Random Science Related Lessons

                           Matching Rainforest animals.

  Andrew showing me a skunk? Which led him to learning new vocabulary.....

 Using these three part Rainforest Animal Cards from Montessori Print Shop Andrew discovered that this animal was indeed an Anteater. Not all of the cards are shown that come with the set.

                                                                                                                                                                       
   Learning about the nervous system Ken made this Nerve necklace.

                                                                             

  DJ working on the cover of his Rainforest research pocket guide. This will hold various projects he will complete on his journey of discovering the beautiful diversity of the Amazon Rainforest.

                                                                              

Ken learned some of the basics of engineering this week using this step by step guide from an Engino kit.

                                                                      A house.

                                                                A helicopter.

 

To see more science related lessons done by kids please visit Adventures In Mommydom for Science Sunday.                                                               

                                                                         
                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                     

The Childrens' Science Museum

On Friday we had a field trip to a science museum. It is my favorite place to go with my own children. The museum always has different attractions for the children to explore. On the weekends there are special activities set up for the children to complete and take home.

 Arriving at the museum we were met with a greeter that invited the children to explore and went over the basic rules of the museum, like no running. The lady then asked them to raise their hands if they have any questions.

And if your a montessori child your first question is Can I have a lesson on.......?

The main attraction was this talking character explaining the science behind snot.

 
   The children really enjoyed making bubbles with all the different tools.

    Andrew is making a bubble that he can stand inside of.

 
Climbing a wall that helps you understand the journey that snot takes to come out of your nose!!

Tonging to remove parts of the human body. It is a life size operation game.

                            Another favorite.

                    Walking through the maze of the heart.

                             Anna trying out the weight scale.

 Z doing chest compressions. Z remembered the demonstration I gave to them during our lessons on the heart. I shared with the children that the most important skill I must have is being certified in CPR. It always makes my heart smile when I see a child retain information, and when given a chance to they apply it.

It got real busy quickly as middle school children entered the museum so we decided to go check out the fun the toddlers were having where the museum has dedicated a special place for toddlers.

Playing at the water table.

                 Climbing stairs to get to higher places.

           Lil impressing her mother with her table setting skills.

                          
                                           More water fun!!

                                 The water kept Happy busy the whole time.

Happy became very upset when it was time to leave. While the kids were putting their things away because it was time to leave, Happy took the moment to help herself to the water shoes and she put them back on.
Maybe next time she will be able to put them on the right feet =)

I am linking this post to Science Sunday, and Montessori Monday.

                                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                                                              
                                                                         
                                                                            
                                                               

Learning About Hydroponics! (Science Sunday)

Ken says she may want to be an Botanist when she grows up. So one of her presents she received for Christmas was a Hydro-Dome plant kit. The kit is made by Dune Craft. This is what Ken has been learning while taking care of this plant.

What is Hydroponics? Hydroponics (from the Greek words hydro water and panos labor) is a method of growing plants using mineral solutions, in water without soil. Plants may be grown within their roots in the mineral solution only or in a inert medium, such as perlite, gravel or mineral wool.

History of Hydroponic Gardening: Hieroglyphic records show that ancient Egyptians were probably the first people to attempt to grow plants in a soil less enviroment. Some suspect that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon may have used primitive hydroponic technology. The Roman Emperor Tiberius is believed to have used hydroponics to grow cucumbers out of season. The next major development in hydroponics occurred in the 17th century in Europe, where greenhouses began to use hydroponics methods regularly to grow plants and vegetables. The U.S. began exploring and experimenting with practical applications during World War Two. Today, hydroponics is popular not just as a way to produce larger, healthier, and flavorful foods on a large scale, but also as a household hobby.

Ken learned these cool things from the information that was provided in the plant kit.

                                                            
                                                    Getting Started

Soaking the rock wool. This process took about three days to get it done right.

                                  Planting the Seeds
                                   
Placing the rock wool in the net pots.

               Putting the lettuce seeds in the holes in the rock wool.

    Placing the net pots in the tray of the dome.

                                              

                                                     Observations

Before you can move on to fertilizing you must wait for your seeds to sprout.
Ken is recording observations in her plant journal.

                                                                     
                            After four days the seeds began to sprout.

                                                                         

                                                        Fertilizing

Now you fill  the base of the dome with lukewarm water enough so that the pots will be about one half submerged in water.

 Add 1/16 of a tablespoon of Part A Hydoponic Nutrient. Derived from Ammonium, Calcium, Nitrate, Double soil.

      Add one scoop of Part B Hydroponic Nutrient.

Then you aerate the water using the Hydro-Pump. The hydro-pump consists of three parts: the pump, airline, and the stone diffuser.  You aerate the water once or twice a day.

                                         
To see what other science activites children are doing  please visit Science Sunday hosted by Adventures In Mommydom.                                 

The Story of Snow (Science Sunday)

 This week during our small group lesson we learned the Story of Snow. 

                                                 
We talked about the water cycle and how the rain comes down from the clouds and is then collected in our lakes, rivers, ponds, etc, and then goes back up to the clouds. The children understood this concept very well and then they changed the rain to snow.

            
After we learned the Story of Snow, we made some Insta Snow . A perfect sensory bin for our topic. We did not get any snow here last week.

                                                                       
                       Later on we also did this Participation Story.

This story tells how Baby bear loved Spring and watched the strawberry flowers promise him berries. Baby bear loved summer because he would roll down the grassy hill and slide into the river and catch some yummy fish. Baby bear loved Fall because he would run through the woods and chase spiders hiding in the moss. Baby bear couldn't remember Winter. The children learned that Baby bear couldn't remember Winter because bears hibernate in the Winter. We discussed what hibernation means. They participating in this story by everytime they heard me read the word bear they had to take a step closer to the bears' den.
                          
                      Pretending to be a bear coming out of its' den in Spring.

                                                                    
          They also enjoyed making their own dens with Big bear and Baby bear.    

                                                                                       
To see other children doing science related activities  pop over to Science Sunday hosted by Adventures In Mommydom.