Pre-K Science Week

Well, Owen got these cool dinos that started at just two inches tall...now they are over 12", just by soaking them in water. He actually remember the term Polymer from our snowmaking earlier in year! I was so proud of him..He graphed their growth each day on a chart. He learned science and math in a real world setting.

The kids were studying mixtures this week. We had fun experimenting with heterogenous and homogenous mixtures.

Baby Turns FIVE!

No more babies in this house....Big Boy Owen turned five today...and we celebrated at Chuck E. Cheese....Pizza and sugar, sugar, sugar...he had a hard time falling asleep tonight...Jack and I made the cake with WWI on it, LOL......

Owen is very into WWI right now..not sure why...but we had fun making the cake! His favorite gifts: cap gun, money from Grandma Lorraine and the Grow Your Own Dino from Grandma & Grandpa

Physics & Bio

The boys are completing Physics Quest 2009 and one of their experiments was to determine if adding Splenda to water changes the index of refraction. Basically, they added dry water gel crystals to water where they quickly absorb hundreds of times their weight in water. The crystals are invisible in water but if Splenda is added, or if they are exposed to oxygen...they begin to appear. They learned about the index of refraction and how to use this property to determine how many Splenda packets I secretly added to each cup of water.

This is a "lung" Owen and Julia made in Biology class. There is clear celo across the bottom representing the diaphragm ( the muscle that makes the lung work). When you pull and push on the yellow handle, the "lung" inflates and deflates just like inhalation and exhalation.

Deflated

Inflated

This is "Heart Guy"...poor guy is having his "blood" manually pumped by a four year old...from one part of his heart ( orange balloon) through the body ( see the little red guy in the middle?) to the other part of the heart ( pink balloon).

This is really teaching the basics of how our heart pumps blood throughout the body and then the blood returns to the heart.

This was a big hit! Julia assembled it herself and Owen loved playing with it when she was done.

Art Day at Our House...

Well, I have been considering running inexpensive art camps during the summer...These are my "experimental subjects"...friends and neighbors who are trying out my camps...the verdict? I think its a go for summer 2009..more on that later....

e.e. cummings...

My beautiful niece, Jillian, read this poem at my sister's funeral. It brought tears to all that were there....

Wizard of Oz Auditions

Well, the kiddos auditioned for The Wizard of Oz. The show is at the end of May. JD and Julia both got called last night for parts and they are very excited! Congrats to our resident actors once again...

This really seems to be their "thing"...so we will be busy rehearsing for the next two months....they just LOVE IT! We love seeing the perform!!

My Big Sister & My Guardian Angel....I will miss her forever...but I know she is in a better place...rest her soul...

Her Life: May 14, 1963-February 14, 2009



My sister and I were only 17 months apart. We grew up as crazy sisters in NY.....doing all the crazy things girls do. Her untimely death in a tragic car accident on Valentines Day 2009 really made me think about life and choices we make and how in an instant our lives can change forever. I am so very grateful for having known her as long as I did. She was just 45. Its a loss I cannot describe in words. A terrible loss inside my heart that will never go away, but I do know she is in a better place and I know one day we will see each other again and I can tell her all the things I didnt get a chance to say......Maureen was the most generous, kind person I have known. She would have given you her only dollar, which she had done many, many times for all sorts of people, even those she didnt know. She leaves behind two beautiful daughters, whose father died last year as well. This is a very sad time for our family but I wanted to share her photos and memories so everyone can be reminded how precious life is and how if we all lived our lives as if it was our last day on earth...well, this earth would be a much better place to live...

Owens CO2 experiment...blowing up balloon with Alka Seltzer

Well, some of you know I LOVE Science!! The boys are participating in Physics Quest 2009, a really cool middle school science contest. They are competing against kids around the country and learning so much as we go..its very exciting! Owen loves to watch them blow up stuff ( aka chemcial reactions) so I decided to get him some of his own reactions to test...here is one with a film canister and alka seltzer & H2O...this occupied him for over an hour...and he really loved doing it.

Chemistry Experiments-Acids and Bases

This is chemistry class for Julia and Owen. I am representing RealScience4Kids now at conventions and I have to say, I would buy their products even if I didnt work for them. These books are awesome. Totally hands-on science...tons of experiments and the graphics are amazing. Imagine kids saying "Let me read the physics book first, no fair!"...Music to my ears...LOL..anyway, these pictures are some of the labs we do on a daily basis...we are studying acids, bases, and more. The kids tested all the liquids in our fridge to determine the acidic levels and whether they were safe for Jack to drink....( he has severe reflux) Apple juice and water came up as the winners..with milk right behind...they had fun testing lemonade and orange juice...and vinegar too! We had to boil red cabbage as our indicator..the house smelled for hours but boy did they learn!

Native American History Pockets-Julia

Julia is studying Native American History through a super curriculum called Memorable Places In American History. She does hands on activities everyday like history pockets, crafts, art work, cooking, sewing, and more. Historical fiction and geography are incorporated daily. Our main history spines are the Smithsonian Childrens Encyclopedia and An American Story..no boring textbooks here...:)These are fabulous books!

More of her projects....

Native American Studies Julia and Mt. Vesuvius for Owen ( he's following the big boys with Ancient History)

Roman History Pocket, Jack

Owen with his very own Mt. Vesuvius...the older boys made them too, but of course they dont want their pictures taken, nevermind posted on a blog, LOL..now the little ones, thats a different story..they beg me to take pics. The boys are starting the fall of the Roman Empire...so we will have lots of hands on projects coming up..and I will make them take some pictures, LOL.