Kitchen Science

Jaylene has noticed condensation on our car windows in the mornings so I thought perhaps it was a good time to discover the water cycle. First we read a couple of story books about the weather, and then we checked out Experiments with Water by Salvatore Tocci from the library.

It’s a great way to introduce precipitation concepts and Jaylene’s been excited to do the experiments. Some require materials we don’t have on hand, but most seem to only need things we can find around the kitchen. Jaylene’s started a science journal and we’ve already added three experiments.

The first is attempting to create drinking water from salt water. It might take some time as it requires heat, and our days have been quite chilly lately.

The second experiment showed how water turns into vapour.

The third illustrated the changes that occur when water freezes.

Jaylene’s science journal is fairly basic. It lists the question at the top (“What happens when water freezes?”), materials needed and the instructions. Then she draws a picture of the beginning stages. The next page lists what happened, and she draws a picture of the end result. Then there is a final section that explains why.

I tried to get her to think of a hypothesis for each one too, but she was too excited to start the “projects” and just said “I don’t know! Let’s find out!”.

Hurdles for kids

Yesterday was a rainy day and we spent it at home.  It was so nice to be able to be together as a family after these last two weeks.  (I’ve had to travel into the big city for a class in the evenings and Saturdays).   It seems like the rainy winter is here to stay for awhile, so I thought I’d share a fun indoor activity that Jayden’s school did recently.

Indoor Hurdles for kids.

All you need are some inflatable cylinders, or pool noodles, set across small chairs and a few creative children.

Set the stage by asking the kids what they think the obstacle course looks like. You’ll probably get a variety of ingenious answers. Our group decided that it was an overgrown forest and they had to watch out for wild animals as they crawled through.

Then they all transformed into spidermen (and spiderwomen) and walked over the hurdles to rescue those in trouble.  The older ones were also able to hop over the hurdles, the little ones were given some assistance with jumping.  How many other ways can you think of to get through the hurdles?