Tag: Homeschool Science
A is for Astronomy!
We are renewing our commitment to Astronomy, as we begin our 2012-2013 school year! We had started over the summer, then switched to Botany, and then got sidetracked with vacation, and some very cool Nature Study, and since it was … Continue reading A is for Astronomy!
Captivating Caterpillars…
… become “flowers that fly and all but sing.” It’s not always convenient to observe nature, but it is quite fulfilling! Early in June, on Graduation Day for Number 1 Son, as we were cleaning, and preparing food for a … Continue reading Captivating Caterpillars…
The Transit of Venus from our front porch…
Thanks to Jay Ryan’s Celestial Almanack, we have known that the Transit of Venus was coming. His May edition of the Celestial Almanack explained the phenomenon really well, and he consistently urged everyone to get off the couch, go outside … Continue reading The Transit of Venus from our front porch…
Blubber, blubber, between gloves of rubber!
Today, I did the messiest experiment! Dad got Vaseline all over himself. Our experiment was to show the benefit of a layer of blubber to sea creatures, particularly those who spend a lot of time in cold water like whales, sea lions, seals and walruses. We had to put an inch of Vaseline or shortening all over a gloved hand, and it was really messy! Then we were to put a second glove over top of the Vaseline. We were using medical gloves, which fit super-tight! When Dad tried to put the second glove on me, the Vaseline oozed out, so he had to try to … Continue reading Blubber, blubber, between gloves of rubber!
How water temperature affects deep ocean currents…
Our Swimming Creatures of the Sixth Day curriculum kicks off with information about the ocean itself, and one of the neat activities demonstrates how water temperature affects water movement. Thermohaline currents are deep ocean currents, caused by temperature, or salt content or both. In this experiment we were only working with water temperature. Our question: Which is heavier – hot or cold water? Grace decided that hot water was heavier. The procedure is as follows: First put a few drops of blue food coloring in a clear container of hot water. Then put a few drops of yellow, in a cup of ice water. Pierce the cup, … Continue reading How water temperature affects deep ocean currents…
Rabbit Trails 