Posts Tagged ‘science’

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Groundwater Experiment

Monday, March 17th, 2014

groundwater-experiment-2This post contains affiliate links. I was compensated for my work in writing this post.

We performed a groundwater experiment to understand aquifers, saturation, and the water table. We are continuing our study of the hydrosphere by using the book Earth and Space by Bright Ideas Press. We are enjoying all the hands-on activities and experiments. Today we will give you a demonstration of this groundwater experiment. But first, we filled out a diagram of the water table, provided in the book.

the-water-table

The rain falls on the ground, and the water sinks into the ground through infiltration. The rock that is permeable allows water to pass through it, while the ground that does not allow water to pass through it is called impermeable rock. The water table is the invisible line that is just above the level of saturation. Of course, saturation means that the ground is holding as much water as it can hold.

groundwater-experiment

When we do the groundwater experiment, you will see that we fill one jar with a thin layers of pebbles and thick layers of sand. The other jar contains thick layers of pebbles and thin layers of sand. Both jars are aquifers: layers of rocks and sand that contain water. Which jar has more permeable ground than the other? Will the water sink through faster through the pebbles or through the sand? Watch the video to find out!

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Water Unit Study

Sunday, March 9th, 2014

water-unit-studyThe following article contains an affiliate link. I was compensated for my work in writing this post.

When you are doing a water unit study, you will want to observe water in its 3 states: solid, liquid, and gas. We are continuing our study of Earth and Space by Bright Ideas Press, and we are doing the chapters on the hydrosphere.

First we colored and labeled the Water Cycle page provided in the book. Then we dramatized the water cycle by having the kids evaporate themselves up to the chair, puff themselves out as clouds, and rain down by jumping off the chair.
water-cycle-worksheet

Oceans cover the majority of our Earth, and these currents flow in a clockwise pattern in the Northern Hemisphere, and a counter-clockwise pattern in the Southern Hemisphere. The book says to draw a clock with chalk on your driveway, but since we had snow on our driveway, we decided to use masking tape on the carpet. My daughter demonstrated the ocean currents in our video.

ocean-currents

We enjoyed looking at other picture books about water, seeing how it evaporates into the air when you leave a glass of water on the counter. I especially love picture books that have gorgeous illustrations to help kids visualize how important water is to us as human beings.

water-papersglacier-experiment

Most of the fresh water on Earth is found in glaciers. We performed the glacier experiment in the book, where you race two blocks of ice down a ramp, to see if ice with dirt goes faster or slower than ice without dirt. Make sure you use paper cups for freezing your water. The water freezes faster if you used crushed ice from a blender to start with, and the dirt mixes better with the water when you have crushed ice. You’ll have to watch the video to see which glacier wins!

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Edible Sedimentary Rocks

Monday, March 3rd, 2014

edible-sedimentary-rocks

This post contains an affiliate link. I was compensated for my work in writing this post.

The highlight of our rocks and minerals study was making delicious edible sedimentary rocks, a layered treat overloaded with sugar. Look away from this page if you are on a diet! My own kids are skin and bone, so this treat put some meat on my kids, and a small-ish slice I ate (okay–fine! I had many small slices!) reminds me of the mud pies in Malibu, California.

We are continuing our  homeschooling science posts about Earth and Space by Bright Ideas Press. The recipe for the edible sedimentary rocks comes from this book, and I will give you a video tutorial for how to make this delicious treat at the bottom of this article. If you can’t wait that long, go ahead and scroll down right away to begin your sugar rush.

My kids have collected rocks and minerals for years, and when we studied the different types of rocks, they remembered the differences between igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. Take a look at one of our collections, which we have organized in a labeled tackle box:

rock-collection

When you are studying rocks and minerals, you should really go ahead and do some experiments on the rocks, like plopping them into vinegar to watch them fizz. Here is a free PDF from the National Museum of Natural History. Scroll down and print out the last page for your kids. This is a chart. Go ahead and do the different experiments listed in the PDF, and have your kids enter the results into their charts. Place the chart into your Earth and Space notebook.

We have now arrived at our grand finale, our pièce de résistance:

How to Make Edible Sedimentary Rocks:

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Caves Unit Study

Monday, February 24th, 2014

caves-unit-study-2The following article contains an affiliate link. I was compensated for my work in writing this post.

cavesIf you do a caves unit study with your kids, you really ought to go visit a real cave. Try to find one in your area. Looking at real stalactites, stalagmites, and columns in the depths of a dark, dripping cave in the recesses of the earth is an experience every child should have.

We are using the chapter on caves from Earth and Space by Bright Ideas Press as the jumping-off place for this unit study. The book provides 14 vocabulary words that you can write on index cards, so that you can know the basic vocabulary having to do with caves. We labeled the three main cave formations on a printable page provided in the book: stalactites, stalagmites, and columns. My kids also colored a beautiful cave coloring page:

caves-unit-study

We also did the science experiment to grow a speleothem (a cave formation) using Epsom salts. Because our air is extremely dry, growing crystals is difficult. We had to re-start the experiment when I discovered that the string was bone dry on day 3. The string has to be wet for crystals to form. My husband told me to put a cardboard box over the entire experiment to retain the humidity, and it worked better. We filled in a chart provided in the book, drawing the crystal formations over the course of 10 days.

stalactite-experimentMy daughter and I decided to create a cave out of terra cotta clay, pictured at the top of this post. Isn’t it pretty? It took us a total of 5 minutes, since the clay was softer than usual. We formed stalactites, stalagmites, and columns.

If you are unable to go to a real cave during your caves unit study, here is a virtual tour of a cool cave, as well as a fun cave art activity:

If it’s snowing outside, you might want to build a snow cave. Then grab a flashlight and have fun inside your cave. Here is a video tutorial, with tips on how to be successful with making snow caves:

Look at the icicles hanging off your roof, and explain to your kids how stalactites form the same way!

Here is an underground cave map, to help you identify the different cave formations:

Finally, here is a video describing all the activities that can be done during a Caves Unit Study:

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