tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14601504258613048072024-03-05T05:46:56.496-06:00Project DayDanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.comBlogger370125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-65353160663815806232015-10-21T14:54:00.000-05:002015-10-21T14:54:46.334-05:00Fall Traditions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Every fall, usually around the middle of September, the kids start bugging me to go and buy pumpkins. We aren't big on Halloween at our house so I am not hyper-motivated, but I do like pumpkins for fall decorations and we eventually (mid-October) make the trek to the pumpkin patch to pick up a few.</div>
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The kids had great fun running around and helping each other find really good ones. They get to pick a pumpkin from the price section that most closely corresponds to their age. This used to be quite a deal for me, but since the most expensive pumpkins are $5 (I exclude the more expensive "premium" pumpkins from the acceptable categories) and I now have 3 children who are at least 5 years of age I don't get off so cheaply anymore. Still, five dollars for a pumpkin bigger than Blair isn't a bad price!</div>
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Once we got home, only the boys wanted to carve their pumpkins. As soon as Cam figured out what he really had to do, his enthusiasm waned as well. Why do children who love to be muddy and dirty balk at cleaning out a pumpkin just because it is a little slimy? </div>
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This year was Ian's first chance to carve his pumpkin with no motherly assistance. I may have hovered a bit when he was wielding the knife, but I managed not to interfere. It took some restraint, let me tell you! </div>
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Happy autumn from the Kolstes!</div>
Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-75989779444828610082015-10-16T14:48:00.000-05:002015-10-16T14:48:35.846-05:00Science Experiment #30<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This week's experiment comes from Brynn's second grade science book. It really isn't so much an experiment as a demonstration and a puzzle. The activity came from the section in her book about teeth - you know, what they are made of and how they grow and that sort of stuff. The textbook suggested that the student bite into a piece of apple or other stiff food to get an imprint of their teeth so that the student could see how the teeth fit together and how they do their job of chewing food.</div>
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I decided it would be more fun for each of the kids to make a bite impression in a piece of cheese and then use their observation skills (observation being one of the steps in the scientific method, after all) to try and figure out which piece of cheese belonged to which mouth - kind of like a detective. I also took part, just to add another tooth pattern to the group. My adult-sized bite was an immediate give-way and everyone was able to correctly identify my piece of cheese. After that it got more complicated. They looked at the jagged edges of the cheese and at each other's teeth. They ordered each other to smile and to open wide and then finally made their guesses. They were all able to identify their own teeth marks, and Brynn's obviously missing teeth made her bite mark easy to identify, but Ian and Blair's marks were too similar and confused the observers.</div>
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It was a fun little exercise in observation as well as a good demonstration of how each person is unique. And of course it ended in the best possible way: with a snack made up of leftover cheese.</div>
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Happy science, everyone!</div>
Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-68457154713387731722015-10-14T18:01:00.000-05:002015-10-14T18:01:32.828-05:00Crab Apples<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We have lived in our house for several years now, but it wasn't until about a week ago that we realized that one of our little trees was a crab apple tree. They are the little tiny crab apples that look more like cherries, but they are in fact apples and they are also fairly sweet. </div>
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I got rather excited that we actually have a fruit tree in our yard, so yesterday I picked a bunch from the bottom set of branches and then went to consult the internet to find out what I could make with them.</div>
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The downside of having the tiny-sized apples is that there is a lot of roughage and not a lot of flesh, but eventually I figured out the most efficient way to remove the stem and prep the fruit. After that it all went into the crock pot for 16 hours. Yes, you read that right, I started them on the 6-hour temperature setting, and while they smelled delicious at the end they were only barely starting to soften. So, I reset the pot for the 10-hour cycle and went to bed, In the morning I had a lovely crock pot full of mushy crab apples. Eventually I got around to the next step in preparing them, using a potato masher and a strainer to push all the crab apple sauce through but leave the seeds and skins behind. In the end I got about 3.5 cups of mash, which wasn't much for all the work, but it was a very tasty 3.5 cups.</div>
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As a final step, I made <a href="http://www.thehonestrebel.com/canning/crabby-butter" target="_blank">Crab Apple Butte</a>r, with the recipe I found on the internet. Wow, is it tasty! I think that tomorrow I am going to have to make some fresh bread to spread it on.</div>
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Does anyone else know of any uses for crab apples? The internet tells me they make a really good cider, but I'm not sure it would be worth the work. I'll keep you posted.</div>
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<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-2576171292336673422015-10-09T13:13:00.000-05:002015-10-09T13:13:45.181-05:00Science Experiment #29 or How to Tell If Your Mom Is Crazy or Just A Nerd<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This week for science we studied Acorn Weevils, although the study wasn't intentionally sought out or prepared. It went something like this:</div>
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Kids: "Mom, can we put this stuff we collected in a bowl? We think it looks nice."</div>
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Unsuspecting Mom: "Sure. Acorns and Japanese Lanterns are so pretty in the fall. What could possibly be wrong with having them inside the house?"</div>
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School was progressing normally, several days later, when Unsuspecting Mom suddenly grabbed one of the acorns out of the bowl and began staring at it intently. The kids glanced at each other with raised eyebrows and whispered, "Well, maybe Mom has finally gone off the deep end. She is acting rather weird. Still, she isn't TALKING to the acorn. If she were talking to the acorn we'd really need to be concerned about her sanity." </div>
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But then their worst fears were realized when Unsuspecting Mom actually spoke to the acorn: "What is that?" (What they didn't know is that their mother wasn't speaking to the acorn specifically, but rather generally to the gathered assembly of people and acorns and other soon-to-be discovered beings present in the room.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieY3iCrrZXFlXjd78PUJmisP-vBA4gJFsMpeSEw5Yka9t4Yn8yW-GgZQkoOj7DbIp0hcLpypSim5IBG-7EsDVk1AlIC5No024ZsHJDqzaM65-H4tDaSMjzLohlk_Xwlga2_Yd800JZpM8I/s1600/DSCF5187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieY3iCrrZXFlXjd78PUJmisP-vBA4gJFsMpeSEw5Yka9t4Yn8yW-GgZQkoOj7DbIp0hcLpypSim5IBG-7EsDVk1AlIC5No024ZsHJDqzaM65-H4tDaSMjzLohlk_Xwlga2_Yd800JZpM8I/s400/DSCF5187.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Unsuspecting Mom (known as U.M. in future) held up the acorn in question for inspection, pointing out a little tiny round hole drilled in the side of the acorn. The children, while remaining suspicious of the state of their mother's mental abilities, were intrigued by the hole. They watched as U.M. dumped out the whole bowl of acorns on to a plate and then sorted back the various items. They noted that each acorn had a similar tiny hole. <br />
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After all the holey acorns had been put back in the bowl there remained some small white balls left on the plate. Then it happened again. U.M started talking to little white beads. "And what are you doing in my house?" she asked. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5aADvCvid8DAFbAa22HEBv3_EM8SkGGpOaAMLmdHt3Vwm0jSh2XmiiOw9UcxdpoRbb2IzxXgS1eSBnltxESaI_SBvVJyAU4-hvHV5Amnh5UvOFl3L1M4vakvGaPqJB3MnAg6Uq33mj8U/s1600/DSCF5189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5aADvCvid8DAFbAa22HEBv3_EM8SkGGpOaAMLmdHt3Vwm0jSh2XmiiOw9UcxdpoRbb2IzxXgS1eSBnltxESaI_SBvVJyAU4-hvHV5Amnh5UvOFl3L1M4vakvGaPqJB3MnAg6Uq33mj8U/s400/DSCF5189.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
The children were just preparing to freak out about U.M.'s strange tendencies to speak to inanimate objects when one of the objects moved. In fact, it began to crawl. "EWWWW!" shouted the children. "Those are bugs! How did they get in there?"<br />
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"I think," announced U,M. "that you brought them when you brought the acorns inside. I think they were living inside the acorns and ate their way out."<br />
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And so it proved. After doing some <a href="https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/2007/sep/072107.htm" target="_blank">research online</a> we discovered the our acorns had been hosting Acorn Weevil larva. These critters live inside the acorns all summer, and then when the acorns fall to the ground they eat their way out and burrow into the dirt. One or two years later they crawl back out of the ground looking like this:</div>
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<a href="http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/coleopt/Acorn2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/coleopt/Acorn2.jpg" height="285" width="400" /></a></div>
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Apparently squirrels can smell the presence of the weevils and leave those acorns behind during their fall feast, increasing the likelihood that children in a collecting mood will bring in weevily acorns as a gift to their unsuspecting mothers.</div>
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So, how can you tell scientifically if your mom is crazy or nerdy? If she talks to acorns she is crazy, but if she talks to bugs she is only nerdy. </div>
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<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-48858102918860951332015-10-07T15:31:00.000-05:002015-10-07T15:31:59.839-05:00Is It A Camping Project or A Science Project?<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Happy October, everyone. Can you believe it is really and truly Fall already? I was a still dealing with a bit of denial until this past weekend, when we went camping. When you wake up to brisk temperatures in the 30s, you have to face the facts that the season has changed and Autumn has truly arrived. Camping in such weather is indeed a project, since you have to be well prepared to stay warm.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCfInq9VclHrkqQwhjRBF86LQfHg69BqKlQewEAT0AnwYjtWNEOV_YasVXDoy1N48WI6qT3j0AMY2vlKfrZhDlVhN5dcncb6ausRpOm-W2WwLi5vVGHIofxF3ed_QlZAPeQHe4dfDnXmbw/s1600/DSCF5168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCfInq9VclHrkqQwhjRBF86LQfHg69BqKlQewEAT0AnwYjtWNEOV_YasVXDoy1N48WI6qT3j0AMY2vlKfrZhDlVhN5dcncb6ausRpOm-W2WwLi5vVGHIofxF3ed_QlZAPeQHe4dfDnXmbw/s400/DSCF5168.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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We also managed to squeeze in some educational experiences while we were project-camping: we toured a cranberry bog and learned all about how cranberries grow and how they are harvested. I'm chalking that up as a science project (since we missed our official Thursday experiment)!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8aSBel8_ZUzxRwJSUcXM_2238Zd0z5sDJUOC9dfmjrlCWKdrT_jsjKDJRYAM5tC_TSs52fETpApjH8BW4DZN25nn9qR2X7fPXJij0Sf5rTAss5l4Fsb_hKzKXOZiaU0ZghVy-jXMZwdkN/s1600/12030341_10204229529013324_7608983387477713977_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8aSBel8_ZUzxRwJSUcXM_2238Zd0z5sDJUOC9dfmjrlCWKdrT_jsjKDJRYAM5tC_TSs52fETpApjH8BW4DZN25nn9qR2X7fPXJij0Sf5rTAss5l4Fsb_hKzKXOZiaU0ZghVy-jXMZwdkN/s400/12030341_10204229529013324_7608983387477713977_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In case you didn't know, cranberries are grown in sandy soil in sunken fields called bogs. Those bogs are only flooded (like in the Ocean Spray commercials) to make harvesting easier, because the berries float.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdIYekEDTXyxIopGFK7QUVlW7XAvbhwOmBZENglahlEc0_Ia0nkSz_zIsjpe6Yf3knzB3lY13nTIPb_E9azj3DqWnM8JAcrMiZMGHLFl6XIVeqC3-_eArJKmiKSoCQ75zPa7IVLPK7lZwx/s1600/DSCF5171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdIYekEDTXyxIopGFK7QUVlW7XAvbhwOmBZENglahlEc0_Ia0nkSz_zIsjpe6Yf3knzB3lY13nTIPb_E9azj3DqWnM8JAcrMiZMGHLFl6XIVeqC3-_eArJKmiKSoCQ75zPa7IVLPK7lZwx/s400/DSCF5171.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The best part of the tour was buying 5lbs of fresh cranberries only feet away from the bogs they were grown in. There is nothing quite as satisfying as ending one project with ingredients for future projects!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyWE8_PU5kfTKx1V8UaO1A0y2yJlMGe-MxAm1w2jhLtm4xt8DYnOv1Bpo1zFRphOcC2dZ0gxMBLp2ucQBvX-osJDWXC3cRfoj-rBwva9yRWbWVPjCrWTh4i84TXbybnUcDoA1DsPKHmVqt/s1600/12087646_10204229530933372_8634487076425532299_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyWE8_PU5kfTKx1V8UaO1A0y2yJlMGe-MxAm1w2jhLtm4xt8DYnOv1Bpo1zFRphOcC2dZ0gxMBLp2ucQBvX-osJDWXC3cRfoj-rBwva9yRWbWVPjCrWTh4i84TXbybnUcDoA1DsPKHmVqt/s400/12087646_10204229530933372_8634487076425532299_o.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-17751476190725807532015-09-29T13:35:00.001-05:002015-09-29T13:35:47.193-05:00Soup Making<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Well, it seems that my project lethargy continues, so my son has stepped up to the plate to fill our family's quota of "making stuff." In his history book he is reading about how Christianity spread out from the former Roman Empire into the rest of Europe. The book had a discussion on monastic life and suggested that the student make a "Monk's Meal" to get a little idea of what it felt like to be a medieval monk. Ian jumped all over that idea, He decided to make a simple Lentil Soup.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiOhSVgZaGdsBzc5Ncwr3N8o671TK06Sy2f0AV0-3NcOPTXxoOamvIQTO2D1Z_uq34-NBagdqHDoDm7oWeUZ79STghF5HWcLTOUxjnJFATlm3cFkMhnKtzEJsO_pvjDTP8-FIKeFH6eRqd/s1600/DSCF5128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiOhSVgZaGdsBzc5Ncwr3N8o671TK06Sy2f0AV0-3NcOPTXxoOamvIQTO2D1Z_uq34-NBagdqHDoDm7oWeUZ79STghF5HWcLTOUxjnJFATlm3cFkMhnKtzEJsO_pvjDTP8-FIKeFH6eRqd/s400/DSCF5128.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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He practiced some knife skills, cried a few tears over the onions, reviewed doubling fractions (the recipe was way too small), and produced a pretty tasty end product.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXf3_hRQi0zfY3vxlyEP4R99d-2_C3OrFhfuV31O9uGwbqrOZo4XHSn-xrY7sov-8XY4-SpLdc3EobR_WW6fBTK8yM5ArIGUvfmog5yNlW_BJH29jTMH4hkZKj4Y753eQXaYL05TRqWVK/s1600/DSCF5129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXf3_hRQi0zfY3vxlyEP4R99d-2_C3OrFhfuV31O9uGwbqrOZo4XHSn-xrY7sov-8XY4-SpLdc3EobR_WW6fBTK8yM5ArIGUvfmog5yNlW_BJH29jTMH4hkZKj4Y753eQXaYL05TRqWVK/s400/DSCF5129.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Bonus for me: I didn't have to make supper! Next time I'm going to teach him the medieval habit of "washing up."</div>
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Lentil Soup Recipe:</div>
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1/4th cup Olive Oil\</div>
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1 onion, chopped</div>
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2 carrots, diced</div>
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2 stalks celery, diced</div>
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2 cloves garlic, minced</div>
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1 bay leaf</div>
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1 tsp. dried oregano</div>
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1 tsp. dried basil</div>
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8 cups water</div>
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1 cup dried lentils</div>
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1 can (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes</div>
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1/2 cup spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced</div>
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2 TBSP. vinegar</div>
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salt and pepper to taste</div>
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1. In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery; cook and stir until onions are tender. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and basil; cook for 2 minutes.</div>
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2. Stir in lentils, and add water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve, stir in spinach and cook until it wilts. Stir in vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 6 servings</div>
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Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-41637614946105351762015-09-25T10:38:00.000-05:002015-09-25T10:38:15.942-05:00Science Experiment #28<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm gonna be honest with you. I seem to be suffering a severe lack of motivation these days. My get-up-and-go, as they say, got up and went. I've been managing to stay mostly caught up with the laundry and dishes, but not much else. I think it is a case of post-Aestas (Latin for summer) Depression. I'll recover as soon as the leaves start to change color and the fall chill gets the blood moving again.</div>
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Despite all that, I did manage to get the kids going on their weekly science activity. I gave them buckets and sent them out into the yard to collect seeds and fruits. They wandered around for a while finding seeds and other things (The most notable "thing" was a bat-the mammal not the toy- huddled in a ball on the ground. Thankfully they did not touch the bat. When I went back later to check on the bat it was gone, so I have no idea what was going on there.).</div>
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After they had collected for a while we brought their findings inside and organized them on a large sheet of paper. Once we had them all separated we counted 16 different types of fruits and seeds.</div>
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We talked about all kinds of seed words like "legume" and "pome" and "fruit" and "nut" and "grain", each of which they were able to find an example of in their collection.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHS7ZTV7ESz5HRS83vkjHLt4AHFsHBDjmbO31aGLs6ovLryJsKZ-HPEQdnmqDDHVB4eaGbaNu0aqqR7qGhAoI4P0kzNOMcbnSJsb_d00QkyrQRjwCVVCedjScgIWcSRznd1mfPbHh9OQS/s1600/DSCF5123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHS7ZTV7ESz5HRS83vkjHLt4AHFsHBDjmbO31aGLs6ovLryJsKZ-HPEQdnmqDDHVB4eaGbaNu0aqqR7qGhAoI4P0kzNOMcbnSJsb_d00QkyrQRjwCVVCedjScgIWcSRznd1mfPbHh9OQS/s400/DSCF5123.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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It was a nice and quick little nature study, and didn't require much productivity from me, so it worked out perfectly.</div>
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Happy science, everyone!</div>
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<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-58028083718820839822015-09-17T17:04:00.000-05:002015-09-17T17:04:55.118-05:00Science Experiment #27: Hatching a Butterfly<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://networkofideas.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/monarch-butterfly1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://networkofideas.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/monarch-butterfly1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image found at <a href="https://networkofideas.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/the-monarch-butterfly-vs-the-viceroy/">https://networkofideas.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/the-monarch-butterfly-vs-the-viceroy/</a></td></tr>
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This week's science experiment actually started several weeks ago, when I spotted a caterpillar on the sidewalk near my Butterfly Weed plants. It was a rather distinctive color, so I immediately began to investigate. I was hopeful because two years ago the kids and I went on an epic "<a href="http://dana-projectday.blogspot.com/2013/08/capturing-caterpillars-second-attempt.html" target="_blank">Search for a Monarch Caterpillar</a>" which ended in failure. Last summer we also kept our eyes open whenever we were near milkweed plants, hoping to find a caterpillar we could raise, but again we were unsuccessful. Then wouldn't you know, here was the very creature we had been searching for two years for, crawling along in the middle of the sidewalk. I quickly gathered the kids and we collected our specimen. Ian made a quick tour of the neighborhood to search for milkweed plants to gather and I ventured into our basement to dig out our dusty bug cage.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8PVdGjA0l0orf41bJX4NI3gjcRoxkD3wQzCSDRhHDIINwv15GA4wTIHLBKcGa6vPO0OKsIuPdTESx5mQ6JXwbmubEyVxM2N-TMqhmPCf7KovBRXlUUq4OpvIoeV_UJvzYaoVGppu2S2r/s1600/DSCF4967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8PVdGjA0l0orf41bJX4NI3gjcRoxkD3wQzCSDRhHDIINwv15GA4wTIHLBKcGa6vPO0OKsIuPdTESx5mQ6JXwbmubEyVxM2N-TMqhmPCf7KovBRXlUUq4OpvIoeV_UJvzYaoVGppu2S2r/s400/DSCF4967.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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For the next few days the caterpillar wandered around inside the cage, doing what caterpillars do: eating. Then after about 3 days (I know, I should have been keeping a journal of observations or SOMETHING, so I could be more precise and scientific) we made one of our random observational visits and the caterpillar had attached itself to the side of the cage and entered its pupal stage inside a green chrysalis.</div>
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After that nothing happened for about 10 days, except that we pulled the dead milkweed plants out of the cage so that we could see better. On the 10th, or possibly the 11th day, we observed that the chrysalis was beginning to change color, and by the 14th day it had become clear and we could see the colors of the monarch butterfly inside. He was about to hatch! The only problem was, we were getting ready to head out the door that morning to attend our homeschool group, so we were afraid we'd miss the culmination of our experiment. There was nothing to do but pack up our little pet chrysalis in the car and headed off. Midway through the morning "Orangy" (affectionately named by Brynn) hatched out of the case and all the kids got to check on him as his wings hung down and began to fill out and his body transitioned to the shape we are familiar with. It was all very exciting!</div>
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A website I checked on the subject of raising monarch butterflies said that we shouldn't release our butterfly into the wild until the day after it hatched, so since Orangy didn't seem inclined to fly anyway we kept him in the cage until yesterday. We carried the cage outside and set it down on the patio and then waited to see what happened. Nothing. He just sat. Eventually the kids and I headed off to other tasks and eventually the butterfly flew away. Thankfully it was a very unemotional parting.</div>
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Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-25879401834112676372015-09-15T20:45:00.001-05:002015-09-15T20:45:33.368-05:00Summertime Stepping Stones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Hello! I'm still here! Well, I wasn't here for a while (let's call it "due totechnical difficulties"), but I'm back now. So, to catch up: summer was good. We had lots of adventures and fun times with friends and family. Now school has started again and we are getting back into that routine. But, before we leave summer completely behind I thought I'd share some photos from one of our annual summer projects: Hand Print Stepping stones.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyFvb8ZXczMfjSvwQ4BJlVt2lp0XMm97kDzVtmhpwOtchrtG6Vlk0jrkf4Jb40LWO-ifkWTr-s1Th-4EPzmmGTYABpGcW6D5utAbv50vQmx-e0KnsJOSlH01XlVxsskqBmAjMd3LirylLo/s1600/IanscameraAugust+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyFvb8ZXczMfjSvwQ4BJlVt2lp0XMm97kDzVtmhpwOtchrtG6Vlk0jrkf4Jb40LWO-ifkWTr-s1Th-4EPzmmGTYABpGcW6D5utAbv50vQmx-e0KnsJOSlH01XlVxsskqBmAjMd3LirylLo/s400/IanscameraAugust+%25281%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The process doesn't change much from year to year: I go to Hobby Lobby and buy the mix, we add water and stir, dump the mix into the mold, insert hands, remove hands, decorate, and let dry.</div>
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This year one thing did change, however. Cam was actually willing to have his hand printed and didn't scream like a banshee when it was his turn. It was a developmental milestone.</div>
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Once these stepping stones were dry they joined the stepping stones from previous years in lining my backyard flower bed. It's fun to see the kids wander from stone to stone, finding their baby hand prints and laughing at how they don't fit any more. It's a summer tradition I am really glad I started and I intend to keep it going forever (or until my adult children refuse to return home in the summertime to cooperate).</div>
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P.S. To check out previous stepping stone projects click <a href="http://dana-projectday.blogspot.com/2011/07/hand-prints.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://dana-projectday.blogspot.com/2012/07/summer-checklist-stepping-stones-check.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://dana-projectday.blogspot.com/2013/08/what-every-garden-needs-new-stepping.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://dana-projectday.blogspot.com/2014/08/oh-bother.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and <a href="http://dana-projectday.blogspot.com/2014/09/success-in-end.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-3359029634243132962015-08-17T20:12:00.000-05:002015-08-17T20:12:23.740-05:00Aaron's Bridge to Somewhere<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This is our swamp. I know that when most people brag about their properties or write descriptions for real estate advertisements they don't announce that their yard is bounded on one side by a swamp, but that is the case in our yard, and we embrace it. Except the mosquitoes that fly out of the swamp. We squash those.</div>
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This swamp separates us from our neighbor to the west, which happens to be an overgrown empty lot. The lot has been for sale for as long as we have lived in our house, and as far as we know there has never been the slightest bit of interest in purchasing it. We don't really mind having no human neighbors in that quarter - the peace and quiet is nice - but we do have an interest in the property (although not buying). You see, the road our house faces is very busy and isn't a good place for young children to be riding their bikes but the road in front of the empty lot is much quieter and is a wonderful road for riding. Aaron the Engineer decided that it would be fun and practical to build a bridge across the swamp so that the kids could cut through to the side street and ride their bikes in safety.</div>
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It took a few weekends, but the bridge is finished now and the kids are enjoying the adventure of using it to go on little roadtrips together.</div>
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<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-47983876206360302902015-08-13T17:00:00.000-05:002015-08-13T17:00:12.511-05:00Science Experiment #26 - Is it Art or Science?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Is it really the middle of August already? Shocking! The past few weeks have been filled with fun because some of my relatives, who live in Germany, have been visiting this month and we've been going to baseball games and the beach, having sleep overs and bonfires, and just getting together often. As a result of all this family fun time, we have not been doing our weekly science experiments very regularly, but this week we are getting back on track.</div>
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I found today's experiment on Pinterest, and it looked simple enough, so I didn't even follow the <a href="http://www.tinasdynamichomeschoolplus.com/2014/11/30/winter-craft-ideas-for-middle-school/" target="_blank">link</a>.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tinasdynamichomeschoolplus.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/pendulum-painting2-mslb7109_vert_thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tinasdynamichomeschoolplus.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/pendulum-painting2-mslb7109_vert_thumb.jpg" height="320" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image found <a href="http://www.tinasdynamichomeschoolplus.com/2014/11/30/winter-craft-ideas-for-middle-school/" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
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The only problem is, it's a little bit tricky to decide if this is an art lesson or a science lesson since you use a pendulum to create a painting (I guess that makes it a STEAM lesson)! I turned to Youtube to up the science factor and let the kids watch several movies (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCSFGW06Qps" target="_blank">this one</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlXIWfGeLoo" target="_blank">this one</a>) to illustrate what a pendulum is and how it works. Then we made our own pendulum using a camera tripod, some string, and glue bottle cut in half.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyoDBCXRVU-dMrdgEPG9KoIcfKa1SgOiLQaUN-zOYU4w5-fAqFBjj4_aEpyy5G-VHuvQQxQmIJsZYzJqpnk7UhEOOFr_hGP7Ps77f5X1lOtl_hx779PvrkDIZc0tM5wX_Yltm2ZJe4MLQh/s1600/DSCN0553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyoDBCXRVU-dMrdgEPG9KoIcfKa1SgOiLQaUN-zOYU4w5-fAqFBjj4_aEpyy5G-VHuvQQxQmIJsZYzJqpnk7UhEOOFr_hGP7Ps77f5X1lOtl_hx779PvrkDIZc0tM5wX_Yltm2ZJe4MLQh/s400/DSCN0553.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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We filled the glue bottle with tempera paint, opened the cap, and set the pendulum swinging. It turned out to be a bit more tricky than the picture made it look, because I couldn't get the paint to flow with any sort of consistency out of the bottle top. One second it would be dripping only occasionally </div>
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and then suddenly it would start streaming so quickly that the paint would begin to puddle and ruin the design.</div>
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We did get it to work well enough to illustrate the pattern that swinging pendulums make, but we sure didn't make any works of art. We'll call it a partial success.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOMUK4_gA9WAi1Jg3rU-cKg-bdXMRYFVNiomitIKmI9NNLTEOaSbMatXU3gfXB30nHMcm2Yru7IVmvFWK2MM6IrUln9GiDe5NiZ7jbcmVtb4wHumEw8lHKHUkoLEd-W-DoiyraoOC3-X-/s1600/DSCN0558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOMUK4_gA9WAi1Jg3rU-cKg-bdXMRYFVNiomitIKmI9NNLTEOaSbMatXU3gfXB30nHMcm2Yru7IVmvFWK2MM6IrUln9GiDe5NiZ7jbcmVtb4wHumEw8lHKHUkoLEd-W-DoiyraoOC3-X-/s400/DSCN0558.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Photo credits go to Ian. He manned the camera while I tried to manage the glue bottle.</div>
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Happy science, everyone!</div>
Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-8087344527188949732015-08-10T13:39:00.001-05:002015-08-10T13:39:40.884-05:00Controlling the Collections<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few months ago we <a href="http://dana-projectday.blogspot.com/2015/02/no-more-cribs.html" target="_blank">rearranged the girls' bedroom</a>. It was a good thing because it allowed the furniture that they needed (beds and dressers) to fit more efficiently while still leaving them plenty of space on the floor to play. What it did NOT do, however, was provide space for their rapidly growing collection of treasures. What no one tells you when your cute infant daughter first arrives in your home is that she will collect VAST amounts of "things", all of which are labeled "Indispensable and Precious Treasures" and all of which must be kept forever and prominently displayed on every available surface, regardless off how full those surfaces already are. When you have a second cute infant daughter the problem only gets worse.</div>
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These treasures were the source of many mother-daughter disagreements, which lead to discussions like this one: "This acorn from last year is not worth saving." "YES IT IS!! IT IS MY FAVORITE ONE AND DADDY GAVE IT TO ME!!" "Could we get rid of the other acorns then? You can keep just the special one." "NO, THEY ARE ALL VERY, VERY, VERY SPECIAL!!" Eventually the acorn problem was worked out to nobody's satisfaction and mother and daughter moved on to the next precious stack of scrap paper. Repeat discussion.</div>
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After too many repetitions of these arguments it became clear that some sort of solution needed to be found in order to protect and display truly special (and fragile) items from being broken and buried under mounds of less desirable junk (the mom's opinion, not the child's). A trip to IKEA provided the much needed shelving and some tips from Aaron provided the know-how to properly install them. (Yes, I did it myself.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTww_8HVZd5BYNPVE6xcdwsHUZvAymT-_REjbXqVZk0z9y1h0PwqBc373s4_sIHy2uOJsoRaO-H5IMFqN1hMbb9MRT6PNICI2SJ3YU6vVXETekKcIpdeitz4anGDfYVP3ysn8rw4iyhxDb/s1600/DSCF4898.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTww_8HVZd5BYNPVE6xcdwsHUZvAymT-_REjbXqVZk0z9y1h0PwqBc373s4_sIHy2uOJsoRaO-H5IMFqN1hMbb9MRT6PNICI2SJ3YU6vVXETekKcIpdeitz4anGDfYVP3ysn8rw4iyhxDb/s400/DSCF4898.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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The girls were so thrilled to finally have a place to put their <a href="http://dana-projectday.blogspot.com/2015/08/another-round-of-pottery-painting-fun.html" target="_blank">pottery pieces</a> that they willingly allowed me to remove several stacks of old papers and even some dead leaves from their bookshelf. What they weren't willing to give up was moved to some new storage boxes (also from IKEA - I should get some sort of store credit for all this endorsing) that fit under their bed. I might not agree with the girls' "what to save" policy, but at least i don't have to look at it any more.</div>
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On an unhappy note, the little table no longer looks like it does in the pictures. The collections have begun again and there isn't much table top in sight. Oh well.</div>
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Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-78616227661066092102015-08-04T11:22:00.001-05:002015-08-04T11:22:32.372-05:00Another Round of Pottery Painting Fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Do you want to see some excited kids? Come over to my house and whisper "Today is Pottery Day" in your quietest whisper. You will instantly see pandemonium. "Pottery Day" is an<a href="http://dana-projectday.blogspot.com/2013/10/six-kids-in-china-shop.html" target="_blank"> annual event</a> my Grandmother sponsors for her great-grandchildren who have reached the age of four (this year that meant 8 kids) and live close enough to attend. They look forward to this day all year and often discuss with each other what they will paint at the next event.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4YoGzEUGCLIzN6_v_b-cNv6aF-V8EBDfnri-aCFDTibZUwQdknIin_CZ2c7EUr9hmc45pTHrtQWKc2fYTy2ncKSmH5m5dJSxmCWNdpYJuR3fogMWAamL87MeK6H7i-aSenqJ64JhY8eX/s1600/Brynnscamera+%252821%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4YoGzEUGCLIzN6_v_b-cNv6aF-V8EBDfnri-aCFDTibZUwQdknIin_CZ2c7EUr9hmc45pTHrtQWKc2fYTy2ncKSmH5m5dJSxmCWNdpYJuR3fogMWAamL87MeK6H7i-aSenqJ64JhY8eX/s400/Brynnscamera+%252821%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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When "Pottery Day" finally actually arrives, we all load up in the car and head north to Green Bay, the location of a coffee shop and craft studio owned by a distant cousin of mine. The kids get to pick a small piece of decorative pottery (well, we encourage them to pick small, but they always get their hearts set on some large and elaborate piece and we have to talk them down) which they spend the next hour or so painting and decorating with glaze.</div>
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Oh, the decisions!</div>
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Oh, the excitement!</div>
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Oh, the painting!</div>
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Oh boy, the mess!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGb7vCNXC9hyphenhyphen1yLYIQ3f8fPfox5mSkYO5EnS1VyJMZEDNa0Xs-L3BBvH0XJI-bQ0R-H3sw8Ak-g9_YKOzAtqH5UB0CN99oqLb1-HzbrB3-39Z37kFLsZyr1j4qmfkk93veVFc39CnOvXV/s1600/Brynnscamera+%252828%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGb7vCNXC9hyphenhyphen1yLYIQ3f8fPfox5mSkYO5EnS1VyJMZEDNa0Xs-L3BBvH0XJI-bQ0R-H3sw8Ak-g9_YKOzAtqH5UB0CN99oqLb1-HzbrB3-39Z37kFLsZyr1j4qmfkk93veVFc39CnOvXV/s400/Brynnscamera+%252828%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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But they are all so happy!</div>
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Once the painting is finished we join the younger cousins and aunties and Grandpas at the park for a picnic lunch.</div>
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It was a lovely day. Thanks Grandma - we all love "Pottery Day"!</div>
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<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-66518706661606518212015-07-26T22:18:00.000-05:002015-07-26T22:18:37.836-05:00Summertime Front Door "Wreath"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigl-P4VTvkiahyR-_lq-IZePQiyijAirE8JD4MX5Y9K0zHaARxPXnIyZCojZJCZhyphenhyphenYCX3AR2GmtmLnCO9a_qEnh1nGRxcywXZ5BRbXCxDQLVE9V8DDIx0nL3PYuBpUqdgENj35x0650S9x/s1600/DSCF4895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigl-P4VTvkiahyR-_lq-IZePQiyijAirE8JD4MX5Y9K0zHaARxPXnIyZCojZJCZhyphenhyphenYCX3AR2GmtmLnCO9a_qEnh1nGRxcywXZ5BRbXCxDQLVE9V8DDIx0nL3PYuBpUqdgENj35x0650S9x/s400/DSCF4895.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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These days, most of my posts have been kid related - either kids doing projects or kids doing school work. Today, however, you get an honest-to-goodness adult project (although if you wanted to have some children help you with it you probably could). I've been wanted a new summer-time wreath for my front door since last summer, and after wandering around Pinterest and looking at all kinds of ideas I finally decided on a simple monogram. I found a wooden "K" at Walmart and started by painting it white with some paint I had left over from another project.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLkLTpdeV-JzRMNEVf5iUuzn6AnsgD4drj3o2LCoCwOA7p2793YlBrK-2Ucm3uItbwMHTp9aVlF062ETqv-c6NH2f6J3YNJwhl-ekKuVd_-fwiosNOdk2QH3sIoOOTQow76zFuPOkpVi_p/s1600/DSCF4884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLkLTpdeV-JzRMNEVf5iUuzn6AnsgD4drj3o2LCoCwOA7p2793YlBrK-2Ucm3uItbwMHTp9aVlF062ETqv-c6NH2f6J3YNJwhl-ekKuVd_-fwiosNOdk2QH3sIoOOTQow76zFuPOkpVi_p/s400/DSCF4884.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Then I cut apart a bunch of fake flowers (also from Walmart) and hot-glued them onto the letter.</div>
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For a hanger I hot-glued a piece of yarn across the back. That didn't work so well, so I switched to Gorilla glue. It's still hanging, which I guess means that it was the right material for the job.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8ObcO829zpYQn8YDcxm8tXhJRklz8s6pePIvr-her6FUg12moBZ5z9SBeF64LPbKeJjKDjT8817qnty3e_7AzR-lS0A4a3oYv_woW6XwtjQZCXOULzciLJ5njtLduw0Eh8FixHBZj5de/s1600/DSCF4893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8ObcO829zpYQn8YDcxm8tXhJRklz8s6pePIvr-her6FUg12moBZ5z9SBeF64LPbKeJjKDjT8817qnty3e_7AzR-lS0A4a3oYv_woW6XwtjQZCXOULzciLJ5njtLduw0Eh8FixHBZj5de/s400/DSCF4893.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Voila! Other than paint drying time, the whole thing took about 15 minutes to put together. Which is just about all the time I had between kid activities that day.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfnDR1H2bMpoT6whyphenhyphenKCcoIoGdYL77M64dOGUaDTIXMINt6PDTG00kGvGF4GxtSKzqi3ISNIVkEDHIe-7iPult_3kjbgaQrIHXgzRd1Li7E8GVVz9ELmLUrZj5_RUo5cRS6fkhivM7eGL1/s1600/DSCF4894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfnDR1H2bMpoT6whyphenhyphenKCcoIoGdYL77M64dOGUaDTIXMINt6PDTG00kGvGF4GxtSKzqi3ISNIVkEDHIe-7iPult_3kjbgaQrIHXgzRd1Li7E8GVVz9ELmLUrZj5_RUo5cRS6fkhivM7eGL1/s400/DSCF4894.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Welcome!</div>
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<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-32764000455661224122015-07-26T08:00:00.000-05:002015-07-26T08:00:00.762-05:00Science Experiment #25<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The first few pictures are going to make it look like this is not a post about science experiments or activities, but it is - sort of. On Thursday, our usual science day, we had to leave our house for many hours because our carpets were being cleaned. So, we headed to the beach at Kohler-Andrae State Park.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5S5nk_ZtJv5LqenEjN7yWmyaNxF47VVTrzOyFrACoMAflyG0-FagoLaX6RWIafxXGL5icCJh9K7dsk2xW8XIzJ9FevBCyjeNMD0rSL66ohipN55obncdPb63PGKBMo5JhzSZ3fCqVuhRW/s1600/Ianscamera+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5S5nk_ZtJv5LqenEjN7yWmyaNxF47VVTrzOyFrACoMAflyG0-FagoLaX6RWIafxXGL5icCJh9K7dsk2xW8XIzJ9FevBCyjeNMD0rSL66ohipN55obncdPb63PGKBMo5JhzSZ3fCqVuhRW/s400/Ianscamera+%25281%2529.JPG" width="225" /></a></div>
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Some of our cousins met us at the park and we played in the water and sand all morning and part of the afternoon. </div>
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After the cousins left we headed off the beach to a shady spot where we could nurse our sunburns and work on the kids' Wisconsin Explorers books. We did the pages on patterns and textures in nature, but such boring topics were tossed aside when two White-tailed Deer fawns, still in their spots, wandered into our little spot and spent a few minutes staring at us and wagging their tails. We stared right back. When they finally wandered away the kids were ready to wander on too.</div>
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We ended the day by visiting the Sanderling Nature Center and checking out their exhibits, and then walking the associated nature trail. We were really hopeful of finding a monarch butterfly in all of the milkweed along the trail, but once <a href="http://dana-projectday.blogspot.com/2013/07/capturing-caterpillars-first-attempt.html" target="_blank">again</a> our search was fruitless.</div>
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We headed home tired and sandy, but with clean carpet and big smiles.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TQElyk44QqlUzDpMnWwF4Gr282O21yo51rZd_9QtHS1AXBvtkeD-ItY8Wg2GDzHmG7upwebLHZtJCqhC951MT9gjAcCXhJQdgJDqUFOVFOPwIG-RZ0ufI_FqPY1MGqJbKhJMO5z5WyxV/s1600/Ianscamera+%252820%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TQElyk44QqlUzDpMnWwF4Gr282O21yo51rZd_9QtHS1AXBvtkeD-ItY8Wg2GDzHmG7upwebLHZtJCqhC951MT9gjAcCXhJQdgJDqUFOVFOPwIG-RZ0ufI_FqPY1MGqJbKhJMO5z5WyxV/s400/Ianscamera+%252820%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Happy carpet-cleaning, beach combing, nature-book doing, deer spotting, and hiking, everyone!</div>
Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-86319425129094127752015-07-20T16:53:00.003-05:002015-07-20T16:53:49.377-05:00Birdhouses in Summertime<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of the things my kids like to do every summer is <a href="http://dana-projectday.blogspot.com/2014/06/annual-project-bird-houses.html" target="_blank">paint birdhouses</a> for me. I'm not much for garden art or nick-knack decorating, and I'm also not much of a birdwatcher, but I do have a soft spot for these little multi-colored treasures. The best part is that you can find the wooden craft items for as little as 99 cents, which is a very inexpensive way to make four kids and one mom very happy.</div>
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On the particular day this project was done, two children worked very quickly and got their morning chores done in time to feature in the photo session. Two other children dawdled, and consequently had to do their painting much later under slightly less happy circumstances.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrggH-0qO18doi5e7cDZ1UgJMKGhpY_NWV6xYngMDEi2yApi6zTvUA1yN3b5uA2Jhxh1_3O4rADVbTe8R6jyNkURad7MOaqPsdTgcxsvM2lvRKpOlKwzrFmmQ79usGvPIXJor7Ot3F3aR7/s1600/DSCF4880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrggH-0qO18doi5e7cDZ1UgJMKGhpY_NWV6xYngMDEi2yApi6zTvUA1yN3b5uA2Jhxh1_3O4rADVbTe8R6jyNkURad7MOaqPsdTgcxsvM2lvRKpOlKwzrFmmQ79usGvPIXJor7Ot3F3aR7/s400/DSCF4880.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_38HbeWe16LJfsFUEQTFr7cbwvuVZUZEM_gTDi5ogJoT_YLzsTP24ygGgKO5bFho510-pjuUrvQprjGD65UlOZztZcRm36FtjiqXcmaYqDSEgXGxS1ri7pEpkhZ-RUtZuQGuQ5okW7F4/s1600/DSCF4881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_38HbeWe16LJfsFUEQTFr7cbwvuVZUZEM_gTDi5ogJoT_YLzsTP24ygGgKO5bFho510-pjuUrvQprjGD65UlOZztZcRm36FtjiqXcmaYqDSEgXGxS1ri7pEpkhZ-RUtZuQGuQ5okW7F4/s400/DSCF4881.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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In the end, lessons on speedily completing tasks aside, they all turned out gorgeously</div>
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Happy summer, everyone.</div>
Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-50935315056678393852015-07-18T19:21:00.001-05:002015-07-18T19:21:37.999-05:00Science Experiment #23 and #24<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My husband mentioned to me last night that I "haven't posted anything in a while" and he's right. In an effort to catch up, I am going to post two experiments at once.</div>
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I am sorry to report that experiment #23 was a flop. The idea was to demonstrate solar power by using the hot summer sun to melt old crayon bits into one new multi-color crayon. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQkHycRwCn_sRqGjZ91jitOMfvATBfz82_9hUNRUmGDQtSWCaIG4pCWmRzWu0fwVLcI9YHFWw6YEDZmsRNRLGRrcL0diAkxh55a55O0orStNEIYwOLBlyCV4ArA8lW-0RjtR2Ikz6iyZ35/s1600/DSCF4876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQkHycRwCn_sRqGjZ91jitOMfvATBfz82_9hUNRUmGDQtSWCaIG4pCWmRzWu0fwVLcI9YHFWw6YEDZmsRNRLGRrcL0diAkxh55a55O0orStNEIYwOLBlyCV4ArA8lW-0RjtR2Ikz6iyZ35/s400/DSCF4876.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I found the idea on some blog or other that I happened upon, but I don't remember where or when, so I can't give them credit. They don't want credit from me anyway, because clearly the person who wrote the blog lived in the middle of Death Valley or much nearer to the equator or in some other place (like the planet Mercury) where the sun shines much more warmly than in the Midwestern USA. Anyway, the process goes like this: Step 1) unwrap wax crayons and break them in to bits,</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAGeOi4d-m1C6fVPbGfTPeHqbcIiSEWd1uPunFX8E1eyB9rmc5e_zb-Wwz5MCBK8CKoLWEaQjvecVvZoCNJllPKwBjop-R8tMGw9_mT7OgSVKFWfQ__wtGnWuk-F8DDHHS51rkFzBfaYW/s1600/DSCF4878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAGeOi4d-m1C6fVPbGfTPeHqbcIiSEWd1uPunFX8E1eyB9rmc5e_zb-Wwz5MCBK8CKoLWEaQjvecVvZoCNJllPKwBjop-R8tMGw9_mT7OgSVKFWfQ__wtGnWuk-F8DDHHS51rkFzBfaYW/s400/DSCF4878.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Step 2) put the bits into foil muffin papers (which I didn't have so we used aluminum foil pressed into a mini-muffin tray),</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipFgNeAHTZLq8rTR1h-pAU53cdbbl668jR1aprexBfUxFbFkoOwUAXKDBiCfwLmoiGByrZ64MblrbuACNILRdBqi7dgPziLD620KwxCQCzdrNfUJvHaI1jHd5f7HCAVycGZjVNGGiVpJ8/s1600/DSCF4879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipFgNeAHTZLq8rTR1h-pAU53cdbbl668jR1aprexBfUxFbFkoOwUAXKDBiCfwLmoiGByrZ64MblrbuACNILRdBqi7dgPziLD620KwxCQCzdrNfUJvHaI1jHd5f7HCAVycGZjVNGGiVpJ8/s400/DSCF4879.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Step 3) place in a sunny location and let the solar energy do its work. Except that here in the Midwest we are experiencing Global Cooling or Climate Change or a Local Ice Age or July or something and despite 3 days of full sun exposure we didn't get even one softened crayon piece. Oh well, you win some and some flop.</div>
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Experiment #24 was more successful, mostly because it was more observation and less experimentation. It's pretty hard to mess up looking at stuff. After<a href="http://dana-projectday.blogspot.com/2015/06/weekly-science-experiment-21.html" target="_blank"> searching for mushrooms</a> several weeks ago I discovered last Thursday that the <a href="http://dana-projectday.blogspot.com/2015/06/weekly-science-experiment-20.html" target="_blank">Wisconsin Explorer book that Ian and Brynn were doing</a> had a section on mushrooms. Since our mushroom crop was still doing well (perhaps because of the Global Cooling?) we spent some time in the backyard doing a Fungus Survey.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeo976mrtGUtcoRq0ynzlvRbgS84tOOuuxSPtaKVeLbGcykWTyridAI8c7KTBoeLLhDcUZjzCBdNatRG0d_NHz_yYBOX2ZUrSzadoBSNG0Ci9gkwC7HXi44zbLepU2Q5YET1fYNTO1iMu_/s1600/DSCF4886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeo976mrtGUtcoRq0ynzlvRbgS84tOOuuxSPtaKVeLbGcykWTyridAI8c7KTBoeLLhDcUZjzCBdNatRG0d_NHz_yYBOX2ZUrSzadoBSNG0Ci9gkwC7HXi44zbLepU2Q5YET1fYNTO1iMu_/s400/DSCF4886.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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We learned that some mushrooms have gills and some are spongy underneath. The kids enjoyed stomping puffballs. We also found some Cup Fungi, which I realized has been growing in my garden all along, disguised as "soggy junk" that I was ignoring and hoping would disintegrate. In all we found five types of fungus.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFA9-bKaTD4E_CZQT2B6bMTCPYnaCNUjswp_XnjpOTuFFpbt1hf5J5TdctSiRXszCGprQzdyk8SUxIuY8fbImodujrWcNUqU5ot4Kykz-lB95aEYGOoNah8vxjHuyoNmfnQ0mKwA5I6UMg/s1600/DSCF4888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFA9-bKaTD4E_CZQT2B6bMTCPYnaCNUjswp_XnjpOTuFFpbt1hf5J5TdctSiRXszCGprQzdyk8SUxIuY8fbImodujrWcNUqU5ot4Kykz-lB95aEYGOoNah8vxjHuyoNmfnQ0mKwA5I6UMg/s400/DSCF4888.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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At the end we made a spore print. We picked the caps of two mushrooms and put them gill-side down on black construction paper. We covered them with a bucket overnight, and in the morning we had this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg294FvXqfrOQrGoXjX2CwzEUu0nd1vK3GUl36dUmrX5VY9Q2AaVJc0hWEo-ycpzFGWxaPNI3rJMCj47EjJ51zAQTv7JZHgzENtWDcuR6ETAVRuNPbWDMTVY5PAGKoMJyxSLZxudS3iWVuy/s1600/Brynnscamera+%252870%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg294FvXqfrOQrGoXjX2CwzEUu0nd1vK3GUl36dUmrX5VY9Q2AaVJc0hWEo-ycpzFGWxaPNI3rJMCj47EjJ51zAQTv7JZHgzENtWDcuR6ETAVRuNPbWDMTVY5PAGKoMJyxSLZxudS3iWVuy/s400/Brynnscamera+%252870%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Pretty cool, I thought.</div>
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Happy science, everyone!</div>
Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-41619218277448295922015-07-06T11:31:00.002-05:002015-07-06T11:31:35.098-05:00No Projects<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Hello all. I might be suffering writer's block or crafter's block or some other kind of block, or it might just be summer vacation.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgleqwYu3uBFCnztvsVidti5Eb2nFc2fJsoWjJknpmYl7HAFgbieOYMOL5MPzml4QOG52R0iz3gXbAGzRITNBvBw6o0WLQpDoyslVckyi6IlIZAulD8nYrjdriw3E3oFOA657eMnRweyQ/s1600/DSCF4851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgleqwYu3uBFCnztvsVidti5Eb2nFc2fJsoWjJknpmYl7HAFgbieOYMOL5MPzml4QOG52R0iz3gXbAGzRITNBvBw6o0WLQpDoyslVckyi6IlIZAulD8nYrjdriw3E3oFOA657eMnRweyQ/s400/DSCF4851.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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I hope you are having a lovely summer. Stay tuned, we'll get to a project sooner or later.</div>
Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-54839664816064995092015-06-30T13:04:00.001-05:002015-06-30T13:04:33.241-05:00Science Experiment #22<div style="text-align: center;">
"Head and thorax, abdomen, abdomen.</div>
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Head and thorax, abdomen, abdomen.</div>
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Six legs, two antennae, and sometimes wings.</div>
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Head, and thorax, abdomen, abdomen." </div>
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(Sung to the tune of "Head and Shoulders, Knees, and Toes")</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnrVjlhyphenhyphenbJ7MDvhFqVm6hZWu889Qh-A0EjTU63Iy1BX6gX0zjLFLfq1cUjC0w9MXJzA7nL3bKaZ7ZgxqG93sJnHvub1lIDYfb-LLASWUcsD6tMZyFRjelBS1I-PkAB51VAnNPuW1FclNj/s1600/DSCF4758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnrVjlhyphenhyphenbJ7MDvhFqVm6hZWu889Qh-A0EjTU63Iy1BX6gX0zjLFLfq1cUjC0w9MXJzA7nL3bKaZ7ZgxqG93sJnHvub1lIDYfb-LLASWUcsD6tMZyFRjelBS1I-PkAB51VAnNPuW1FclNj/s400/DSCF4758.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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That's the song the Wisconsin Explorers book used to teach proper insect recognition, so that is the song the kids sang, at the top of their lungs, as they wandered the backyard in search of "bugs" to capture and examine during last Thursday's weekly science activity.</div>
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They managed to catch the two insects most common to our yard: mosquitoes and ants.</div>
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We examined the insects and identified their various parts and then filled in the workbook pages.</div>
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When we were done we squashed the mosquito and returned the ant to the tree we found it on. Just doing our little part toward survival of the fittest!</div>
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Happy science, everyone.</div>
Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-24305366391504790392015-06-23T10:52:00.002-05:002015-06-23T10:52:54.206-05:00Making Snacks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Last week when my nieces were over and I made them do a science lesson, what they really wanted to do was make cookies for a snack. Unfortunately it was the day before my grocery shopping day so I didn't have many of the necessary ingredients to make chocolate-chip cookies. They kept begging to make a snack, so finally I found some flour tortillas and cherry pie filling and let them experiment. They buttered,</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5oF4xUlU5sF-k_i08pNY1MgqZkJAV5-EZQ2kV5_PD02LROAkdeCyXJpuM486wbQj7OYEFmwHZ53YQTSP-oMd1fzANgl-e-1aMCcAqfaraq8P475LrTXttVc26ljSG-ccV0BzbzCiTrq9/s1600/DSCF4815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5oF4xUlU5sF-k_i08pNY1MgqZkJAV5-EZQ2kV5_PD02LROAkdeCyXJpuM486wbQj7OYEFmwHZ53YQTSP-oMd1fzANgl-e-1aMCcAqfaraq8P475LrTXttVc26ljSG-ccV0BzbzCiTrq9/s400/DSCF4815.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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scooped pie filling,</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvKZSekDMwdYbRQqv1mh1c6kS434iHFd-Cr1GMaGz63rXisqKsKd8lbKH3noDnCFFiu43OgOBUsGuP8fXTJS6DazJdFrsMjgaWEGc6gppuCo5gejQioSS4hbteLmEeNf9VdsdBpKHsQc1K/s1600/DSCF4816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvKZSekDMwdYbRQqv1mh1c6kS434iHFd-Cr1GMaGz63rXisqKsKd8lbKH3noDnCFFiu43OgOBUsGuP8fXTJS6DazJdFrsMjgaWEGc6gppuCo5gejQioSS4hbteLmEeNf9VdsdBpKHsQc1K/s400/DSCF4816.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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tasted pie filling,</div>
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rolled in aluminum foil,</div>
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and after warming them in the oven they tasted them. They got mixed reviews.</div>
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It was fun to see the cousins working together to make their snack, even if it wasn't cookies. Next time I'll try to have chocolate chips available.</div>
Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-87902800328711869182015-06-19T10:02:00.000-05:002015-06-19T10:02:45.298-05:00Weekly Science Experiment #21<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Earlier this week it rained quite a bit in our part of the country, and when that happens two things show up in our yard with amazing rapidity: mosquitoes and mushrooms. I dislike mosquitoes too much to focus any scientific attention on them, but mushrooms don't suck my blood and are thus fair game for exploration. Some of my nieces were at our house again today, so they were forced to join in the science "fun."</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHm5dPTP_HaRqIGwTSuJ1FH5xm3S2Iv5OpaJW02rmH3mzU7DoLF68cb-g1KneK9g2rySZ9-YF5_fEML_PrHknhazbWl26WF5XK9MBSBoNlSvbEDOPa2v_-HbbLlcZxjHu4Qu4IjFVv7V4C/s1600/DSCF4811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHm5dPTP_HaRqIGwTSuJ1FH5xm3S2Iv5OpaJW02rmH3mzU7DoLF68cb-g1KneK9g2rySZ9-YF5_fEML_PrHknhazbWl26WF5XK9MBSBoNlSvbEDOPa2v_-HbbLlcZxjHu4Qu4IjFVv7V4C/s400/DSCF4811.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I told them that they were going on a mushroom hunt and to find and bring back as many types as possible (I also reminded them to not taste anything and to wash their hands and arms really well afterwards, so don't worry too much). They found four specimens - three growing out of the ground and one on the bark of a dead oak tree. Ian was quick to realize that the three ground types they found were all growing where tree stumps used to be, which was a good opportunity to explain that mushrooms are involved in the decomposition process and are different from green plants in how they live and grow and also in their structures.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHm5dPTP_HaRqIGwTSuJ1FH5xm3S2Iv5OpaJW02rmH3mzU7DoLF68cb-g1KneK9g2rySZ9-YF5_fEML_PrHknhazbWl26WF5XK9MBSBoNlSvbEDOPa2v_-HbbLlcZxjHu4Qu4IjFVv7V4C/s1600/DSCF4811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHm5dPTP_HaRqIGwTSuJ1FH5xm3S2Iv5OpaJW02rmH3mzU7DoLF68cb-g1KneK9g2rySZ9-YF5_fEML_PrHknhazbWl26WF5XK9MBSBoNlSvbEDOPa2v_-HbbLlcZxjHu4Qu4IjFVv7V4C/s1600/DSCF4811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHm5dPTP_HaRqIGwTSuJ1FH5xm3S2Iv5OpaJW02rmH3mzU7DoLF68cb-g1KneK9g2rySZ9-YF5_fEML_PrHknhazbWl26WF5XK9MBSBoNlSvbEDOPa2v_-HbbLlcZxjHu4Qu4IjFVv7V4C/s1600/DSCF4811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXrgAZ9eyF_mHkYaodIMKlLljzZ429I87_eichj26yXtGlLMC9UmZ3Qxw5djbMKDlnwPaUrR6sBqzq5Rv30mC8XJKuIzO0lSnaXngtJTRU3TDwIQh8LVc4YfmmqyDPjJFwmFesv16Q1L5/s1600/DSCF4810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXrgAZ9eyF_mHkYaodIMKlLljzZ429I87_eichj26yXtGlLMC9UmZ3Qxw5djbMKDlnwPaUrR6sBqzq5Rv30mC8XJKuIzO0lSnaXngtJTRU3TDwIQh8LVc4YfmmqyDPjJFwmFesv16Q1L5/s400/DSCF4810.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I didn't have a mushroom guide or any other material to show the kids, so we mostly looked, touched, and commented on the things we saw. Then the kids went off to play and I tossed the fungus in the garbage.</div>
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(When the kids found the "thing" growing on the dead tree, they also knocked a big chunk of bark off and discovered an ant nest underneath. It was interesting to see the ants scurrying around and trying to get their white eggs back undercover - it was a cool side note to the mushroom hunt.)</div>
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Happy science, everyone!</div>
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PS - if you happen to know the names of any of these mushrooms, please comment!</div>
Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-15781313345988480282015-06-15T20:16:00.000-05:002015-06-15T20:16:20.670-05:00The Brother-In-Law Project<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I think I have mentioned here before that <a href="http://dana-projectday.blogspot.com/2011/10/camping-is-project.html" target="_blank">camping is a project</a>, so I wasn't going to do a post about our most recent trip (our 11th summer in a row of us camping with my sister and her family), but since my brother-in-law asked "Is this going to show up on your blog" after every innocent photograph I took I decided that I would do a post in his honor. We'll call it "The Brother-In-Law Project."</div>
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On Friday night the "BIL Project" involved roasting and eating marshmallows and s'mores.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAMF0raTIEGSn-zhCLXIZumG3BDpdmRG5Y7gGuP33aMtmCjiZ8VWKPDoPUFy5X3yycSfuAadzjdpESlJRy7eyeMorys7i_HSmFiylfMo4oPLgg07C1HRw-aWFlX38FYl49UsYkyyPkfTto/s1600/DSCF4760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAMF0raTIEGSn-zhCLXIZumG3BDpdmRG5Y7gGuP33aMtmCjiZ8VWKPDoPUFy5X3yycSfuAadzjdpESlJRy7eyeMorys7i_HSmFiylfMo4oPLgg07C1HRw-aWFlX38FYl49UsYkyyPkfTto/s400/DSCF4760.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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On Saturday the project included hiking,</div>
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children getting their faces painted at the Waubeka Flag Day celebration,</div>
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a nature lesson on Bluebirds,</div>
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and Flag Day fireworks.</div>
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On Sunday the "Brother-In-Law Project" consisted of hiding from the rain, taking down a soggy camp, and finally some time spent at the Ozaukee County Pioneer Village.</div>
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A good project was had by all brothers-in-law present.</div>
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Happy camping, everyone.</div>
Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-91791492144604884142015-06-11T16:55:00.002-05:002015-06-11T16:55:43.467-05:00Weekly Science Experiment #20<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This week's science experiment is really more of an activity, but it teaches kids to observe the world around them, so I think it fits in here. Each summer since Ian was three years old I have headed off to the nearest State Park Office and picked up that year's "Wisconsin Explorer" workbook for each of the kids (this is Cam's first year). </div>
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These little workbooks are filled with naturalist-themed activities that kids can do either in the state park or at home. Once enough activities have been completed, the kids can turn return the forms that are included in the book and get a neat patch in return. There are nine books and patches altogether, three for ages 3-5, three for ages 6-8. and three for ages 9-11. Ian is working on his sixth badge, Brynn on her fourth, Blair on her second, and Cam is working on his very first badge, so these books are a summertime tradition in our family.</div>
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This week we decided to learn about birds and feathers. The activity in the little kids' book was to observe a Robin and draw a picture of what it did. Since it was raining outside we relied on observations made out the front window. The older kids' book had them find a feather and decide what sort of bird it came from and how it was lost. Thankfully Ian has a "look what I found, Mom" feather collection, so we didn't have to slog around the wet neighborhood to find a feather.</div>
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It was a fun way to spend a soggy afternoon indoors, while still learning about the world we live in.</div>
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Happy science, everyone.</div>
<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-78222274806616523612015-06-08T14:25:00.001-05:002015-06-08T14:25:24.484-05:00Camping or CAMPING?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There's camping, and then there is CAMPING. Do you know what I mean? Well, let me explain. Regular old camping is what happens when a family loads up their gear and drives to a campground, sets up their tent or camper in beautiful weather, has fun during the day doing relaxing camping activities, cooks marshmallows in the evening, goes to sleep at night in a tent (or camper) where the windows are open to catch the breeze so you don't get too hot, and then goes home at the end of the trip saying "that was lots of fun". CAMPING is when seven moms load up their thirty-two kids (plus one on the way) and go camping as a group (with the dads mostly away at work), the weather is chilly, the activities are not relaxing (imagine 20 of those kids riding bikes around the loop - I'm thinking bike safety school might be in order if we ever do a repeat), marshmallows are inhaled at an alarming rate, raccoons make their presence very clear, the nights drop into the "very chilly" category, and the kids scream "THAT WAS AWESOME! WHEN CAN WE GO AGAIN?" on the car ride home.</div>
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Which one do you think more closely describes our recent trip with our homeschool group? I really hope you picked CAMPING!</div>
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When we could pry the kids off their bikes, we took nature walks,</div>
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ate all kinds of tasty camp food,</div>
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(pancake batter pre-mixed in a milk jug gets a big thumbs up from me)</div>
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and visited the nature center.</div>
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THAT WAS AWESOME! WHEN CAN WE DO IT AGAIN?</div>
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<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460150425861304807.post-60180298965258772642015-06-04T11:33:00.002-05:002015-06-04T11:33:59.734-05:00Weekly Science Experiment #19<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've missed a few science experiments due to our family vacation and some other activities, but I am trying to get back on track. Experiment #19 was especially entertaining because I pitted my four children against four of my nieces (who we were babysitting for an afternoon) in an epic "Battle of the Butter." It was the giggliest battle I've ever witnessed!</div>
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I issued each family a pint-sized container of heavy whipping cream and told them to see which team could shake it into butter first. They shook and passed and shook and passed from older to younger and back to older again. Soon they were convinced they had butter. I told them to shake again. They did, but the littlest team members soon dropped out and lost interest although the competition stayed high between the older cousins.</div>
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After about 10 minutes of shaking they were POSITIVE they had better inside those boxes. So I opened them up and found.....drum roll please.........foamy heavy whipping cream. They were rather disappointed. So we dumped the liquid into my mixed and started it going. After it mixed for a while they got to taste real (but unsweetened) whipped cream. </div>
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Further mixing finally produced real butter, which they also tasted.</div>
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I think they got a good lesson in how much work it takes to produce the foods we eat and how thankful they should be that they don't have to churn their butter every day!</div>
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Oh, and the science? (Watch out for highly technical jargon here.....) Heavy whipping cream is a liquid with tiny blobs of fat floating around in it. When you mix it, the tiny blobs of fat bump into each other and stick in a clump. The more you shack, the bigger the clumps get until eventually you have butter.</div>
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Happy science, everyone.</div>
Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465447686967934406noreply@blogger.com0