Well lookie there. My kids were right. Tres eggs. There. Now you can say you incorporated a second language into your day. You are welcome.
Science Observation: Bird’s Nest Day 3
Cherry Blossoms
Spring came early in the Pacific Northwest this year. The flowering cherry trees were all confused by the unseasonably warm, dry February we had and bloomed wicked early. As a bonus gift from this premature Spring, I received the blessing of seasonal allergies. It’s the first time in my life I’ve been stuffy, red-eyed and generally annoyed over the coming of Spring. Uncool. Beautiful trees are not a sufficient trade off. Continue reading
Science Observation: Bird’s Nest
I have never seen my kids more excited than when they came bounding in from the backyard yesterday. They were jumping up and down, giddy and full of exuberance. So much that I could barely understand their squeals of “Mommy, Mommy! Come outside quick! Hurry!”. I trekked after them, down the path that runs along the rockery and quickly understood their enthusiasm. There, hidden in a crevice between two rocks, was a bird’s nest with a single pale egg nestled inside.
Bubbler
One of my favorite things about Classical Conversations is the integration of science experiments. Ok. I’ll admit it. Pretty much everything is one of my favorite things about Classical Conversations. But I really do enjoy the science portion. We use Janice VanCleave’s 201 Awesome, Magical, Bizarre, & Incredible Experiments
Gaining Perspective on Gifts – Operation Christmas Child
Before all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season ramps up to full absurdity roar, we’ve taken a few moments as a family to put some perspective on gifts for our kids. This week, you can do the same, and bless a child in need at the same time. With the simple gift of a shoebox. Operation Christmas Child has been sending shoeboxes full of joy to kids all over the world for over 20 years. Samaritan’s Purse delivers shoebox gifts to over 100 countries. Over 113 million shoeboxes have been collected and delivered to more than 150 countries and territories since 1993. Continue reading
Trick or Treat Math
If given a choice of location on the day after Halloween, the absolute last place I would choose would be in a classroom teaching 30 kids. I give teachers mad props all the time for wrangling that many kids, but the day after a holiday that’s all about candy must just be the absolute edge of controlled chaos. Managing my own sugar-high mini-monsters is always tricky and there’s only two of them. I don’t know how teachers accomplish anything with an entire class of over-hyper rugrats. Lucky them Halloween is on a Friday this year!
Bending A Straw With Light
One of our very first experiments was exploring one of the characteristics of light. Our Classical Conversations science memory work this week was “What are three characteristics of light?”. One of the terms we covered was refraction. Which is exactly what this super easy experiment demonstrates — you probably have all the necessary items in your house already.
You only need:
A straw (or pencil)
A clear glass
Water
Full printable instructions and simple refraction explanation: Bending a Straw With Light
or here: Pencil Refraction Continue reading
Gone in an Instant
When life doesn’t seem fair, it can be hard to keep the perspective that God knows what He’s doing. When events and circumstances seem to pile up inequity and loss, trusting the Lord becomes challenging. The struggle to understand pain and suffering can be overwhelming. The past month I’ve experienced a repeated lesson. An ever-increasing revelation that life is precious. Fragile. Frail. A vapor. And that I have no control over it. I am a shadow. Continue reading
Water Filtration Experiment
Ahh The Water Cycle. Always a fun time to do a little hands on science. We decided to talk about filtration and how dirty water ends up clean. Another easy experiment that you probably have all the supplies for. At least, if you drink coffee. Which, I do now. I know. I’m really maturing nicely.
First we needed some dirty water. So we dumped some dirt from the yard into a flower vase filled 2/3 with water. Red solo cup! We’re ready to party!
Art Lesson: Just Like Michelangelo
Michelangelo spent 4 years painting an enormous masterpiece on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. My kids spent slightly shorter time on their backs drawing moderately less impressive figures during this fun art lesson.
Dissonant Symphony 