Saturday, April 14, 2012

Science Week


We started out the school year using Thames and Kosmos kits for our science.   I’ve changed things up a bit, not because the T&K kits aren’t working, but because they required a bit more planning than I can dedicate to science right now.   Since I had used Rainbow Science with great success with my oldest child, I went back to Rainbow Science.   It is a great program that is easy to utilize.    So the T&K kits are still in the garage, and most likely will be enjoyed next year.   This season of life calls for something a little bit different.
 
So we’ve been working our way through the physics section of Rainbow Science.  

Topics covered :

how basic concepts of physics (classic mechanics) apply to all forces
Protons and electrons are the basis for electric charges
Static electricity
electric currents
magnetism
number of protons is the defining characteristic of an element
nuclear force is the force holding protons together in the nucleus

Labs:

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We completed quite a few labs this past week starting out with the classic balloon/hair static electric lab.   E-R’s hair provided lots of electrical charge and the balloons stuck to the ceiling for almost an entire day.
  
After learning about electricity, we had fun with our Enviro Battery Kits.

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Borrowing electrical charge from everyday items. 
Skills Learned.

This week we learned how to study for and take tests.   After reading this excellent article,  E-R and I-E practiced taking notes, studying for tests, and predicting what information would be on the unit tests as well as taking those unit tests!

Games Played:

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We played ElementO while eating my new favorite food—turnips and dip.

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E-R and I-E will indulge me with a turnip slice or two, but much prefer the Utz potato chips Uncle Roger and Aunt Jeanine were kind enough to send our way.  Both were super yummy!

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I-E started out the game in good spirits, but soon lost enough protons 

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to bring this frown around!
E-R had fun with this science kit that was hiding in the garage. 

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I have no idea when or where it happened into my stash of science stuff.

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But E-R had a great time with this classic make a face activity

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and the included magnetic sculpture garden.

Virtual Field Trips


We virtually toured several power plants.   Many years ago my dear husband, MrBatTan, worked on a nuclear powered submarine, so he was very helpful in explaining our tour through the Nuclear Power Plant.

Science Week was a great way to get back in the swing of things after our spring break.


Chestnut Grove Academy



7 comments:

  1. Great stuff! Love the Famous Scientists poster, where did you get it??

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  2. Mary, the poster is available at Rainbow Resource.

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  3. I love doing projects with my daughter (she's just 3) and look forward to doing science experiments like these when she's older. She goes to a museum pre-school right now, and may already know more than I? Thanks for stopping by my blog from the UBP12! You're in my G+ circle, btw. Have a super evening!

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    1. A Daddy Blog--thanks for stopping by! A museum pre-school sounds like an awesome opportunity.

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  4. One of my favorite Science experiments to do with the kids was to take two empty {one liter} soda bottles and pour a little bit {about a third of the first bottle} of water and then tape the two tops together and watch the water form funnels as it moved from one bottle to the next. it gave them some hands on experience about how tornadoes work.

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  5. looks like a great week! Thanks for linking up to BTT!!

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