The Screaming Balloon Experiment

Since we've been playing around with sounds, vibrations, and Newton's Laws of Motion lately, it seemed like a good time to show the kids another Steve Spangler experiment - The Screaming Balloon.

It's a fun boredom buster/musical instrument/physics lesson demonstrating Newton's First Law of Motion (an object in motion tends to stay in motion), and centrifugal force (not centripetal force).

If I understand right, when we did the bucket experiment, and T spun the bucket around in a circle, he was exerting centripetal force on the bucket, keeping it from flying off in a straight line, but the force he was feeling, of the bucket trying to pull away from his hand, was centrifugal force. But, check me on that, if I'm wrong.

Anyway, you don't really have to have a complete understanding of centrifugal, or centripetal force, to enjoy this experiment. All you have to have, is a hex nut, and a balloon.

Put the hex nut into the balloon, carefully blow the balloon up (you do not want to accidentally suck in the hex nut), and tie it off.

Then, grasping the balloon on the top, with one hand, spin it in a circular manner, as demonstrated by my four year old below, and listen to the music of the vibrations caused by the edges of the hex nut on the balloon.

My older girls were going to perform a screaming balloon duet, but while I was showing them how it worked, both balloons popped, and everyone became a little balloon shy - so you might want to consider heavy duty type balloons.

It's great to be a homeschooler.

Mom, Is That A Volcano?

Like yesterday's view from my deck?

No, Montana is not coming to volcanic life. No fears from Yellowstone.

It's just the beginning of forest fire season.


Another part of any Montana summer (and summer in many other states, as well).


After spending some time watching trees burst into flame, through our binoculars, and the fire growing, before bed, we were happy, as the clouds parted this morning, to see things seem to be calming down - for now, at least.

A few happy campers, had to be air lifted out of harms way, and there are a number of very brave, and sure footed fire firefighters risking their lives this morning still. But so far, no one has been hurt, and because of the remote location of the fire's center, it's suspected to be naturally caused (don't let the houses fool you, over that ridge is real wilderness). So, we can sit back, and enjoy watching the helicopters flying in with giant buckets of water, and planes circling over our slightly more dramatic sky line.

It's great to be a homeschooler.

Cackling Cup - Sound Experiment

For this sound experiment, which we found in several different children's science books, but most recently in Awesome Experiments in Light and Sound, by Michael A. DiSpezio, you need:

• a paper cup


• a paper clip


• a two foot piece of string (they say kite string, but we used regular sewing string)


• and a needle

Tie one end of the string to the paper clip, and thread the other through the needle. Then, poke a hole through the top of the cup, and pull the string through...

...until the paper clip is tight against the top of the cup, and the string is hanging down, through the open end of the cup.

Wet the string.

Then hold the cup with one hand, and grasp the string lightly with your forefinger and thumb, just under the cup, pull down, and repeat.

As you run your fingers down the string, it vibrates. The vibrations move the air inside the cup, and the shape of the cup amplifies the sound. If you use your imagination a little, it sound like the cup is laughing.

It's great to be a homeschooler.

Ice and Oil, Another Experiment on Density

We did our Sunday Science Experiment differently, thanks to some thoughts from Janet Parks Chahrour's Flash! Bang! Pop! Fizz! Exciting Science for Curious Minds, which encourages children to write down a hypothesis, make predictions, and record observations.

Before Sunday school this morning, I asked the children to think about what they already know about water, and oil. From experiments we've done in the past, they know water is denser than oil. When you pour the two together, water will fall to the bottom of the glass, and the oil will sit on top of it.

Then, I asked them what they know from past observations of water, and ice. And, they were able to tell me ice is less dense than water. An ice cube will float on the surface of water.

So, I asked them to think about what might happen if you put an ice cube in a cup of oil. Hmm...



After, Sunday school, we discussed it. Some of the children thought the ice would still sink right to the bottom of the oil, just like water. Some, thought it would float, just like in water. While others thought it would sit in the middle.

After we discussed it, I presented them with three glasses. One full of oil, one full of water, and one with a little oil. We reviewed what we knew already, by dumping some of the water into the oil, and watching it sink.



Then, I gave the children some colored ice cubes, I had prepared ahead, and let them put one into the water, and one into the oil. At first, the ice in the oil, floated near top, but not as high as the ice in the water. The ice in the water immediately started dropping color into the water, too.



One of the children pushed the ice cubes down. The one in the water, popped right back to the top. But, the one in the oil just sat in the middle of the glass.



Finally, we observed the ice cube in the oil, and watched as air bubbles escaped from the melting ice, and headed to the surface, while the melting, colored, water dropped straight to the bottom of the glass.



For more fun with science, check out this week's Science Sunday link-up at Adventures in Mommydom.

It's great to be a homeschooler.

Bad Hare Day - A Hairstyling Craft for Scissor Happy Little Girls

With four daughters, it's inevitable we will have our share of unexpected haircuts. Cutting their own hair, does seem to be a universal right of passage for young girls. I cut my own hair once, too.

So, I probably should have clued in sooner, when my five year old announced she wanted to be a hairstylist in Paris when she grows up (something the Man of the House tells me I have "Pee Wee's Big Adventure", to thank for).

My teacher instincts kicked in, and I added French to our fall studies. But, I should have realized with a five year interested in cutting hair, I'd soon have a four year old with a hair cut. My mommy radar has been off, lately.

For instance, when I saw said four year old, wandering to her room with a handful of beads, I probably should have said more than, "Don't put those in your mouth." I should have remembered to say, "Don't put those in your mouth, or up your nose." (Sigh)

But, the bead blew out, without a trip to the emergency room, and a visit to a real hair stylist "fixed" the cut. Then, there wasn't much to do (after the obligatory crying, and lecturing), but laugh - laugh, and do a craft to channel some of those creative urges in a less destructive way.

First, we read Miriam Moss' Bad Hare Day, the story of a young hare up to creative mischief in her uncle's hair salon. I couldn't have asked for a better library find.



I had the girls, and their older sisters, draw some bald people for me.



Then, I gave them an assortment of yarn, curling ribbons, hair clips, markers, and glue, to style to their little hearts out.





I gave them extra long pieces of yarn, so there was plenty of room for cutting. They had a great time, snipping, and shaping, and when they were done...



...I put the scissors away.



It's great to be a homeschooler.

What My Child is Reading - July 24, 2010 - Science Themed Stories and Poems

We've been on kind of a science kick lately, and it was reflected in our reading this week.

For our family read aloud book, I picked up Kathleen Krull's Leonardo da Vinci. It's part of her "Giants of Science" series I had been thinking of encouraging the older children to read. After the first few chapters of Leonardo da Vinci though, I decided to stick with reading these together.

Krull, has an engaging, conversational, writing style, and a way of bringing biographies to life for the modern reader. But, she does not shy away from the seamier details of great people's lives. In the first few chapters of this book, for instance, she spends a good deal of time focusing on the illegitimacy of Leonardo's birth. And, chapter 4 deals with his arrest on charges of homosexual behavior (which may, or may not have been founded).

Despite her delight in the dirty details, Krull does an excellent job of describing the times, and surroundings of the scientists, and the many influences that led them to become the giants of science. So, we are continuing to read through the book, but I will be editing it for younger ears, as we go.

On the lighter side of our reading, the little ones enjoyed several picture books this week. My favorite, and a favorite of my two youngest was Judy Sierra's The Secret Science Project That Almost Ate The School. The story is basically one long poem, or ode, to the dangers, and misfortunes of a third grade science fair.



Speaking of science, and poems, we have also been enjoying selections from Lee Bennett Hopkins' Spectacular Science a book of poems. Not having read a lot of poetry with the children, this has been an unexpected treat for all of us.



And, what would a week of science books be without Miss Frizzle, and her magic bus. In The Magic School Bus and the Science Fair Expedition, Joanna Cole & Bruce Degen take young readers on a tour of history, while the students of Miss Frizzle's class seek inspiration for their science fair projects from the "giants of science" themselves (see how nicely it all blended together?).



Be sure to check out what other's are reading, or join in and share your family's favorites, at this week's What My Child Is Reading blog hop, hosted by Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns.



It's great to be a homeschooler.

Peach Creamsicles, and Yummy, Homemade, Peach, Ice Cream

While I was paging through recipes for orange creamsicles, I kept coming across a recipe for peach creamsicles, that looked almost healthy. Yesterday, I finally got around to giving them a try.

The original recipe called for a small can of peaches in light syrup, two ripe, fresh peaches, peeled and cut up, a cup of heavy cream, and a teaspoon of honey.

I didn't have any fresh peaches, and if I had, I would have wanted to eat them on their own, anyway. And, I only had large cans of peaches, so I had to modify the recipe somewhat.

What I ended up with was:

• one large can of peaches in light syrup,


• one pint of heavy cream,


• and two tablespoons of honey.

I pureed them in the blender, poured them into popsicle molds, and popped them into the freezer.

After filling our available molds (enough to make 8 popsicles), I still had just under a half gallon of creamy peach puree left. So, I decided to turn it into ice cream, instead. The little ones helped me with the "coffee can ice cream" making (you can read about that process, here).

Making ice cream this way is one of my favorite summer time, activity/dessert combos.

Once we'd gotten a good work out, rolling the icy bucket around the yard, I brought the half gallon container in to harden in the freezer. But first, I tasted it, and decided it needed more sweetener, so I stirred in an extra two tablespoons of sugar.

I continued checking it, and stirring it, every half hour or so, until it had hardened completely.

The ice cream got a total thumbs up from the family, but the children were not as excited about the less sweet creamsicles. They were quite creamy, and peachy, though. And, if you're the health food type, you'd probably even find them sweet enough.

As for us, next time I think I'll add the extra sugar right from the beginning.

It's great to be a homeschooler.