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!

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.

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!*

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.

• 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.

TV Shows & Science

• 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

 

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.

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

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:

1. Stand bottle up in the baking dish
2. In large bowl, mix flour and salt. 
3. 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.
4. 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!
5. Let your volcano dry, you could even paint it if you want!
6. Fill the bottle about 3/4 of the way with warm water.
7. Add a few drops of red food coloring to the water
8. Add the few drops of dish detergent.
9. Add baking soda to water
10. 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:

1. Cut 4 small slits on the bottom of the tp roll, very small ones, then bend the pieces out until you have 4 'feet'
2. Tape these feet to the middle of your paper plate
3. Cut about 12 evenly spaced tiny cuts along the top edge of the tp roll.
4. 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.
5.  Repeat step 4 until you have a nice structure for a Strato-volcano. (you'll use all if not most of your string.
6. Cut a roll of Gause into roughly 8 inch strips.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9.  Allow it to dry completely. You can do a couple of layers until you have a solid volcano
10.  Allow it to dry, then paint as desired
11. 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).
12. Fit tiny cup into the top of your volcano, this is where you'll put your chemical mixture.