Cabbage Juice, Anyone?

Next week's science at our house involves using purple cabbage juice to test the pH of certain substances. There are different suggestions out there of how to get purple cabbage juice, and even substitution ideas. Here's a quick and easy way we did it. (And, though it may be suggested that red onions work too... I found that no, in fact, they don't, and I'm still burning candles to get rid of the boiled red onion smell. ;)

First I started water boiling in a kettle on the stove. While it was heating, I chopped cabbage. We only need two cups of the solution, so I just used half a head of cabbage.

I chopped it into small pieces.

I put it into a eight cup bowl.

Once the water was boiling, I poured it over the cabbage, just enough to cover it.


This is what it looked like after about 15 minutes.

It didn't get much darker, but this is how it ended up 30 or so minutes later.


I then strained it into a jar, and ended up with more than I thought so I needed two jars! Once site suggested pouring vinegar over the leftover cabbage and using it as a relish. Um, we didn't do that, but if it sounds good to you... go for it! I read said to store it cold, so it's now in our garage refridgerator awaiting our science experiments next week!

The procedures we will be doing are in our BJU Science 6 book, but here are some sites which offer fun ways to test acidity with cabbage juice:

Zoom Activities: Cabbage Juice Indicator

Children's Museum (Connecticut)

Coal Education

Cabbage Patch Chemistry

Suzy's World (exceptionally clear explanations)

We'll see how it turns out. It should be "pHun!"

Planets Lapbook

My daughter has been enjoying BJU's Space and Earth Science this year. I have liked it, too... it is very thorough! However, for a break from the book and activity manual, I decided to have her do a lapbook using the information in the chapter on the planets. This is what she worked on last week. I think it turned out cute!


(You can click on the pictures to make them larger.)

She used two file folders, folding one toward the center and stapling another one on the side flap.

On the left flap underneath the diagram of the sun there is a flap that says, "Pull Me Up." When you pull it up there is an accordian book of information about our sun, a chart she made using Excel. (Photo below on right.)

The middle of the main folder has some facts and definitions distinguishing planets, dwarf planets, and small solar system bodies. She also included information about how we classify planets and a wheel book with information about each of the planets in our solar system. There is also a 3D "pop up" section explaining why Pluto is no longer considered a planet.


In the second folder she included photos of each planet typed up information about each one.


She enjoyed this week and a half long break from her science book. It was a fun assignment!

Oh, yeah...

It worked!

What a fun, sticky, mess!

The kids all wore swim suits, while my white-shorts-wearin' self stood a safe distance away and used my zoom to snap pictures:












Afterward, everyone ran through the sprinklers and rinsed off. It was great afternoon of silliness stickiness summer fun science!

Cool, carbonated...

explosive! Diet Coke and Mentos!

We're on our way to a friend's house to do this:





(If you can't see the video click here.) Doesn't that look like way too much fun??


I'll let you know how it goes!

Body Worlds

A couple of weeks ago, we took the opportunity to go see the "Body Worlds" exhibit. Since we were studying life science this year, I thought it was too timely, so we went. I was kind of squeamy about it at first, but I'm so glad we did! It was absolutely fascinating. I learned so much, and have an even great appreciation for just how intricately God designed us. I just asked my kids what they thought of it, and my daughter said, "It was much more interesting than I thought it would be." My son's favorite part was the plastified horse and rider. I kind of got past the fact that they had been actual people and told myself they were models. (Yeah... models. That's the ticket!) We rented the little headset with the recorded information and it really added to our understanding of what we were seeing. We had kids as young as eight years old in our group, and everyone really enjoyed it. It was really worth going to! It is touring all over the country, so if it comes to a museum near you, I'd encourage you to go check it out.

Building a Biome

Spring was in the air this week! Earlier in the week, as part of our fifth grade science, my son built a biome. It's hard to see in the picture, but he chose to build a wetland biome, complete with a beaver dam. I need to take a better picture of the completed one, which is now living on his desk in the school room!

Providentially (as I believe God always weaves together our studies) he was assigned to do a research report for his writing this week, so he is researching two wetland animals for his report.

We also enjoyed a wonderful field trip to the zoo with our homeschool group this week, as I posted below. It was "homeschool day" at one of our major area zoos, which meant that they had special presentations spread throughout the zoo at various stations, with hands-on activities and demonstrations. It was a perfect compliment to both our study of biomes, as well as our 7th grade life science, which finally got to the animal section a couple of weeks ago. (We have had quite enough of plants and protozoa, thank-you-very-much. My apologies to all of you life-science-lovers out there. This has been a stretch for me!)

I hope your "February funk" has been blown hither by the March winds, as mine has. It's time to "spring" into action and finish what we can before we splash into summer! I pray you had a wonderful week of school and will enjoy a refreshing weekend with those you love.

Moody Science Classics

My sweet son and I are spending some time together this evening while Dad took sister to her guitar lesson. We've looked through a book together, watched a couple of fun lego "brick films" (fascinating stop-action lego movies that people have made). Right now, though, he's watching a science video. And it's not even "school time" or anything!

We recently ordered the complete set of Moody Science Classics from Vision Forum at a great discount. Our homeschool association bought the set last fall for our library, and as the librarian I've had them for us to watch (unless they are checked out). After six months of watching them repeatedly and utilizing them to enrich our science studies, I've been so impressed with them. My son has loved them so much that my husband and I decided to go ahead and invest in a set for our family. I can't write a review of them that describes them as adequately as the one at the Vision Forum website, so if you get a chance, go on over and read about them if you think your family would enjoy them. They ran the set recently for $136, the same price they offered last fall. (They are sold through CBD, Home Science Tools and other places, though I haven't found them at this good a price for the set- a little over $7 per video.) I encourage you to check them out if you ever get a chance, or perhaps get on Vision Forum's email list to be notified when they put them on sale again (which I'm sure they will.) These videos, and the message they contain, have really blessed our family.

So long, Pluto

Well, we're a little sad this morning. Pluto's no longer considered a planet! I guess we'll have to learn a new jingle to memorize the planets,replacing "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas." For now the kids have decided to change "Nine" to "Nerds." No Pizza. Hmph. One of the articles I read said that Pluto will have to be effectively "airbrushed" out of textbooks now. There are officially only eight planets in our solar system. What was agreed upon in the scientific world and taught as "fact" to generations... is out. Every science textbook in every school at this very moment... has some wrong information in it.

Interesting.

We still love ya, Pluto.