The things that keep me busy

Since we started homeschooling this year with a few new programs, I have found myself making the most unusual grocery lists. The list below is for science, we're going to be testing acids and bases and making our own litmus paper with red cabbage and coffee filters (just writing that makes me exhausted!)

Our history program, The Story of the World, lists multiple activities for each lesson. Usually, I go through and pick out the easiest activity. I especially like when I get to tell Grant to go make something out of legos like a ziggurat or a siege tower. That keeps him busy for hours and I don't have to supervise at all. However, since we were already purchasing the red cabbage for science, I thought I'd try something a little more involved and do the "Dye something a royal purple" activity. (Again... totally exhausted! What am I thinking?) If and when this gets done, I promise to post pictures.

I was able to finally take "canned papaya" off of my shopping list. I'd been on the search for that one for a couple of weeks. It was part of our history lesson on Africa. One of the activities was to make an African feast. We didn't make the whole feast, just some fried plantains and this papaya fried rice. The kids weren't overly thrilled with it, but I liked it lots.

And finally... something that doesn't involve the kids or a history lesson! I found this sweater at the thrift store. Isn't it just so incredibly awful!!!! but it's a great color for some of those cute felted sweater projects that I have been wanting to do. Go check out Betz White's blog, I love her stuff. http://blog.betzwhite.com/

Chemical Reactions

Last week, Grant, Julia and I did some experiments with chemical reactions with common household items. (Egg whites, salt water, sugar water, vinegar, milk, lemon juice, and baking soda.) We spent a lot of time guessing what will happen when we mix certain things together, mixing them and then recording the results.

The best reactions were, of course, the baking soda and vinegar and baking soda and lemon juice. Honestly, the kids could do this one over and over again.

This lemon juice and baking soda concoction made a good, organic cleaner for my sink!

Marshmallow Molecules

The kids are learning about atoms and molecules in their Chemistry book, who knew molecules could be so much fun! I guess marsmallows can make anything fun. We started out making "no rules" molecules. Here is Julia's friend, Mr. Molecule.


Then we got serious and made some real molecule shapes, but a methane molecule sure can make a boy smile. He called it a "toot" molecule (or maybe he used the other word for that.)

I love seeing them so intent and interested in their work. I imagine that they'll remember this when they are in 10th grade Chemistry.