Homegrown Scientists

In Einey's school, there is such a focus on reading, writing and math, that the teacher is only allowed 20 minutes a week for science and history. 20 minutes! So when I saw the topic for this week's parent blogger blast, I just had to share some of the ways we've brought science back to our kids.

Science is all around us. It's prevalent throughout nature and the natural world. Last summer, when the girls found this cicada emerging from it's pupal state, we watched. And took pictures. And discussed. And then we looked it up on the computer. We frequently take hikes in the woods on our letterboxing quests. On our hikes, we discuss weather (and how it changes - we've been caught out in the woods in rain bursts), we identify plants and animals. We look under rocks and logs. We catch frogs and salamanders. In short, we take the time to really look at our surroundings and discuss the hows, the whys, the whats. How things change and why they change. How every little creature affects other creatures.

In addition, we do experiments with our gardens. When planting seeds inside for the spring, we measure and chart their progress. When building our sunflower house, we measured the sunflowers, first from seedlings with a ruler, then outside with the kids. We discussed how the plants were growing and then when they finished their growth, how they provided nectar for the bees and lastly seeds for the birds. In the spring, I have a suspicion we'll discuss the life cycle circle they made, as I am sure we'll have new sunflowers sprouting in the garden.

We've done sink or float test with them gathering objects and making predictions. Currently, we have a crystal growing on the counter in the kitchen.* We've frozen water and watched it melt. We mix water and other liquids to see what's heavier. We've looked at the viscosity of different liquids. We take tours where they are offered - power plants, nature sanctuaries, science center. We've discussed actions and reactions (like the time Husband threw a wooden block at the window - of course it broke). We spend evenings out on the deck looking at the stars. We pull out the telescope and search the sky's. We watch meteor showers and eclipses (Einey was very impressed by the lunar eclipse the other night). We visit science centers on rainy days. We discussed changes that come with the season (and living in New England, we have four very unique seasons each with it's own specific characteristics). Just the other day, we discussed how and why this river changed from autumn to winter. I wasn't at all surprised last week, when Einey's teacher told me they started discussing the water cycle and Einey knew all about it and was able to name the cycles.

Science is all around us. It's all a matter of taking time to look at the little things and really discuss the how and why's. As long as they keep asking questions, we will answer. We'll keep searching under logs, splashing in rivers, filling jars with liquids. We'll keep measuring and labeling and recording. For my girls, science is fun. And learning is a bonus. We will bring science back through hands on fun.


This post was created for the Parent Blogger Network's Friday Blog Blast and the Zula Patrol's Zula Intergalactic Inquirer. They want to know, how will you bring science back for your kids, and why do you think it’s important?

*Because it's a quick and easy science experiment, here's what you do: You need a jar, water, salt, a string and a pencil. Tie the string around the pencil. Fill the jar with water and then salt until the salt is dissolved. Put the pencil over the jar with the string hanging in the jar. As the water dissolves, the salt will crystallize to the string. You can see the results start within hours! Just add a little more water and salt as it dissolves for a bigger crystal.

When toys are to dangerous...

You've all seen half of my playroom. Like many other households in the US, I've had my recent purge of lead tainted toys. Since the girls had outgrown the toys anyway, I opted not to "sell" them back to the manufacturer. Instead, I just tossed them.

So with Christmas right around the corner, a mere 46 days away, I need to start thinking about what to get the girls. While I'm not ready to boycott every Chinese made toy (Husband would kill me if he couldn't get his plastic-crack in) because the girls are not willing to part with their My Little Ponies or Little Pet Shops.

Our big plan is to get the girls a Wii. I mean, so far there have been no reports of Lead painted Wii's. And I'm pretty sure they won't be licking the disks. I guess the only thing we would have to worry about is visual induced seizures or couch potato syndrome.

As for Moe, I'd love to build this kitchen set. I've had the plans saved for about 3 years now but just haven't found the motivation to build it.

This post was written for the Parent Blogger Network's Friday Blog Blast with conjunction with the Consumer's Network for the theme: Getting the Lead Out.

For a completely un toy game Moe discovered with normal everyday items, click here. It's at the bottom.

Round and Round we Go...

I've tried the gym thing. And for awhile it worked. I'd drop them off at a baby sitter's (read grandmother) house and go to the gym for a at least a half hour. But then something happened and I'd try to bring the girls with me. They'd sit for 5 seconds and then try to use the equipment (the blocks, movies and books were no match). SO there I was, paying a monthly gym fee and not going. I was to worried my little angles were disrupting the other gym goers - some of them other moms using the time to be away from their own brood - exercising in quiet.

SO then I got the idea of walking the track after dropping the oldest off at school. And would you believe, this actually worked? Id' strap Moe into the carriage and Meenie would walk beside me. We'd make up silly things to do when we reached the 1/16 of a mile mark (1/4 mile track). Each time we passed a marker, we'd hop, skip, walk backwards, tumble (not I), twirl or what ever silly thing we could think of. This came about when Meenie needed physical therapy as a way to improve her muscle mass and has continued ever since. Can you believe that my three year old can walk/run a faster mile than I can? It's true.

I took the summer off as with the three of them, I just couldn't FIT it in. Someone was always whining - it's to hot, I'm too tired - it wasn't worth the hassle. But now that school has started, I've started up again - and you know what? I feel great on the days I walk. I drop one (or two) of them off at school (depending on the day) and drive to a local track. Sometimes I ask a friend to join me, and other days I do it with just the girls. I shoot for at least a mile, but if I can get them to cooperate for longer, I go as much as I can.

Of course, with all that walking, you tend to need new shoes. Shoes like these Ryka's that they are giving away for free. Five pairs of them to the lucky winners of today's Parent Blogger Blast.