Chemistry Fun!

As we prepare to begin a chemistry program I thought it would be a good idea for my boys to get a sense of what exactly the Elements are.  We've had periodic tables around the house in various forms forever.  But really what exactly are elements?  Enter:  Periodic Table Videos!  At first glance this is website has just a periodic table on it, but each of the elements has a clickable link to a youtube video produced by the University of Nottingham in England.

These videos are presented by the most likeable and entertaining geeks on YouTube.  We kids are a big fan of Pete...and his outakes on fun with hydrogen balloons.  You really must check these out!

We've been using these in conjunction with the Basher Book of the Periodic Table.

You'll have to click this link, for some reason the image links aren't functional on the blog.

Star Gazing

Winter is a great time for star gazing.  It might be a little chilly, but you also don't have to stay up as late.  With longer nights we have more chance to see the stars in the night sky. 

If you're forturnate enough to live a little distance from a city you'll have a view of thousands of stellar objects and even a few planets!

This week we visited our local planetarium and heard a guest lecturer speak about the constellations and asterisms in the winter sky. 

We learned how to navigate by the winter hexagon to find the 6 corner stars: Capella, Aldearan, Rigel, Sirius, Procyon and the twins Castor and Pollux.  Within this figure can be found Taurus, Orion, Canis Major, Canis Minor and Gemini. 

We learned the mythology of the twins Pollux and Castor, one mortal one immortal: both together in the night sky for all eternity.  We chuckled at The Harry Potter References of Sirius (and the dog stars) and Bellatrix (LeStrange.)    

If you don't have a planetarium in your area, you can still find your way around the night sky with the help of a sky map.

Interesting thing to note: Homeschool outing are often great Date Night ideas!

For more information about the astronomy scene in your area visit the Royal Astronomical Society website. 

Planetarium

With all the rain we've been having it's hard to gaze up at the stars these days. But a trip to the Halifax Planetarium remedies that in a hurry!

We had a blast last Thursday night learning about the constellations and planets that can be seen in our night sky (when there's no cloud cover!)

This show is only $5 per person, and is good for anyone aged 8 and up. They have shows every fortnight, on Thursdays at 7:15. I bet it would be a great place to take a birthday party...I wonder if they let you bring guitars and s'mores...

Solar Box Cooker

This a very exciting project that we can't wait to try!

Recently, we have been studying solar radiation and energy conservation. What better way to marry the 2 concepts than by building a solar box cooker?

We have come across many design ideas on the internet and have narrowed our choices down to a box cooker or a parabolic umbrella cooker. Since we live in a cold climate, my son has deduced that the box cooker would be more suited to our cooking needs.

Solar cooking has helped many people in developing countries reduce their dependence on firewood and charcoal for their cook fires. This is a zero carbon footprint approach to cooking food. What a concept!

According to our research a box cooker does all types of cooking like boiling, stewing, grilling, and baking. And, food cooked in a solar cooker reportedly tastes better!

We plan on using the instructions for the Easy Lid Cooker.

Stay tuned for our results!

Elements With Style!

We made a really fun find last summer at Chapters book store.

While perusing the science section (our favorite) we came across a set of books created by Basher.  They are a unique series that mix science and art to give personality to scientific concepts.

In the book Periodic Table, Elements with Style, each of the elements is given a persona and is illustrated cartoon style.  There's a bio of sorts for each one.  

For example:  "Nitrogen: On first impression I'm a regular sort, but I've got an explosive temperament.  You might hardly notice me, but I make up almost 80 percent of air, and I'm essential to plant life on Earth. I'm normally a pretty uncreative gas, made up of two atoms of nitrogen.  The triple bond between these two atoms is hard to break, and that is my hidden power.  When nitrogen atoms form nitrogen gas, they release massive amounts of energy.  This make the many compounds that contain me potentially explosive!" The group number and other important facts like density, date of discovery, melting point, boiling point, atomic number and weight are also included for each element.   We also have the book Physics: Why Matter Matters; and we plan on getting a couple more in the series, as there are more! These books have proven engaging and entertaining.  A fun way to get acquainted with sometimes dry material!

Engineering for Every Kid - Janice VanCleave

This book is another must-have for the science-minded homeschooling family.
We used it to compliment our grade 4 study of  physics.   It was tons of fun for our kids to learn about bridges, rockets, airplanes, roller coasters (and so much more) in a hands-on way.

This is a great book if you're looking for simple and quick exploration activities to support engineering concepts related to radiation, acoustics, hydrology, meteorology, and more.   Each activity is simple and involves things easily located or found around the house. Each begins with  "What You Need to Know" that is very helpful for background knowledge and vocabulary. It is written clearly and can be readable, while not being diluted.   There are a couple of exercises that test the students understanding of the material.  These often involve studying diagrams that are well drawn and to the point.

And, finally there is an activity to demonstrate the principles taught in the lesson.  The format of the activity is scientific and is :  purpose, materials, procedure, results, why.  Check it out!   

Adventures with Atoms and Molecules - Chemistry for Everyone!

Science is so deliciously hands on! It is the perfect subject for all ages. It is one subject that everyone can get involved in at whatever age or grade level they are.

My kids love science, and in fact have been known to beg for it! But, do-it yourself science curriculums can be difficult to come across. Well, the kind that actually teach science, anyway.

If you're like me, you've found lots of books that claim to have 234 cool science experiments you can do at home...but often times the explanations are lacking, or they just plain don't work.

I like science to be exciting, fun, and educational. So, I was looking for a good book that treated chemistry the way I would have approached it as a scientist; while at the same time giving the children a sense of learning it themselves and really doing science experiments.

So, where do you turn for some really good science?

Enter: Adventures with Atoms and Molecules by Robert Mebane and Thomas Rybolt. Each experiment is laid out similar to a science lab. There is a lead in question which needs answering, followed by is a listing of materials required (which truly are things which can be easily found around the house!) Next is the procedure and suggestions for observations. And, finally there is a discussion section, which is recommended to be read after you complete the experiment. There is a good deal to be learned about the physical interactions between molecules and the chemical reactions that can result.

This book is a great way to teach the scientific method of inquiry by testing and observation. We made mini-lab sheets for each experiment to keep in our science notebook. And also made a glossary of new science terms. Now, don't let the dull illustrations fool you. This book is the real deal.