Fizzy Corn... aka density experiments

You can have alot of fun with some water, baking soda, vinegar, and popcorn kernels.

The kids measured 2 Tablespoons of water into a clear cup (at least 8 oz in size), and stirred in 1 Tablespoon of baking soda. Then we counted out 14 popcorn kernels and dropped them into the cup, observing whether they sank or floated.

Then we added 1/4 cup of vinegar, and.....FIZZZZZ. After the fizz dies down we were able to observe the newly formed carbon dioxide bubbles adhering to the popcorn kernels. This lowered their density, allowing them to FLOAT.

Trystan was at kindergarten, so we reapeated the experiment with our little pirate when he came home.

You can find this, and many other fun science experiments in the BackYard Scientist series.
Happy Day, science experiment that was scheduled for Wednesday finally completed! Now let's see about math and lapbooking!

What is this??

Apparently part of mothering male children is finding strange things in your freezer.

Today we found a bowl of frozen brown gray icemuck, that we have now successfully identified after several rounds of "What is this?" and boy laughter. They are very creative. I admit that it has never before occurred to me that the water bowl sitting beside your paint tray could be frozen. It is not a pretty looking sight.

Last week Isaac conducted his favorite experiment with ice cubes and salt, but then froze the briny results, and for days I wondered what on earth Jeff had set in the freezer!!

Maybe I should give him his own shelf!

Hopping on to Easter...

This year we are keeping our regular Easter traditions and adding a new one.

Monday, the boys and I gathered rocks and limbs and made an Easter tree. Each day we are doing a few minutes of additional bible reading and creating an ornament. I'll post pictures later this week, as we only have two right now!!

We are just copying some corresponding illustrations from Trystan's bible, pasting them on to card stock and hanging them with ribbon. If all goes as planned we will hang an ornament every day this week. On Easter Sunday we put all of the kids' goodies in one basket and hide it. Then we tie yarn to it and trail it all over the house. Around door knobs, under furniture, through the refrigerator handles.... every year we make it a little more complicated. The kids have the most fun searching for their basket!!

This year I bought some Easter Egg ornaments (we don't usually do candy eggs, the kids get their quota of candy from Ninnie on Easter!) too, and we are going to hide them and let them decorate the easter tree with them. It's just a gaggle of sticks in a pitcher filled with rocks, but He makes all things new, doesn't He?