Why DO ice cubes float?

The solid form of almost all liquids is typically more dense, and an easy way to learn about liquids, density and mass is to save those two-liter pop bottles and get creative.  Not to mention just about any other subject you are introducing your kids to.  I find that if I fill the day with worksheets, mine do not stay engaged and learningg, but end up just limping along through the activity (the whole reason I am home schooling to begin with to avoid this and instill a love of learning.)

I keep a handful of them under my kitchen sink and have a book I refer to this great book for tons of ideas that are inexpensive and fun!

Today we filled a clean pop bottle about three-quarters full of water and drew a line at the fill mark.  We froze the bottle overnight, upright and measured the difference the next day.  My Kindergartner thought this was pretty cool and not only did we take a simple question about why ice floats and turn it into an opportunity to learn, we incorporated math, measurement, estimation, prediction and already had the supplies readily available.

Make Your Own Fossils

I found this activity at the site below and it was a great project to improve fine motor skills, measure ingredients (math), discuss geography and where different fossils large and small have been discovered.  Not to mention another wonderful science experiment that my kiddos loved...

http://www.education.com/activity/article/fossils/

We used shells from the dollar store that we will be using for future presents, crafts etc...one in particular left a great impression.  If the dough seems really dark, don't worry it will lighten up quite a bit when it dries.

We let these dry on cooling racks (like you would cool cookies on) as the under side of each stay damp for a few days before they dried completely.



The humble bean

To round out our unit study on plants, I decided to try an activity I had read about.  We soaked some kidney beans overnight, and the next day removed the skin from the beans and split them open.  We had already sprouted beans weeks before which at this point had grown over 9 inches tall (see picture below) and been watering them and tracking their growth. 

We were amazed to see the tiny "baby plant" inside of the bean, waiting to either be planted and become a new plant, or eaten by bean loving folks like us.

I have found that we can incorporate scientific hypothesis, prediction, observation, reading skills, measurement, and have some fun while performing even the most simple experiments. 

Break out your rulers, paper and some simple supplies that you already have on hand and explore the wonderful world of science and home schooling...happy learning!