on by

0

It seems as if the official smell and flavor of fall is now pumpkin spice. It makes its debut before autumn actually arrives. I must admit that I like the smell of many things pumpkin spice scented. I’m not the biggest fan of things flavored like it.

My favorite scent of all is Pumpkin Pecan Waffles from Bath and Body Works. I love that scent. I would keep it all year round if I thought my family would let me. It has a sweet, delicious smelling scent and it smells like fall to me. If I buy candles as gifts in the fall, you can bet I’m buying this one.

If you’ve never smelled it, run as fast as your legs will carry you to a Bath and Body Works and smell it.

pecan-pumpkin-candle

photo credit: Bath and Body Works

Science Party Fun {Continued}

Posted on by

0

We did a couple of other experiments. We did the dancing gummy worms experiment. It was kind of a dud. We also did the Mentos and Diet Coke geyser. That was lots of fun!! Most of the adults had never seen it before, so it was really a treat for them. They also did the turn an egg shell into mercury glass. It was really tough and took forever to do. The ones that had the patience, did get to see how cool it turned out in the end. I also had prepared slides for them to look at under the microscope.

img_8164

IMG_8170.JPG

We played trivia of course. I had educational posters up all over the house. They were cute decorations, and now make their home in the school room. Back to trivia, most of the answers could be found on the posters.

IMG_8161.JPG

We also made cells from cookies and candies. A few of them turned out really good!

IMG_8214.JPG

I made chocolate lab rats, fossil cookies, petri dish jello, strawberries, pineapple, and grapes made up the fruit tray. We had a cheese tray. We had chips and guacamole and potato chips. We had tuna and chicken salad as well. I made educational signs for the foods and hung them by them.

img_8155img_8156

IMG_8206.JPG

I made a cake with sprinkles and a jello petri dish.

IMG_8177.JPG

The invitation was from Etsy shop ohbejoyfulshop. IMG_8612.JPG

It was such a fun party!

More Science Party Fun {Experiment}

Posted on by

0

One of the other experiments we did during the party was Exploding Elephant Toothpaste. It is a very easy experiment; but it does require some ingredients that you may not have on hand.

img_8203

You need:

plastic bottles

gloves

safety glasses

yeast

12% hydrogen peroxide (I got mine from Sally’s Beauty Supply)

funnel

dish soap

food coloring

We did this experiment outside. Each child was given safety glasses and gloves to wear.  I gave each child their own bottle. I had them choose a color to add to their bottle. Using the funnel, they then added 4 oz. of hydrogen peroxide. After adding a drop of dish soap, they gently swirled the bottle to mix the ingredients. In a small cup, they then added a packet of yeast and warm water. Then the fun was really about to begin…

They added the yeast mixture into their bottles and voila…Exploding Elephant Toothpaste.

I had the bottles in a deep disposable metal pan. The children could feel the heat from the exothermic reaction that had been created.

Steve Spangler explains the science behind it. “The yeast works as a catalyst to release the oxygen molecules from the hydrogen peroxide solution. The oxygen-filled bubbles, which make up the foam, are actually the remainder of what happens when the hydrogen peroxide breaks down into water (H2O) and oxygen (O2). The bottle will feel warm to the touch because this is an exothermic reaction in which energy, in the form of heat, is given off.”

 

Science experiment {Science Party}

Posted on by

0

We had a Science Lab birthday party a few weeks ago. There is so much to share that I thought that I would just do a few things at a time.

We did several experiments. This one is one that both of my older daughters have won ribbons for in science fairs.

Yeast Loves Sugar:

Each child took a water bottle and put one teaspoon of yeast inside. They then put in 1/4 cup of warm water. They then had to decide on something else to add. I gave them the information that yeast is a fungus and that it loves sugar. They ran all over the house finding things to add to their yeasty bottle.  They had to add 1 tablespoon of whatever they chose. We then swirled the bottles around and placed balloons over the mouths of the bottles. I had the children write down which one they thought would blow the balloons up the most. We watched over the next few minutes and hours as the balloons inflated with the byproducts of fermentation. It is one of my favorite experiments because they really get to see the effects and they also learn that some of the things that they thought were full of sugar really were not and vice versa.

img_8169

The sugar bottle ended up the largest in the end. I saw it wasn’t as big as it should have been and realized that the child forgot to add the water. Once I added the water, it quickly surpassed all the others.

img_8215

School Lunches

Posted on by

0

Since we are a homeschooling family, I’m sure most people would think that we make lunch when it’s lunchtime. We did do this for several years, until I realized that I was basically a short order cook for 1.5 hours during the middle of our school day. I also came to realize that the motivation level went down to about 2 once lunch was over. This led to many afternoons of frustration and complete aggravation! I made a decision this year that we would have a menu for the week and lunches (for the most part) would be made ahead of time. There is also a time limit for lunch this year. I also incorporated an after school treat for once the schoolwork of the day is completely finished. This has contributed to a higher motivation level after school.

I thought I would share one of my weekly menus.

LUNCHES:

Monday: Peanut Butter Jelly Sandwich, applesauce, chips

Tuesday: Hawaiian ham sandwich, pineapple, peppers

Wednesday: Pizza, orange slices, salad

Thursday: Pretzel hot dog, strawberries, salad

Friday: Turkey club wrap, grapes, guacamole and chips

AFTER-SCHOOL SNACKS:

Monday: Cookies

Tuesday: Cinnamon brown sugar pecans

Wednesday: Apple slices with caramel and fruit dip

Thursday: Campfire Cones

Friday: Swiss Rolls (their favorite store-bought junk food)

IMG_8354

IMG_8381

 

Obviously, this all requires more preparation and some time on my end; but I honestly feel like I have more time and motivation when the children are awake because we have eliminated the negotiation and complaining factor. They know that there are getting what is planned and that there is a treat when their work is completed.