Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Still at it..
life is a twisty road. The boys and I are finally settled. They are doing school a little differently now that they are teens. My eldest DJ, on the Autism spectrum, wants medical school. My youngest, who is 13, doesn't know what he wants (he just wants a high paying job! Lol) in 2015, I gave packaged curriculum a try. I purchased Calvert. I was SHOCKED how well it went. When DJ was younger I couldn't even do worksheets. Whenever I pulled out worksheets or textbooks he would wig out. But he's much older now, and we've worked together on finding ways to handle stress. And he has his service dog. So we gave it a shot. It was great! But, it was also expensive. I couldn't continue that program after my separation. So I tried to find a program that wasn't as expensive. It's hard to find an all inclusive curriculum - one that is secular, challenging and doesn't have Common Core. I simply know Time4Learning is MUCH too easy for them. So this year I spent some time trying to find the right curriculum. I finally went with an online curriculum. X-man, my 13 y/o is doing United Digital Learning. They have a bunch of different curriculums and price-points available. I wanted one that allowed for skipping ahead of a child showed proficiency, one without Common Core, and one that let the family set the pace. For DJ it's a little harder. I went with Penn Foster, an online accredited High School (so he will receive a real diploma at graduation.) but it too is much too easy. So I've been trying to keep him stimulated with medical research, science experiments, and he's discovered a love of drawing anime. This is also the first semester we haven't been involved in a co-op. Last semester was a nightmare, with the kids and I trying to find a place to live and the stress of the separation and financial constraints. And I felt that some of the people at co-op took advantage of me rather than assisting me..which is sad. So I quit as the director. And this semester I was supposed to have spinal surgery, so I explained to the kids that we would take a semester off. Well that's our schooling presently!
Saturday, September 3, 2016
The Quiet Autism
My eldest, DJ, is a special kind of kid. He was officially diagnosed with Aspergers when he was 7, but I've known he was on the spectrum since he was a baby. It's amazing to me how many people still doubt him, me, the diagnosis, etc. He's 15 years old now. He just got a new service dog yesterday. While discussing the dog with a friend of mine. She asked me, 'well he did ok before he ever had a dog, right?' You see we had a service dog for a little over a year. In that time Daniel was helped tremendously. His dog died in a tragic accident several weeks ago. Even though we are trying to move homes, I'm separated from my husband, our car is on the fritz....even though, I gave getting a replacement service dog priority. I've been asked why a lot lately, which confused me at first. Then I tried to think about my understanding of my son vs the worlds understanding of him. He's the quiet, non-demonstrative Aspie. So, he's often left out - not 'normal' but not 'special enough' either. People thing of those with special needs as those who absolutely can not do something - can not walk, can. Of hear, cannot talk, etc. But my quirky son who 'looks' normal and can even seem 'normal' falls through a lot of cracks.
My son has Always internalized. He wouldn't have massive melt-downs to express he was overwhelmed. He would Shut Down, what I affectionately refer to as Statue. Literally, he would shut down - unable to move or speak. This is especially true when he was being scolded by my ex. For some reason DJ never knew if my ex was mad or just asking him to do something, so he would freeze up. This always escalated the situation as my ex would believe he was being ignored. Shut-downs are one of the ways an Aspie/Autistic person deals with anxiety or over stimulation. As another way of handling anxiety, DJ would often purge - not sticking his fingers down his throat, but when he was overwhelmed or anxious it was Always expressed as nausea- his lips will turn white. He will run to the bathroom and vomit. Often he felt much relief by purging. By age 4, my son would be starting the day by purging at least 3-4 times a week. He would wake up extra early, purge and not even tell me until lunch time. If he became stressed he would excuse himself and purge again. He stopped purging entirely when we had a service dog. He purged twice during the 3 weeks before we got a new one.
Aside from purging. Dj also suffered from Trichotillomania basically he would rip out handfuls of hair. It sounds a bit like separating Velcro. Riiip. We kept his hair long because he doesn't like air touching his neck, but it also helped to hide the large bald spots. This form of self-harm scared me more than the purging. I worried daily that it would evolve into cutting. For a child that, to this day, cries when his hair is brushed because it "hurts" the feel of ripping hair was a relief. So was digging his fingernails or teeth into his arms or legs.
My son has Always internalized. He wouldn't have massive melt-downs to express he was overwhelmed. He would Shut Down, what I affectionately refer to as Statue. Literally, he would shut down - unable to move or speak. This is especially true when he was being scolded by my ex. For some reason DJ never knew if my ex was mad or just asking him to do something, so he would freeze up. This always escalated the situation as my ex would believe he was being ignored. Shut-downs are one of the ways an Aspie/Autistic person deals with anxiety or over stimulation. As another way of handling anxiety, DJ would often purge - not sticking his fingers down his throat, but when he was overwhelmed or anxious it was Always expressed as nausea- his lips will turn white. He will run to the bathroom and vomit. Often he felt much relief by purging. By age 4, my son would be starting the day by purging at least 3-4 times a week. He would wake up extra early, purge and not even tell me until lunch time. If he became stressed he would excuse himself and purge again. He stopped purging entirely when we had a service dog. He purged twice during the 3 weeks before we got a new one.
Aside from purging. Dj also suffered from Trichotillomania basically he would rip out handfuls of hair. It sounds a bit like separating Velcro. Riiip. We kept his hair long because he doesn't like air touching his neck, but it also helped to hide the large bald spots. This form of self-harm scared me more than the purging. I worried daily that it would evolve into cutting. For a child that, to this day, cries when his hair is brushed because it "hurts" the feel of ripping hair was a relief. So was digging his fingernails or teeth into his arms or legs.
None of these things were apparent to outsiders. Heck even my ex-husband doubted the diagnosis at times, just because he didn't experience these things day in and day out.
What types of signs/symptoms would people see from DJ? Often it was more like regression. His voice would raise higher and higher into a whining screeching if he was getting stressed. If he was continually losing a game, for instance, he would either whine or express frustration vocally. Or he might give up and storm away. We had an exchange student from Spain one summer, it was a disaster as he tended to make fun of DJ when he would exhibit these behaviors.
But those were the only obvious behaviors, and they closely resemble a spoiled brat that just wants to be the best at everything. I get it. While I totally understand that some might think we are babying DJ, rather than disciplining him, they don't reciprocate the understanding that they are glimpsing a very tiny segment of his life. I've even had a few people say, "now a-days they will label everything as a disorder, in my day it was called being a brat." What's amazing to me is they are usually the first to recognize that DJ is excessively kind, loves working with young children, never lies, etc. not bratty behaviors.
It took me years and intuition to build the trust relationship DJ has with me. I don't get frustrated or ask him questions he can't answer (are you ok? How do you feel? Etc). I try to find techniques for DJ to be self-sufficient - when he was at his self-harm worst, I got him slap bracelets. It helped a bit. So did aromatherapy when he was overwhelmed. I learned to read between the lines - I'm usually the first person aware that he is heading into a shut down. I give him headphones so he can listen to music almost non-stop. This cuts out a lot of outside stimulation.
DJ's service dog was a Grounding service dog. This means she helped him remain calm. She acted as a physical barrier between him and the world around him, she helps him focus outside himself during a shut down. She never judged him or made him feel less for things out of his control. And she gave him the ownership of his condition. He felt like he could manage his anxiety/sensory overload without having to have me there to do it for him.
So, yes, I completely understand where you are coming from. I know it's annoying that DJ always has his music on when you are trying to talk to him, I know it's annoying he doesn't hold a 'normal conversation' with you. I know it's annoying that he won't play games with you just for fun. I know it's annoying that he gets to constantly hold a cute puppy and doesn't seem to want to share her. ("It's not like the service dog helps him do physical things." I've heard before.)
But, guess what. It's annoying to us to hear you say he doesn't really need a service dog. Or he shouldn't get a new service dog until he's "dealt with the grief associated with losing the last" (even though he is INCAPABLE of processing grief). It's annoying to have you get angry when he shuts down as if it's some judgement of you rather than his anxiety saying 'break time.' It's annoying that we are treated as if we are hangers on in the autism community because my son isn't different enough, doesn't use enough services, have an IEP, etc. I'm sure having a child who is demonstrative can be overwhelming and scary. Having one who completely internalizes is terrifying - I have no idea what he is feeling and the lead-up behaviors can be easily missed. He, even at 15, is completely unable to vocalize what he is feeling aside from 'good' or 'not good'.
So the next time you are talking to a mom and she says her child has been struggling with this or that. Remember you are not getting the whole picture. While you can say what works for your family, it most likely will be less than useless to whomever you are advising. Just be there for the parent, comisserate that every child has their strengths and challenges. Don't try to 'fix' things, just listen!!
Thursday, June 26, 2014
K Cera-Cera....or however it goes...
Whoa Nellie, it's been a while since I last posted. I'm such a bad blogger lately....WAHHHH! But I've been super busy between my former 2 co-ops and launching my online crafting business. I'm exhausted! Now that it's summer time, it's my time of re-evaluation. I always wonder if public school parents go through this every year, but can't see how they would. See, June is my research month, July is my planning month. Even though we homeschool year round I'm way more lenient in the summer...which I'm sure some of you didn't think it was possible. As child-led learners, how can one be lenient? Well, as I've stated a bunch of times, child-led doesn't equate to non-educational. I still insist on learning between the hours of 10-3. The difference is in the summer, while the tv is off during that time, I'm not telling them they must complete x number of lessons for that day. (The child led part comes in that I allowed them to choose the lesson and the lessons were chosen based on their interests during these summer planning sessions).
But, as I said, every year I seem to re-evaluate. Heck this year I was even tempted to try out k-12...but it's insanely expensive in my area (thank the Gods as I'm sure my kids would hate it..lol)...but now that the kids are getting older I'm starting to worry about PSAT's, college entrance exams, etc. I don't want to 'teach to the test' as public schools already proved that's a bomb technique. But with my Aspie not wanting any worksheets and text books give him anxiety...I'm starting to panic on materials for a soon-to-be 13 y/o. Especially one who wants to go to medical school. GULP! Of course this particular roller coaster ride is entitled "Home School Mom's Annual Anxiety Slam" -- am I doing enough, am I challenging them enough, am I truly preparing them for college & the 'real world'...I almost always have to force myself to re-read my older blog posts and remind myself of my goals:
1) Raise boys that are solid in the self-esteem department. They aren't arrogant. They understand their strengths and their weaknesses and know how to work with both. If they have a solid sense of self they will be less tempted to do stupid things due to peer pressure (texting while driving, trying drugs, excessive drinking, etc). But they will also be able to articulate their own position on topics...heck they will be able to HAVE their own opinion/position. And they will be confident enough to defend that opinion.
2) They will understand how to find, process and retain information. While I'm certainly NOT a proponent of wrote memorization (maybe because I always sucked at it?) I fully believe students will be able to retain & regurgitate information (which looks suspiciously like memorization). So, while I don't care if they can list all the presidents in order, (though I'd like them to have a clear understanding of the time period in which each was in office) I DO want them to know where to go for that information. More than that however, I'd like my kids to have a total understanding of how their brains work. It took me until I had an associates degree to understand how to efficiently LEARN. If my kids understand how to do so before college? I'll give myself a huge pat on the back, or an intoxicating beverage, whatever.
3) I want them to understand how to make goals and how to follow through on said goals. I think so many kids these days see college as a goal, but don't really have a clear-cut plan of how to get there, what the purpose of it all is, and what they hope to achieve after it. I want my kids to understand how to set short & long term goals and how to make precise plans to achieve those goals.
4) Yeah, yeah I want them happy and healthy and all that garbage too. :)
Once I finish beating these points into my head every year, I can relax. It makes choosing "Just the right curriculum" seem silly. Instead I focus on subjects. Since my eldest wants medical school, I will be really focusing on math & sciences as well as technical writing this year. My youngest now says he wants to be an architect, so we will be starting to delve deeper into geometry, computer programming, etc...as well as math. :) Now I just have to find the tools we'll be using to achieve these points.....hmmmmm.....
But, as I said, every year I seem to re-evaluate. Heck this year I was even tempted to try out k-12...but it's insanely expensive in my area (thank the Gods as I'm sure my kids would hate it..lol)...but now that the kids are getting older I'm starting to worry about PSAT's, college entrance exams, etc. I don't want to 'teach to the test' as public schools already proved that's a bomb technique. But with my Aspie not wanting any worksheets and text books give him anxiety...I'm starting to panic on materials for a soon-to-be 13 y/o. Especially one who wants to go to medical school. GULP! Of course this particular roller coaster ride is entitled "Home School Mom's Annual Anxiety Slam" -- am I doing enough, am I challenging them enough, am I truly preparing them for college & the 'real world'...I almost always have to force myself to re-read my older blog posts and remind myself of my goals:
1) Raise boys that are solid in the self-esteem department. They aren't arrogant. They understand their strengths and their weaknesses and know how to work with both. If they have a solid sense of self they will be less tempted to do stupid things due to peer pressure (texting while driving, trying drugs, excessive drinking, etc). But they will also be able to articulate their own position on topics...heck they will be able to HAVE their own opinion/position. And they will be confident enough to defend that opinion.
2) They will understand how to find, process and retain information. While I'm certainly NOT a proponent of wrote memorization (maybe because I always sucked at it?) I fully believe students will be able to retain & regurgitate information (which looks suspiciously like memorization). So, while I don't care if they can list all the presidents in order, (though I'd like them to have a clear understanding of the time period in which each was in office) I DO want them to know where to go for that information. More than that however, I'd like my kids to have a total understanding of how their brains work. It took me until I had an associates degree to understand how to efficiently LEARN. If my kids understand how to do so before college? I'll give myself a huge pat on the back, or an intoxicating beverage, whatever.
3) I want them to understand how to make goals and how to follow through on said goals. I think so many kids these days see college as a goal, but don't really have a clear-cut plan of how to get there, what the purpose of it all is, and what they hope to achieve after it. I want my kids to understand how to set short & long term goals and how to make precise plans to achieve those goals.
4) Yeah, yeah I want them happy and healthy and all that garbage too. :)
Once I finish beating these points into my head every year, I can relax. It makes choosing "Just the right curriculum" seem silly. Instead I focus on subjects. Since my eldest wants medical school, I will be really focusing on math & sciences as well as technical writing this year. My youngest now says he wants to be an architect, so we will be starting to delve deeper into geometry, computer programming, etc...as well as math. :) Now I just have to find the tools we'll be using to achieve these points.....hmmmmm.....
Thursday, August 15, 2013
UPDATE: Defining Our Homeschool - 2013
A couple of years ago I wrote a blog post called 'Defining Our Homeschool'. It was a generalization of what we were doing as Child-Led learners. Now that some time has passed we are even more secure in our style of education, so I thought I should update exactly what that means for everyone. I, personally, dislike the term unschooled. This is primarily because so many have used this term to mean Non-School, or Anti-Schooling. This conjures the idea of kids sitting around watching tv or playing video games all day every day. These kids often never learn to read or do arithmetic. This is by FAR the exact opposite of what goes on in our house. We treat school like college. I make lists of subjects the kids get to choose from - creative writing, chemistry, French, Latin, German, etc. The kids get to choose subjects - just like college kids choose from the course catalog. They must choose at least one from each subject type - writing, reading, foreign languages, science, etc. Furthermore, we do co-operative schools twice per week. I will usually teach 2 classes, from the subject list the kids chose. For instance, my eldest is interested in learning German and a much more in depth study of Ancient Egyptian mythology (this is an ongoing quest as, over the last few years we've done Greek and Roman, as well as Chinese myths.). My youngest is interested in Chemistry and computer programming. So I'll be offering all these classes at our co-ops (each co-op has 4-5 class periods).
Furthermore, my kids are not allowed to watch tv or play video games between the hours of 10 and 3. They also have to earn enough Behavior Bucks to rent each item from us. You can read more about our Behavior Bucks System as well.
Step 1: Subject Options: How do I make my subject lists?
I've made a 3 ring binder that has all the scope & sequences for every grade k-12. I separate it by subject instead of grade. So Language Arts, Foreign Language, Math, Science, etc. I use these as my bible, so to speak. I make subject lists based on what we haven't yet covered. When we cover something unexpected, then I'll go back and highlight it so I know we've covered it. For instance, last year the kids found an unhatched goose egg, and they spent a week researching goose reproduction and farming. One of the joys of child-led learning is that the kids can choose to follow those educational rabbit holes! But for the bulk of our education I will make up reading lists, and subject lists. So, it might be that they've done all the subjects for science for several grades (solar system, basic machines, etc), so I can easily sip ahead to whatever grades they haven't yer done. When doing this first foray into determining the kids interests I usually pick 2-3 grades of topics. Then I write out the subjects - DNA, Reproduction, Environmentalism, etc. Just keeping it general. So even though the scope & sequences get pretty specific, I keep things general at this stage.
Step 2: Materials: How do I find them?
Once they've chosen - poetry, let's say - I'll then delve into finding multiple sources of materials - books, websites, pod casts, videos, games, etc. The children then get to choose which material they would like to try. Again I refer back to the scope & sequences. Not that I care so much if the kids are doing every step for a certain grade, but just as a reference or guide for the type of materials I need to look for. Google Search is one of my favorite resources, as is Pintrest. I can find tons of materials ideas from there. I usually search for free materials. We can't afford to pay for much in the way of paid curriculum. And I've rarely found the need for it. This semester we will be trying something a little different. Since I will be teaching once per week at a high-school level co-op the kids will need to have easily carried curriculum they can bring to keep them busy. So the kids will be doing time4learning as well as StudiesWeekly. Studies Weekly is a weekly newspaper - we got it for social studies and science - 2 subjects a little weak in T4L in my opinion. So the children will have actual curriculum. This means they won't be choosing as much material based curriculum as usual.
Once I gather the various materials, the kids choose which ones to use. Sometimes, they end up hating the type of material. This just means they go back to the list of materials and choose something else. Since it's all their own choice there is a lot less arguments or dragging of feet.
Step 3: Scheduling: Does it really exist???
Yeah, this is the age old question for the homeschooler. Scheduling can be a serious source of anxiety for us teachers. The thing is, schedules are for my own piece of mind. The kids usually do everything possible to ruin and carefully outlined schedule I put together. But with an eldest on the Autism Spectrum, we need some kind of schedule we can stick to. So, while I'd love to have a schedule broken down minute by minute - like a college schedule, that doesn't seem to work. Ack! Instead, I have a general schedule.
Monday & Friday - Learning Time 10am-3pm (no electronics unless it's for learning) Time4Learning 1 hour, Reading 1 hour, the rest of the time they focus on whatever subjects chosen in steps 1 & 2.
Tuesday - Co-op
Wednesday - mom teaches, so they do time4learning, Brain Pop, & studies weekly
Thursday - we do grocery shopping w/ my father so we don't do a lot of school work, just time4learning & Brain Pop & light reading.
Weekends - they usually do about 1 hour of learning per day, usually their favorite subjects. (like the computer programming)
Step 4: Progression, Testing? Judgement??
The only tests my kids have ever done are the quizzes on time4learning and brain pop. Otherwise we don't finish a subject until the kids are able to grasp it. This is called 'mastery' - once they can converse intelligently about a subject then we can choose to move on. There's no need for a test since, essentially, they'd get all A's. If they would have failed a test then that would mean they hadn't yet mastered the subject, so we'd still be working on it...understand? Tests are more for the teachers to judge if all the kids in the room are on the same page. Since we work one-on-one it's redundant. Conversely, my kids look on in confusion when asked what grade they are in. We don't fit into those kind of pre-conceived boxes. For instance, my 12 & 9 y/o's have already finished high school Latin. My 12 y/o is doing high school level algebra & geometry this year (he loves math & science). Both kids are doing chemistry...which isn't an elementary school level subject. But they are both on par with their public school peers for reading, writing, language arts, and social studies. I don't plan on them ever having to go to public school, so this haphazard style is ok. If I ever planned on public school, then I might want a curriculum style that fit more like theirs.
When my kids master a subject, they go back to the list and choose another. Sometimes this means going through up to 3 grade levels a year in one subject. As long as the kids are mastering the subject and loving it, then I don't slow them down with tons of review or repetition. I will have a lot of conversations though where we discuss how we learned such-n-such and how that might help us on this next endeavor.
Furthermore, my kids are not allowed to watch tv or play video games between the hours of 10 and 3. They also have to earn enough Behavior Bucks to rent each item from us. You can read more about our Behavior Bucks System as well.
Step 1: Subject Options: How do I make my subject lists?
I've made a 3 ring binder that has all the scope & sequences for every grade k-12. I separate it by subject instead of grade. So Language Arts, Foreign Language, Math, Science, etc. I use these as my bible, so to speak. I make subject lists based on what we haven't yet covered. When we cover something unexpected, then I'll go back and highlight it so I know we've covered it. For instance, last year the kids found an unhatched goose egg, and they spent a week researching goose reproduction and farming. One of the joys of child-led learning is that the kids can choose to follow those educational rabbit holes! But for the bulk of our education I will make up reading lists, and subject lists. So, it might be that they've done all the subjects for science for several grades (solar system, basic machines, etc), so I can easily sip ahead to whatever grades they haven't yer done. When doing this first foray into determining the kids interests I usually pick 2-3 grades of topics. Then I write out the subjects - DNA, Reproduction, Environmentalism, etc. Just keeping it general. So even though the scope & sequences get pretty specific, I keep things general at this stage.
Step 2: Materials: How do I find them?
Once they've chosen - poetry, let's say - I'll then delve into finding multiple sources of materials - books, websites, pod casts, videos, games, etc. The children then get to choose which material they would like to try. Again I refer back to the scope & sequences. Not that I care so much if the kids are doing every step for a certain grade, but just as a reference or guide for the type of materials I need to look for. Google Search is one of my favorite resources, as is Pintrest. I can find tons of materials ideas from there. I usually search for free materials. We can't afford to pay for much in the way of paid curriculum. And I've rarely found the need for it. This semester we will be trying something a little different. Since I will be teaching once per week at a high-school level co-op the kids will need to have easily carried curriculum they can bring to keep them busy. So the kids will be doing time4learning as well as StudiesWeekly. Studies Weekly is a weekly newspaper - we got it for social studies and science - 2 subjects a little weak in T4L in my opinion. So the children will have actual curriculum. This means they won't be choosing as much material based curriculum as usual.
Once I gather the various materials, the kids choose which ones to use. Sometimes, they end up hating the type of material. This just means they go back to the list of materials and choose something else. Since it's all their own choice there is a lot less arguments or dragging of feet.
Step 3: Scheduling: Does it really exist???
Yeah, this is the age old question for the homeschooler. Scheduling can be a serious source of anxiety for us teachers. The thing is, schedules are for my own piece of mind. The kids usually do everything possible to ruin and carefully outlined schedule I put together. But with an eldest on the Autism Spectrum, we need some kind of schedule we can stick to. So, while I'd love to have a schedule broken down minute by minute - like a college schedule, that doesn't seem to work. Ack! Instead, I have a general schedule.
Monday & Friday - Learning Time 10am-3pm (no electronics unless it's for learning) Time4Learning 1 hour, Reading 1 hour, the rest of the time they focus on whatever subjects chosen in steps 1 & 2.
Tuesday - Co-op
Wednesday - mom teaches, so they do time4learning, Brain Pop, & studies weekly
Thursday - we do grocery shopping w/ my father so we don't do a lot of school work, just time4learning & Brain Pop & light reading.
Weekends - they usually do about 1 hour of learning per day, usually their favorite subjects. (like the computer programming)
Step 4: Progression, Testing? Judgement??
The only tests my kids have ever done are the quizzes on time4learning and brain pop. Otherwise we don't finish a subject until the kids are able to grasp it. This is called 'mastery' - once they can converse intelligently about a subject then we can choose to move on. There's no need for a test since, essentially, they'd get all A's. If they would have failed a test then that would mean they hadn't yet mastered the subject, so we'd still be working on it...understand? Tests are more for the teachers to judge if all the kids in the room are on the same page. Since we work one-on-one it's redundant. Conversely, my kids look on in confusion when asked what grade they are in. We don't fit into those kind of pre-conceived boxes. For instance, my 12 & 9 y/o's have already finished high school Latin. My 12 y/o is doing high school level algebra & geometry this year (he loves math & science). Both kids are doing chemistry...which isn't an elementary school level subject. But they are both on par with their public school peers for reading, writing, language arts, and social studies. I don't plan on them ever having to go to public school, so this haphazard style is ok. If I ever planned on public school, then I might want a curriculum style that fit more like theirs.
When my kids master a subject, they go back to the list and choose another. Sometimes this means going through up to 3 grade levels a year in one subject. As long as the kids are mastering the subject and loving it, then I don't slow them down with tons of review or repetition. I will have a lot of conversations though where we discuss how we learned such-n-such and how that might help us on this next endeavor.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Starting back...
Ok I'm starting back to blogging after taking some months off. We've been busy, but sometimes it seems like I shouldn't blog, since in our house LIFE is a learning experience!
Today: we had grocery shopping this morning. The boys had been saving up $$ to purchase the new Luigi 3DS game and finally had enough, so we stopped by Walmart and the kid got to purchase the game.
For school just now, the kids are doing time4learning, brainpop, apps and our usually Unschooling stuff. I meet with my vascular surgeon tomorrow to find the status of my vascular condition.
So, today the kids did one of each subject on t4l, 1 brain pop video, and we watched Conspirator and discussed all the wrong done to Mrs. Surratt.
Today: we had grocery shopping this morning. The boys had been saving up $$ to purchase the new Luigi 3DS game and finally had enough, so we stopped by Walmart and the kid got to purchase the game.
For school just now, the kids are doing time4learning, brainpop, apps and our usually Unschooling stuff. I meet with my vascular surgeon tomorrow to find the status of my vascular condition.
So, today the kids did one of each subject on t4l, 1 brain pop video, and we watched Conspirator and discussed all the wrong done to Mrs. Surratt.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
I hate AT&T
So, I've had the same email addy for about 10 years. Over that time I've signed up for numerous newsletter, info rings, not to mention my extensive contact list. Nor all the Homeschool Back-ups, c-drive back-ups, etc i had on there. Well, totally w/o my concent, sbcglobal.net (a free acct through AT&T) DELETED MY ACCT! O. M. G. I'm having heart palpitations! Grrr.....going to switch to google now....
Monday, March 18, 2013
March Gifts
My baby has turned 9, how depressing! I can't believe he has grown so fast! I'm so proud of the little man he has become. He is strong willed which can lead him into a little bit of trouble, but I think it will help him later in life.
I've been complaining to my father for a few months that the boys computer no longer worked for their school work. It was really, REALLY, old and outdated. So it would just cycle and buffer and never let them log into anything. So it was really frustrating when trying to have 2 boys do computer based learning. We have the laptop and the ipad - but the ipad wouldn't do any of their school websites (time4learning, reading eggs, etc) because they are Adobe Flash based. Which was sooooo irritating. So last fall, I had gotten the boys a Kindle Fire - boy was I ticked when I turned it on and it updated....and no longer supported Adobe Flash!! Grrrr. Any Android based tablet no longer supports AF either. So we were stuck with 2 kids using 1 laptop. Which meant having one child doing school work and the other putzing around for a couple of hours, then they'd switch. Which meant distractions for the one trying to do school work, and it meant schooling lasted all day. This lead to many arguments. Anywho, I've been complaining about it to my dad for a while - that we needed a 2nd computer. He shows up on X-man's birthday with a gift, saying ti was a gift for the whole family since it was too expensive to be for only one child.
My kids were stoked when they opened a Galaxy Tab 2. I was bummed. The last thing we needed was another tablet! LOL. But my father said he had asked Best Buy to be sure the kids could do their school websites and he was told they could. So I spent HOURS setting up the tablet. It simply wouldn't recognize our WiFi, I had to use my hotspot (which I have limited data each month). And when I finally got it set-up I realized it wouldn't work for their websites as it too was an android based OS. So I got the receipt from my dad and we all headed for Best Buy. I was ecstatic to realize they had a huge clearance sale going on notebook computers (as they are making ready for all the Windows 8 systems). I was able to get the boys an Acer ChromeBook. Essentially it's a mini-laptop, that runs on a Google Chrome operating system - so it doesn't have programs, per se. Instead it's like a computer that runs simply as an internet interface. Using Google Chrome. But Chrome has tons of apps (much like the Kindle or Ipad) so we have writing programs, spread sheets, etc. AND we have Adobe Flash! YAY!!
We got through all the kids school work in only 2.5 hours today! Nary an argument in sight!
Man, I love technology!
I've been complaining to my father for a few months that the boys computer no longer worked for their school work. It was really, REALLY, old and outdated. So it would just cycle and buffer and never let them log into anything. So it was really frustrating when trying to have 2 boys do computer based learning. We have the laptop and the ipad - but the ipad wouldn't do any of their school websites (time4learning, reading eggs, etc) because they are Adobe Flash based. Which was sooooo irritating. So last fall, I had gotten the boys a Kindle Fire - boy was I ticked when I turned it on and it updated....and no longer supported Adobe Flash!! Grrrr. Any Android based tablet no longer supports AF either. So we were stuck with 2 kids using 1 laptop. Which meant having one child doing school work and the other putzing around for a couple of hours, then they'd switch. Which meant distractions for the one trying to do school work, and it meant schooling lasted all day. This lead to many arguments. Anywho, I've been complaining about it to my dad for a while - that we needed a 2nd computer. He shows up on X-man's birthday with a gift, saying ti was a gift for the whole family since it was too expensive to be for only one child.
My kids were stoked when they opened a Galaxy Tab 2. I was bummed. The last thing we needed was another tablet! LOL. But my father said he had asked Best Buy to be sure the kids could do their school websites and he was told they could. So I spent HOURS setting up the tablet. It simply wouldn't recognize our WiFi, I had to use my hotspot (which I have limited data each month). And when I finally got it set-up I realized it wouldn't work for their websites as it too was an android based OS. So I got the receipt from my dad and we all headed for Best Buy. I was ecstatic to realize they had a huge clearance sale going on notebook computers (as they are making ready for all the Windows 8 systems). I was able to get the boys an Acer ChromeBook. Essentially it's a mini-laptop, that runs on a Google Chrome operating system - so it doesn't have programs, per se. Instead it's like a computer that runs simply as an internet interface. Using Google Chrome. But Chrome has tons of apps (much like the Kindle or Ipad) so we have writing programs, spread sheets, etc. AND we have Adobe Flash! YAY!!
We got through all the kids school work in only 2.5 hours today! Nary an argument in sight!
Man, I love technology!
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Making life interesting!
I can never seem to stop complicating my life! Lol. Since I am limited in my physical movements - with my vascular disease, I'm always looking for things I can do while remaining in a reclined position. When I was a little girl, I learned needlepoint from my great-grandmother. I will never forget my first craft - a French knot outline of a kitten. I'm sure it wasn't perfect, but my great-grandmother kept it until she passed away. This past Christmas I was playing around with ideas for gifts. We've always made our gifts. I came upon the idea of making doilies. I had never done such small crochet knot work. In fact, I had always preferred knit because when working crochet I always seemed to twist the string of knots. But I learned that with doilies you're almost always working in the round, which prevents twisting. So I gave it a try. My first doily was a nightmare, it took hours and hours to make the smallest round. But I quickly caught on after a couple of days. Now I'm hooked! (Get it? Crochet, hooked? Lol!)
My doilies were such a hit, that I received several commissions. I guess everyone loved that I would make doilies in whatever color the client wanted. So I'm busy crocheting my little fingers off making doilies. Since Christmas I've made about 6. The one I'm working on now is so cute. It has 13 butterflies around the border. I'm so excited, and exhausted! Lol
My doilies were such a hit, that I received several commissions. I guess everyone loved that I would make doilies in whatever color the client wanted. So I'm busy crocheting my little fingers off making doilies. Since Christmas I've made about 6. The one I'm working on now is so cute. It has 13 butterflies around the border. I'm so excited, and exhausted! Lol
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
The old catch 22
So, I'm the director of our co-op this semester. Generally the kids unschool the rest of the week, but they LOVE co-op. our little co-op has traditionally had around 25 families....of course, this semester we ar at almost 50. So my poor kids have had zero schooling the last 2 weeks as I've organized registration stuff...and I've barely made a plan for the 3 classes I'm teaching....EEK! Well, at least it's shaping up to be an awesome semester!
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Aww, I'm so proud!
You know what the main difference is between most homeschooled kids and public school kids? Homeschool kids well, most homeschoolers actually Like learning. Take this weekend my boys fought with each other over who got to do their school work first! Sure it was mostly so they could blog about what they learned (as they now think blogging is just the coolest) but its gotten them learning & writing with enthusiasm!
Today is a busy day for me. I've finished writing the lesson plan for my last Algebra class for co-op this week, but I have to print it all out. I have to figure out the bracelet design for our last Camp Halfblood class. I have to put the finishing touches on our December co-op newsletter and sent it to all our members. I have to work on the slippers I'm making my boys...AND we are setting up our Christmas tree. Eek...tomorrow I won't have a lot of time as I have big shopping (groceries) day planned.
Today is a busy day for me. I've finished writing the lesson plan for my last Algebra class for co-op this week, but I have to print it all out. I have to figure out the bracelet design for our last Camp Halfblood class. I have to put the finishing touches on our December co-op newsletter and sent it to all our members. I have to work on the slippers I'm making my boys...AND we are setting up our Christmas tree. Eek...tomorrow I won't have a lot of time as I have big shopping (groceries) day planned.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Eek!
My eldest is starting to learn about Yule around the world through the website: christmasaroundtheworld.com but, one of the moms in my Cafemom started a blog for het daughter to chronicle what she's learning, and my eldest saw it....now HE wants one of his own. I had previously let him post through my account, but I guess at nearly 12 he can have his own... *gulp!*
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Awesome Science Websites
Ok I know I promise lots and deliver few...lol... But, here's my super secret list of science websites kids will absolutely adore.
Interesting Sciences
- http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities.html
- http://www.brainpop.com/ Brainpop also has some awesome apps! You can view the free video of the day, or pay for full access to the website
- http://www.tryscience.org/home.html
- http://science.howstuffworks.com/
- http://www.exploratorium.edu/
- http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/ -- this is great for the budding scientist who wants up to the minute info on new developments in science!
- http://kids.usa.gov/science/index.shtml
- http://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/LeoHomePage.htm - This page is fantastic! You get to learn all about the scientific mind Leonardo Da Vinci had!!
- http://www.extremescience.com/
- http://www.ftexploring.com/
- http://www.greatachievements.org/ This site is dedicated to the Greatest Engineering Achievments of the 20th century!
- http://www.rudimentsofwisdom.com/themes/themes_science.htm Got a kid who prefers cartoons? This site is packed with mini-cartoons that explain almost everything!
- http://www.free.ed.gov/subjects.cfm?subject_id=41
- http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/ this is a great science podcas
- http://www.kidsknowit.com/ (my kids favorit
- http://sciencespot.net/Pages/kdztech.html
- http://www.apples4theteacher.com/science.html
- http://www.forgefx.com/casestudies/prenticehall/
- http://www.molecularium.com/kidsite.html
- http://www.scienceworld.ca/playstuff
- http://www.sciencetoymaker.org/
- http://www.hhmi.org/coolscience/index.html
- http://www.thinkingfountain.org/
- http://www.amnh.org/ology/index.php
- http://www.thunk.com/ (this site is all about cartography - the secret world of codes
- http://www.bu.edu/satellite/
- http://library.temple.edu/collections/scrc/kidsnet/sfkc/
Interesting Sciences
- http://www.exploratorium.edu/skateboarding/ - The science of skateboarding
- http://www.exploratorium.edu/hockey/ - The science of Hockey
- http://www.exploratorium.edu/baseball/ - The science of baseball
- http://www.worsleyschool.net/science/files/physicsof/basketball.html - The Physics of Basketball
- http://www.trinitylaban.ac.uk/dance-science/about-dance-science - Got a child who loves dance? There is a university in the UK that is dedicated to analyzing the science of dance. This site is better suited to older teens.
- http://www.learner.org/interactives/parkphysics/index.html - This website is based on Amusement Park Physics. Kids learn all about science while designing their very own virtual amusement park! - The science of Amusement parks
- http://www.your-martial-arts-resources.com/martial-arts-science.html - an interesting website resource for older children who might love the martial arts.
- http://www.pbs.org/nerds/ - Triumph of the Nerds is all about computers and the history of the development of computers.
- http://www.billnye.com/ - My boys love Bill Nye the Science Guy
- http://pbskids.org/fetch/ - Fetch with Ruff Ruffman
- http://pbskids.org/sid/ - Sid the Science Kid
- http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/ - Dragonfly TV
- http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/mythbusters/ - Mythbusters!
- http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/front/distilling-the-best-science/ - Naked Science
- http://science.discovery.com/tv/tv-shows.html - Science Channel
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Give it a little try
Ok so we all know how much I'm willing to spend on HS curricula....anyone? That's right, I aim for a big fat 0! And I mostly make it. I spend, maybe, $50/year on my 2 boys. Mostly for apps that are less than $5 each. You know it's sad when it takes 4 days to make a decision because an app costs a whopping $8.99! Man, I'm anal. Lol
One thing I love about computer programs vs apps? You can usually get a free trial with a computer program. Sure, lots of apps offer a modified 'free' version. But I don't recommend them. It usually will not give you a well rounded idea of what it will be like to use the full app because they cut so much out of it to make it free. But, most computer curricula will give you a few weeks of using the entire program to see how you like it.
Our newest trial? Readingeggs.com I wasn't sure if this was going to be worth it. My 11 y/o is a great reader. But my 8 y/o is a lazy reader! Gasp! Shock! As many of you are very aware I'm a voracious reader - at least 2 books/day. It's how I maintain my sanity. And the kids are old enough that I can make slaves of them for misbehaving...hehehe. But once they are in bed, I sit out side, rain or shine, with a big cup of decaf and read. So having a reluctant reader is stumping me.
X-man doesn't see the need to exert himself when he has an older brother or mom to do it for him. So I have been trying to find something that will interest him and help him learn to love the written word as much as I. One thing the kids fight over? Computer time. So I thought, why not suck it up and try a reading program?
So the next 4 weeks we are trying 2 different or programs. I'm trying to ignore my cheap side and let the kids make the decision based on which program they will use.
Abcthekey.com - cost: $FREE
Gee, con you guess why I like this one? Lol but it is a little confusing for the kids. And no where near as interactive.
Readingeggs.com - cost: $49/6 months, $75/year (you can add up to 3 students on one acct)
Gulp! To me that is a ton of money! But, the kids have been playing with it for a couple of days and are really liking it. Even my 11 y/o! He loves that many of the 'books' are half story-half comic book. And my 8 y/o loves the virtual world (and the silly music videos!)
So I'll let you know which one we end up settling on.
One thing I love about computer programs vs apps? You can usually get a free trial with a computer program. Sure, lots of apps offer a modified 'free' version. But I don't recommend them. It usually will not give you a well rounded idea of what it will be like to use the full app because they cut so much out of it to make it free. But, most computer curricula will give you a few weeks of using the entire program to see how you like it.
Our newest trial? Readingeggs.com I wasn't sure if this was going to be worth it. My 11 y/o is a great reader. But my 8 y/o is a lazy reader! Gasp! Shock! As many of you are very aware I'm a voracious reader - at least 2 books/day. It's how I maintain my sanity. And the kids are old enough that I can make slaves of them for misbehaving...hehehe. But once they are in bed, I sit out side, rain or shine, with a big cup of decaf and read. So having a reluctant reader is stumping me.
X-man doesn't see the need to exert himself when he has an older brother or mom to do it for him. So I have been trying to find something that will interest him and help him learn to love the written word as much as I. One thing the kids fight over? Computer time. So I thought, why not suck it up and try a reading program?
So the next 4 weeks we are trying 2 different or programs. I'm trying to ignore my cheap side and let the kids make the decision based on which program they will use.
Abcthekey.com - cost: $FREE
Gee, con you guess why I like this one? Lol but it is a little confusing for the kids. And no where near as interactive.
Readingeggs.com - cost: $49/6 months, $75/year (you can add up to 3 students on one acct)
Gulp! To me that is a ton of money! But, the kids have been playing with it for a couple of days and are really liking it. Even my 11 y/o! He loves that many of the 'books' are half story-half comic book. And my 8 y/o loves the virtual world (and the silly music videos!)
So I'll let you know which one we end up settling on.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Greetings from VT
Ahhh, it was so nice to get away! We have been going through a stressful couple of years, so it was especially lovely that our family helped us get away for a bit to my inlaws cabin in VT. We had our family reunion this past Sat at the Groton National Forest in VT. But for 4 days it was all about the nature and 4 wheeling at the cabin. There was no internet access (much to my horror) or running water, but it was sooo worth it!
Here is my 8 y/o taking his first turn as a solo rider on the 4 wheeler. He had only ridden as a passenger in the past so he was excited. Of course, later in the day, he managed to miss every one of the millions of trees in the yard, but crashed into the corner of the house! lol Both he and the 4 wheeler were fine, we kept it in 2nd geer so they couldn't go too fast.
DJ will be 11 in just a few days. It was his first time as well!
DJ's Ride
Xman's Ride
Here is my 8 y/o taking his first turn as a solo rider on the 4 wheeler. He had only ridden as a passenger in the past so he was excited. Of course, later in the day, he managed to miss every one of the millions of trees in the yard, but crashed into the corner of the house! lol Both he and the 4 wheeler were fine, we kept it in 2nd geer so they couldn't go too fast.
DJ will be 11 in just a few days. It was his first time as well!
Xman's Ride
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Experiment 12: Erupting Volcano
Experiment 12: Erupting Volcano
I know, most of us have done this a million times, but it is soooo much fun! My kids love erupting volcanos so much that we finally made a permanent volcano so they can erupt it over and over!
Supplies: (most of these measurements are rough)
6 cups flour
2 cups salt
4 tbs cooking oil
2 cups water
Empty soda bottle (16 oz)
Warm water
Red food coloring
6 drops dish detergent
2 tbs baking soda
Vinegar about 1 Tbs
Baking dish
Large bowl
Process:
What's Happening?
Chemistry (for older kids).
In this experiment you have several chemical reactions that happen in rapid succession. First, the acidic acid in vinegar (the stuff that makes it sour) reacts to the Sodium Bicarbonate in the baking soda, the result is Carbonic acid. But carbonic acid is very unstable, and it rapidly decomposes (an immediate reaction) into carbon dioxide and water. The bubbles in this experiment are from the carbon dioxide. The bubbles flow down the sides of e 'volcano' because carbon dioxide is heavier than oxygen. In this experiment you get even more bubbles because of the dish soap.
Volcanoes:
Why do volcanoes erupt? There are several different types of volcanoes and therefore there are several different types of volcano eruptions. In this experiment we are simulating a Strato-Volcano - this is the type of volcano that has steep sides reaching up toward the sky. The eruption of these volcanos usually occurs in stages. These stages can happen in rapid succession or each stage can last days, months, even years!
The inside of a volcano is like a bowl with a bunch of straws sticking out of it. Most of the straws go off in different directions. The 'bowl' is the magma chamber. Magma is liquified rock from deep within the earth. There are cracks, or weak spots in e crust that allow the magma to travel closer to the surface. These tunnels (like the straws in the above analogy) are vents. Usually there is one main vent, and many secondary vents.
Did you know it's called Magma when it's underground, but Lava when it's above ground?
The closer the magma gets to the surface, the more ground water is boiled into water vapor. If the vents are open, there might be a constant stream of steam that escapes the vent. This stage usually lasts the longest. Water vapor below ground build pressure. If the vent is open enough, it could release this pressure enough to prevent an eruption from happening for years!
But, if the vent isn't open enough, then the pressure with build and build. This is like shaking a closed soda bottle. Eventually the volcano will blow apart in a violent release of pressure. The first part of this kind of volcanic eruption is made up of rock and super heated gas, the rock and dust is usually what remained of the part of the volcano above the blocked vent. (look at videos of Mt St Helen's erupting, where 1/3 of the volcano was blown away!) this bstage of the eruption is called the Pyroclastic Flow - believe it or not, this type of eruption is more deadly than any other stage. Because it is so explosive, it can happen with little to no warning. And the super heated gases and rocks can be thousands of degrees in temp and travel hundreds of miles an hour! This doesn't give people much time to get out of the way. The next stage of the explosion is the ash cloud. When the volcano violently erupts, the stuff too heavy to fly flows down the side of the volcano in the Pyroclastic flow, but dust and ash is very light, most often it is made up of pumice which is very light, and this ash can be blown miles into the atmosphere, but eventually it will come back to earth. Feet upon feet of ash can fall for days, eve, weeks, after the initial eruption.
If this initial explosion destroys enough of the volcano the magma can leak out. In the final stage of an eruption. This stage isn't very often. Most often the pressure is released in the early stages. But if the magma chamber is high enough, or if enough of the vent is blown open, then the magma will spill outward, flowing downhill, much like water. As soon as this super heated rock touches surface air it immediately cools back into solid rock. Eventually this rock will again plug the hole in the end of the vent, and the process begins all over again.
To Make a More Permanent Volvano:
Supplies:
1 Empty Toilet Paper Roll
10 lengths of string about 18-24 inches in length each
1 large paper plate
Plaster of Paris
2-4 Roll of Gause
Warm Water
Tape
Paints
1 mini plastic bowl (I used a washed out cup from the cinnamon rolls, the one the frosting comes in) < br/> Spray Sealant (optional)
Process:
I know, most of us have done this a million times, but it is soooo much fun! My kids love erupting volcanos so much that we finally made a permanent volcano so they can erupt it over and over!
Supplies: (most of these measurements are rough)
6 cups flour
2 cups salt
4 tbs cooking oil
2 cups water
Empty soda bottle (16 oz)
Warm water
Red food coloring
6 drops dish detergent
2 tbs baking soda
Vinegar about 1 Tbs
Baking dish
Large bowl
Process:
- Stand bottle up in the baking dish
- In large bowl, mix flour and salt.
- Add the water (from the 2 cups) at cup at a time. More might be needed. Mix until you result in a smooth & firm mixture.
- Use mixture to make the sides of the volcano, smoothing from the neck out and down to the baking dish, trying to make the sides sloping and smooth.Be careful not to cover the opening or drop dough into it!
- Let your volcano dry, you could even paint it if you want!
- Fill the bottle about 3/4 of the way with warm water.
- Add a few drops of red food coloring to the water
- Add the few drops of dish detergent.
- Add baking soda to water
- Slowly add the vinegar and watch the eruption!
What's Happening?
Chemistry (for older kids).
In this experiment you have several chemical reactions that happen in rapid succession. First, the acidic acid in vinegar (the stuff that makes it sour) reacts to the Sodium Bicarbonate in the baking soda, the result is Carbonic acid. But carbonic acid is very unstable, and it rapidly decomposes (an immediate reaction) into carbon dioxide and water. The bubbles in this experiment are from the carbon dioxide. The bubbles flow down the sides of e 'volcano' because carbon dioxide is heavier than oxygen. In this experiment you get even more bubbles because of the dish soap.
Volcanoes:
Why do volcanoes erupt? There are several different types of volcanoes and therefore there are several different types of volcano eruptions. In this experiment we are simulating a Strato-Volcano - this is the type of volcano that has steep sides reaching up toward the sky. The eruption of these volcanos usually occurs in stages. These stages can happen in rapid succession or each stage can last days, months, even years!
The inside of a volcano is like a bowl with a bunch of straws sticking out of it. Most of the straws go off in different directions. The 'bowl' is the magma chamber. Magma is liquified rock from deep within the earth. There are cracks, or weak spots in e crust that allow the magma to travel closer to the surface. These tunnels (like the straws in the above analogy) are vents. Usually there is one main vent, and many secondary vents.
Did you know it's called Magma when it's underground, but Lava when it's above ground?
The closer the magma gets to the surface, the more ground water is boiled into water vapor. If the vents are open, there might be a constant stream of steam that escapes the vent. This stage usually lasts the longest. Water vapor below ground build pressure. If the vent is open enough, it could release this pressure enough to prevent an eruption from happening for years!
But, if the vent isn't open enough, then the pressure with build and build. This is like shaking a closed soda bottle. Eventually the volcano will blow apart in a violent release of pressure. The first part of this kind of volcanic eruption is made up of rock and super heated gas, the rock and dust is usually what remained of the part of the volcano above the blocked vent. (look at videos of Mt St Helen's erupting, where 1/3 of the volcano was blown away!) this bstage of the eruption is called the Pyroclastic Flow - believe it or not, this type of eruption is more deadly than any other stage. Because it is so explosive, it can happen with little to no warning. And the super heated gases and rocks can be thousands of degrees in temp and travel hundreds of miles an hour! This doesn't give people much time to get out of the way. The next stage of the explosion is the ash cloud. When the volcano violently erupts, the stuff too heavy to fly flows down the side of the volcano in the Pyroclastic flow, but dust and ash is very light, most often it is made up of pumice which is very light, and this ash can be blown miles into the atmosphere, but eventually it will come back to earth. Feet upon feet of ash can fall for days, eve, weeks, after the initial eruption.
If this initial explosion destroys enough of the volcano the magma can leak out. In the final stage of an eruption. This stage isn't very often. Most often the pressure is released in the early stages. But if the magma chamber is high enough, or if enough of the vent is blown open, then the magma will spill outward, flowing downhill, much like water. As soon as this super heated rock touches surface air it immediately cools back into solid rock. Eventually this rock will again plug the hole in the end of the vent, and the process begins all over again.
To Make a More Permanent Volvano:
Supplies:
1 Empty Toilet Paper Roll
10 lengths of string about 18-24 inches in length each
1 large paper plate
Plaster of Paris
2-4 Roll of Gause
Warm Water
Tape
Paints
1 mini plastic bowl (I used a washed out cup from the cinnamon rolls, the one the frosting comes in) < br/> Spray Sealant (optional)
Process:
- Cut 4 small slits on the bottom of the tp roll, very small ones, then bend the pieces out until you have 4 'feet'
- Tape these feet to the middle of your paper plate
- Cut about 12 evenly spaced tiny cuts along the top edge of the tp roll.
- Tape one end of one piece of string to the bottom edge of the plate, wrap the middle of the string between 2 slits on the top of the roll, then tape the other end under the edge of the plate. Try to make the string go to a slight diagonal.
- Repeat step 4 until you have a nice structure for a Strato-volcano. (you'll use all if not most of your string.
- Cut a roll of Gause into roughly 8 inch strips.
- Mix some of your plaster with water. I do this in small sections because plaster dries crazy fast, and you need to move fairly quickly.
- Dip a section of Gause into the plaster and lay it over your structure, making sure not to seal off the top hole, until the whole thing (even bottom edge) is covered in a nice thick layer.
- Allow it to dry completely. You can do a couple of layers until you have a solid volcano
- Allow it to dry, then paint as desired
- You can chose to seal it with a spray sealer if you think the kids will want to cause repeated eruptions (sealer will prevent the sides from getting sticky once the 'lava' starts flowing).
- Fit tiny cup into the top of your volcano, this is where you'll put your chemical mixture.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Experiment 11: Floating Water
Experiment 11: Water Pressure vs. Air
This is another experiment that doubles as a magic tric. Amaze your family and friends with this experiment!
Supplies:
1 plastic bottle with a top (it can be a 16 oz-2 liter)
Water
Sharp knife or drill (CAUTION!!)
Sink or bucket
Process:
1) have an adult use the sharp knife or drill to make tiny holes along the bottom underside of the bottle. If using a bottle that has 4 little feet (small protrusions) then put one hole in the bottom of each; if your bottle is flat edged n the bottom, then just make 4 equally spaced holes
2) fill the bottle about 3/4 of the way full with water.
3) secret cap on tightly
4) Lift up bottle and be amazed that none of the water leaks out of the holes.
5) holding bottle over sink or bucket tips slightly and watch the water come out of the holes.
Explanation:
Water can only leak out of the holes when air can pass into the bottle via the holes. See inside every object is a constant # of molecules. I an empty bottle the bottle is actually filled with air. If the bottle is filled with water the air is pushed out through the 'mouth' of the bottle. When holding a bottle upright, the air in the bottle goes toward the top the water, toward the bottom. In effect, the water prevents more air from entering the bottle through the small holes - so the water is acting as a plug! When you tip the bottle even slightly, some of the water molecules shifty off of the openings, ever so briefly. This allows some air to enter the bottle and some water to exit the bottle. But it looks like magic to have the water not fall down out of the holes!
This is another experiment that doubles as a magic tric. Amaze your family and friends with this experiment!
Supplies:
1 plastic bottle with a top (it can be a 16 oz-2 liter)
Water
Sharp knife or drill (CAUTION!!)
Sink or bucket
Process:
1) have an adult use the sharp knife or drill to make tiny holes along the bottom underside of the bottle. If using a bottle that has 4 little feet (small protrusions) then put one hole in the bottom of each; if your bottle is flat edged n the bottom, then just make 4 equally spaced holes
2) fill the bottle about 3/4 of the way full with water.
3) secret cap on tightly
4) Lift up bottle and be amazed that none of the water leaks out of the holes.
5) holding bottle over sink or bucket tips slightly and watch the water come out of the holes.
Explanation:
Water can only leak out of the holes when air can pass into the bottle via the holes. See inside every object is a constant # of molecules. I an empty bottle the bottle is actually filled with air. If the bottle is filled with water the air is pushed out through the 'mouth' of the bottle. When holding a bottle upright, the air in the bottle goes toward the top the water, toward the bottom. In effect, the water prevents more air from entering the bottle through the small holes - so the water is acting as a plug! When you tip the bottle even slightly, some of the water molecules shifty off of the openings, ever so briefly. This allows some air to enter the bottle and some water to exit the bottle. But it looks like magic to have the water not fall down out of the holes!
Experiments 8-10: Playing with Gas Pressure
The next 3 experiments all deal with gas pressure. They are among my kids favorite experiments - but, as boys, anything exploding or seeming like magic will always be a hit!
Experiment 8: Exploding Soda
CAUTION: you'll want to do this outside away from your house, as it makes a fantastic mess.
Supplies:
2 liter bottle of soda unopened 1 package of mint mentos
Process:
1) set the soda bottle in a wide open space and carefully open the top. (don't shake up the soda as you want as much of hte carbon dioxide to remain in the bottle as possible)
2) this is the tricky party. You'll want to drop at least 5 mentos into the soda at the same time. I stacked the mentos carefully so they could drop, one right after the other into the bottle.
3) duck and run! The soda will shoot up about 15 feet into the air!
Explanation:
Soda is backed with carbon dioxide, that's what all the fizz is about. A mento may seem smooth on the surface, but in actuality the entire surface is pitted with hundreds of microscopic holes. When they are dropped into the soca much of the carbon zooms through these holes, building up the gas pressure to explosive levels, as the pressure inside the bottle becomes greater than the air pressure outside, the liquid seeks to go where there is less pressure, outside the bottle. This is a similar concept to releasing a blown up balloon - it will zoom around as the pressure within the balloon is rapidly released.
Experiment 9: the Coin Launcher
Supplies:
1 small bottle of soda, empty (16 oz is a good size)
1 pieces of tissue paper
1 quarters
Freezer
Safety glasses
Process:
1) put the top on tightly on the empty bottle, also place it in the freezer
2) let sit for About 30 minutes
3) observe what changes to the bottle, but leave it in the freezer so it doesn't warm
4) wrap the quarter in the tissue paper
5) get the paper wet
6) with the bottle still in the freezer, remove the top and place the tissue wrapped quarter over the opening.
7) allow to sit in freezer until tissue is frozen
8) take bottle out of the freezer. Wear the safety glasses!
9) gently warm the bottle in your hands pointing away from you. Watch what happens!
Explanation:
When the bottle is frozen it shrinks as the air molecules pull toward the middle of the boodle. When the frozen tissue is in place of the top, it should maintain this vacuum. (if he coin doesnt shoot off, then the tissue dint form a good enough seal). When the bottle is then warmed the air molecules push back away from the center. This causes a change in pressure that pushes the coin away.
Experiment 10: Magic Card Trick
We actually first did this trick last spring for a local science fair. My youngest did the next two experiments as a part of his display on the awesome capabilities of air & water pressure!
Supplies
Small glass or plastic cup (it must have a rather sharp or flat rim with no bends)
Water
1 index card
Process:
1) fill the glass about 3/4 of the way full of water
2) lay the index card flat across the open end of the glass.
3) support the card with the flat of your hand as you quickly turn the cup upside down
4) remove your hand, amaze your family & friends with the fact that the card stays in place and doesn't fall!! (don't leave it too long upside down though, once the water soaks into the card enough it will destroy the seal and the water will go everywhere!)
Explanation:
The reason the card stays in place is based on 2 laws. First Newtons second law of motion: "every action has an equal and opposite reaction" and air pressure vs water pressure. (or more specifically air pressure vs the force of gravity)
Essentially the water in the cup is pushing down with the force of gravity (9.8 meters/second squared). While this force is pointing toward the ground, the air outside the cup of pushing upwards on the card. For a period of time this creates a seal between the card and the edge of the cup. Furthermore there are way more air molecules outside of the cup than there are water molecules inside the cup. This is the true reason for the 'magic'. All air molecules are trying to raise up. This means there is a pressure imbalance. It's like having a car hit a brick wall. If it is a small wall the wall will be destroyed by the car - because there are too many molecules in the car acting against the fewer molecules in the wall. But if it is a gigantic stone wall (like a concrete bridge support) then the car is the one with more damage - as there are more molecules in the wall than there are in the car.
Experiment 8: Exploding Soda
CAUTION: you'll want to do this outside away from your house, as it makes a fantastic mess.
Supplies:
2 liter bottle of soda unopened 1 package of mint mentos
Process:
1) set the soda bottle in a wide open space and carefully open the top. (don't shake up the soda as you want as much of hte carbon dioxide to remain in the bottle as possible)
2) this is the tricky party. You'll want to drop at least 5 mentos into the soda at the same time. I stacked the mentos carefully so they could drop, one right after the other into the bottle.
3) duck and run! The soda will shoot up about 15 feet into the air!
Explanation:
Soda is backed with carbon dioxide, that's what all the fizz is about. A mento may seem smooth on the surface, but in actuality the entire surface is pitted with hundreds of microscopic holes. When they are dropped into the soca much of the carbon zooms through these holes, building up the gas pressure to explosive levels, as the pressure inside the bottle becomes greater than the air pressure outside, the liquid seeks to go where there is less pressure, outside the bottle. This is a similar concept to releasing a blown up balloon - it will zoom around as the pressure within the balloon is rapidly released.
Experiment 9: the Coin Launcher
Supplies:
1 small bottle of soda, empty (16 oz is a good size)
1 pieces of tissue paper
1 quarters
Freezer
Safety glasses
Process:
1) put the top on tightly on the empty bottle, also place it in the freezer
2) let sit for About 30 minutes
3) observe what changes to the bottle, but leave it in the freezer so it doesn't warm
4) wrap the quarter in the tissue paper
5) get the paper wet
6) with the bottle still in the freezer, remove the top and place the tissue wrapped quarter over the opening.
7) allow to sit in freezer until tissue is frozen
8) take bottle out of the freezer. Wear the safety glasses!
9) gently warm the bottle in your hands pointing away from you. Watch what happens!
Explanation:
When the bottle is frozen it shrinks as the air molecules pull toward the middle of the boodle. When the frozen tissue is in place of the top, it should maintain this vacuum. (if he coin doesnt shoot off, then the tissue dint form a good enough seal). When the bottle is then warmed the air molecules push back away from the center. This causes a change in pressure that pushes the coin away.
Experiment 10: Magic Card Trick
We actually first did this trick last spring for a local science fair. My youngest did the next two experiments as a part of his display on the awesome capabilities of air & water pressure!
Supplies
Small glass or plastic cup (it must have a rather sharp or flat rim with no bends)
Water
1 index card
Process:
1) fill the glass about 3/4 of the way full of water
2) lay the index card flat across the open end of the glass.
3) support the card with the flat of your hand as you quickly turn the cup upside down
4) remove your hand, amaze your family & friends with the fact that the card stays in place and doesn't fall!! (don't leave it too long upside down though, once the water soaks into the card enough it will destroy the seal and the water will go everywhere!)
Explanation:
The reason the card stays in place is based on 2 laws. First Newtons second law of motion: "every action has an equal and opposite reaction" and air pressure vs water pressure. (or more specifically air pressure vs the force of gravity)
Essentially the water in the cup is pushing down with the force of gravity (9.8 meters/second squared). While this force is pointing toward the ground, the air outside the cup of pushing upwards on the card. For a period of time this creates a seal between the card and the edge of the cup. Furthermore there are way more air molecules outside of the cup than there are water molecules inside the cup. This is the true reason for the 'magic'. All air molecules are trying to raise up. This means there is a pressure imbalance. It's like having a car hit a brick wall. If it is a small wall the wall will be destroyed by the car - because there are too many molecules in the car acting against the fewer molecules in the wall. But if it is a gigantic stone wall (like a concrete bridge support) then the car is the one with more damage - as there are more molecules in the wall than there are in the car.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Experiment 7: Making Rain
This experiment is fun, especially for elementary and preschoolers. We did it as a part of our study of the water cycle.
CAUTION: you must have adult supervision for this experiment as you are dealing with a stove top and boiling water. This experiment also demonstrates how temperature is one of the main factors in changing the state of matter.
Supplies:
1) place your hardcover book in the freezer and allow it to sit there at least over night.
2) boil a pot of water (demonstrating evaporation)
3) once you have a cloud of steam rising from the pot, hold the book at an angle in the steam, making rain! - Watch out for your fingers! Steam is very hot!!
Explanation:
First in changing the states of matter: This is the approach to take with older kids who may already be familiar with the water cycle. In order to change a substance to different states of matter (liquid, solid, gas) you must apply a change in temp. A solid is a substance that has the molecules tightly packed together with stong bonds, at room temperature. A liquid is one where the molecules are spread out, some have bonds to other molecules, some are free floating. A gas is where the atoms/molecules float independantly from the other atoms, no bonds between them, rarely do they interact with the other atoms.
Water is one of the easiest to see the change in matter. If you apply heat, the liquid will evaporate, this results in steam - aka water vapor (a gas). If you apply a dramatic drop in temperature (like in a freezer) the h2o molecules will bond tightly together creating a solid (ice). Now, most children are taught these 3 states of matter at fairly young ages. But did you know there are actually 5 states of matter? The unsung heroes of matter are Plasma and the Bose-Einstein Condensiate (BEC). Plasma as a state of matter was only introduced in 1879, and the BEC was only recognized in 1995!! In a BEC the atoms are even more richly packed than in a solid. Most solids are brittle because of the way the molecules are bound (ever shattered a piece of ice?), but BEC are extremely strong, and not easy to break. A plasma is a cross between a solid and a liquid. It has properties of both.
Scientists are still hard at work on understanding matter. In fact, most scientists now refer to 'states of matter' as a Phase. For example, with water. If you start at a very low temperature you have a BEC, slowly increase the temp and youll have a solid (ice). If you slowly increase the temperature, you'll get a plasma (slushy like material, some ice, some water). Keep the temp increasing and you'll eventually get a liquid, keep the gem going and eventually you get a gas. So it is like your water has gone through different phases based on temperature. In a nutshell, matter is understood based on 2 things: temperature and the density of the molecules.
Water cycle: Did you know the amount of water found on Earth hasn't changed for billions of years? The only things that have changed are the location and whether or not the water is drinkable! The water cycle is responsible for both. It is never ending, which is why it is considered a cycle. At any given moment there are millions of gallons of water all around the globe: from oceans and seas (which contain a lot of salt); to lakes, rivers and ponds which are fresh water (low salt, but higher in other natural chemicals; to clouds, snow, ice and rain! Water is everywhere. To keep water moving about we rely on the water cycle. You see, the sun heats the surfaces of most water (puddles, rivers, oceans etc.) the only water unaffected by this first stage is water found below the ground or ice. As the sun heats the water some molecules seperate and turn to water vapor, a gas. Since water vapor is lighter than air it raises high into the sky. Way up high in our atmosphere it is very cold, the water vapor then wants to bind back to a solid, but our atmosphere is vast, so the molecules have trouble finding eachother in order to bond. Istead the bond with dust particles. This is the reason for the awesome shapes of a snowflake. Many water molecules will bind with individual dust particles, growing into ever larger snowflakes (ice). The particles might even find eachother, creating clouds. But the sun strikes these atoms as well, melting the ice back to water, which is heavier than air so it falls back to the ground as rain. (in winter the snow/ice particles grow until they are too heavy to remain aloft and they fall as snow or ice!). Once the rain is on the ground it flows down stream, back to the oceans, rivers lakes, etc. Happy learning!!
CAUTION: you must have adult supervision for this experiment as you are dealing with a stove top and boiling water. This experiment also demonstrates how temperature is one of the main factors in changing the state of matter.
Supplies:
- one hard covered book
- stove top heating element
- one small sauce pan
- freezer
- water
1) place your hardcover book in the freezer and allow it to sit there at least over night.
2) boil a pot of water (demonstrating evaporation)
3) once you have a cloud of steam rising from the pot, hold the book at an angle in the steam, making rain! - Watch out for your fingers! Steam is very hot!!
Explanation:
First in changing the states of matter: This is the approach to take with older kids who may already be familiar with the water cycle. In order to change a substance to different states of matter (liquid, solid, gas) you must apply a change in temp. A solid is a substance that has the molecules tightly packed together with stong bonds, at room temperature. A liquid is one where the molecules are spread out, some have bonds to other molecules, some are free floating. A gas is where the atoms/molecules float independantly from the other atoms, no bonds between them, rarely do they interact with the other atoms.
Water is one of the easiest to see the change in matter. If you apply heat, the liquid will evaporate, this results in steam - aka water vapor (a gas). If you apply a dramatic drop in temperature (like in a freezer) the h2o molecules will bond tightly together creating a solid (ice). Now, most children are taught these 3 states of matter at fairly young ages. But did you know there are actually 5 states of matter? The unsung heroes of matter are Plasma and the Bose-Einstein Condensiate (BEC). Plasma as a state of matter was only introduced in 1879, and the BEC was only recognized in 1995!! In a BEC the atoms are even more richly packed than in a solid. Most solids are brittle because of the way the molecules are bound (ever shattered a piece of ice?), but BEC are extremely strong, and not easy to break. A plasma is a cross between a solid and a liquid. It has properties of both.
Scientists are still hard at work on understanding matter. In fact, most scientists now refer to 'states of matter' as a Phase. For example, with water. If you start at a very low temperature you have a BEC, slowly increase the temp and youll have a solid (ice). If you slowly increase the temperature, you'll get a plasma (slushy like material, some ice, some water). Keep the temp increasing and you'll eventually get a liquid, keep the gem going and eventually you get a gas. So it is like your water has gone through different phases based on temperature. In a nutshell, matter is understood based on 2 things: temperature and the density of the molecules.
Water cycle: Did you know the amount of water found on Earth hasn't changed for billions of years? The only things that have changed are the location and whether or not the water is drinkable! The water cycle is responsible for both. It is never ending, which is why it is considered a cycle. At any given moment there are millions of gallons of water all around the globe: from oceans and seas (which contain a lot of salt); to lakes, rivers and ponds which are fresh water (low salt, but higher in other natural chemicals; to clouds, snow, ice and rain! Water is everywhere. To keep water moving about we rely on the water cycle. You see, the sun heats the surfaces of most water (puddles, rivers, oceans etc.) the only water unaffected by this first stage is water found below the ground or ice. As the sun heats the water some molecules seperate and turn to water vapor, a gas. Since water vapor is lighter than air it raises high into the sky. Way up high in our atmosphere it is very cold, the water vapor then wants to bind back to a solid, but our atmosphere is vast, so the molecules have trouble finding eachother in order to bond. Istead the bond with dust particles. This is the reason for the awesome shapes of a snowflake. Many water molecules will bind with individual dust particles, growing into ever larger snowflakes (ice). The particles might even find eachother, creating clouds. But the sun strikes these atoms as well, melting the ice back to water, which is heavier than air so it falls back to the ground as rain. (in winter the snow/ice particles grow until they are too heavy to remain aloft and they fall as snow or ice!). Once the rain is on the ground it flows down stream, back to the oceans, rivers lakes, etc. Happy learning!!
Sunday, July 15, 2012
How to handle the epic fail
We have all been there. Our curriculum looks beautiful, we have all the supplies, the kids (and we, the teachers) are jonesing to jump in and go full steam ahead. So we start...within an hour the kids are antsy, not following directions, not completing work we know they are capable us. Argh! Is there anything more frustrating? Inevitable we keep trudging along, even though we begin to dread the start of school each day. We might even toy with the idea of putting the kinds in PS just to get a break! so, I thought I would write a little on using those epic fails to your advantage.
Don't lose hope. Ever hear the saying, " you must kiss a hundred frogs before you find a prince"? This is how I tell newbies to approach HS. This is also one of the main reasons I'm against spending a load of $$ right away. Because you know what? Everyone learns differently. Not only that, but a child's learning style might evolve over time. So even if you get a curriculum that is similar to their style from the previous year, it may no longer work.
There are a few things to keep in mind to stave off frustration:
1) Don't beat a dead horse. (I'm working metaphors for all they are worth in this article! Lol) If something isn't working for 1 week then STOP. It may just mean you all need a little break. So you can try again in a couple of weeks. If it is again an epic fail after another week, then let it go. Find another approach, or it may just mean they are not ready for the information (see point 3 for developmental milestones).
2) What looks good to you may be an epic fail for them. I remember when I first began to HS, I planned how I wished I had been taught - I learn by writing things down. Doing a lot of copy work, worksheets, etc. Epic fail. My oldest is a visual learner. It was pointless to have him do a ton of writing assignments. Sure I might be able to browbeat him into eventually completing the work, but he wouldn't retain any of the information. This was probably more frustrating than him just not completing the work to begin with. We'd spend literally hours on one assignment, with a lot of yelling to keep things on track, and finally (FINALLY) the work is finished and I ask, so what is blah? And he would stare at me uncomprehendingly. Even if I promoted to get the right answer, I'd still get nowhere. Finally a lightbulb went off above my blonde head - maybe he doesn't learn from writing things out? Duh. Lol. I had a whole school room devoted to notebooking that I had to donate. But even this fail is a step in the right direction. I can now eliminate any curriculum tool that is based on writing. So instead of notebooking, we changed to Lapbooking - which still has some writing involved, but is much more visually stimulating. My point here is to be aware of your students learning styles, even if it is completely counter to your own. Then try to find tools based in that style.
3) Get ready for a change! Yup. You did your year of struggle, finally found a curriculum that works, you go with it. It might even work for a few years, then it all starts to fall apart. Why? Well children are growing and changing. So too do their learning styles. Here is my own break down of typical styles-to-ages. Bear in mind every child is different, so your child might be different, this is just a guide.
Pre-k - 2nd grade = Kinetic: it's all about the hands on learning, manipulatives, getting their senses involved. This is because they are just coming out of the toddler years, so their mind is still in tune with using eir senses to acquire information. If a toddler sees something new, they generally touch it, put it in their mouth, etc. well these early grades are not quite that bad, but their attention spans are still pretty short and they a not yet trained to acquire information through reading. Even with an early reader/writer, you'll want to have curriculum that is heavy on the kinetic learning.
2nd-4th = Visual: it's all about creating that picture in their mind. If you want to learn ancient history, they will remember more if you make it like a story where they can see the visual image, like a movie, in their head. They can learn a lot through short films and discussions. They are just beginning to become aware of themselves as individual entities. They still might enjoy manipulatives, but you can begin trickling in more complex content as long as you do it in a way that creates the visual in the mind.
4th-7th = Combo: these learners need a variety of tools - they can acquire information from reading and writing, they can learn through the visual, etc. they need a little of everything. Here it's time to begin cutting the apron strings. These students do much better with a bit of independance. They can make better choices. So I advise getting an outline together of what you want covered then pulling together resources that meet a variety of requirements and letting the student choose which sparks their interest.
8th-Graduation = Independant Study/Audio: here learning is really all up to them. Whether it be digesting the information delivered from a lecture, A documentary or through literature, they take whatever techniquest they have developed ov time, to process and retain information. They should also be capable of not just regurgitating information (memorization) but changing information into their own words.
No matter your students personality or age, there will come a time when choices must be made. An unfortunate result could be the epic fail. But don't let it get you down. Being a HS educator is as much a learning experience as being an HS student is. We are all on a path of self discovery, growth and learning.
Happy learning!
Experiment 6 - ivory soap
Talk about cool chemistry, in this experiment you can see the affect of microwaves, it is super exciting!
Supplies:
A bar of Ivory soap
Microwave Paper or ceramic plate
Process:
1) unwrap the soap and place it in the center of the plate
2) set the plate in the microwave and set the time to 2 minutes
3) Press start and let the time tun out
4) Once the microwave stops, CAREFULLY remove the plate from the oven and allow to cool for about 2 minutes until it is cool enough to handle the soap.
5) hold the soap in your hand, how does it feel?
Explanation:
The microwave heats the soap causing it to soften. The microwaves then excite the water and air molecules in the soap. This causes the soap to lose its shape and expand as the molecules try to move in opposite directions from eachother. Evaporation of the water causes more air pockets. Since the soap has softened, and the molecules have moved away from eachother and caused air pockets, the result is a foam like substance. Remember there are 3 forms of matter: solid, liquid and gas. In a gas the molecules are very far apart, very rarely do they interact with each other, there are no bonds holding them together. In a liquid, some of the molecules are bound, some are not. In a solid, all the molecules are tightly bound together. In this experiment we are changing the state of matter from a tightly bonded solid to a more pliable liquids material.
Supplies:
A bar of Ivory soap
Microwave Paper or ceramic plate
Process:
1) unwrap the soap and place it in the center of the plate
2) set the plate in the microwave and set the time to 2 minutes
3) Press start and let the time tun out
4) Once the microwave stops, CAREFULLY remove the plate from the oven and allow to cool for about 2 minutes until it is cool enough to handle the soap.
5) hold the soap in your hand, how does it feel?
Explanation:
The microwave heats the soap causing it to soften. The microwaves then excite the water and air molecules in the soap. This causes the soap to lose its shape and expand as the molecules try to move in opposite directions from eachother. Evaporation of the water causes more air pockets. Since the soap has softened, and the molecules have moved away from eachother and caused air pockets, the result is a foam like substance. Remember there are 3 forms of matter: solid, liquid and gas. In a gas the molecules are very far apart, very rarely do they interact with each other, there are no bonds holding them together. In a liquid, some of the molecules are bound, some are not. In a solid, all the molecules are tightly bound together. In this experiment we are changing the state of matter from a tightly bonded solid to a more pliable liquids material.
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