Balloon Day

Tomorrow is National Balloon Day and in honor of such…
Balloon Vampire Bat

Get two black balloons. Inflate one of the balloons fully; inflate the second only half way. Duct tape the tied ends of the balloons together so they form the body of a bat. Instruct the child to cut out two oval eyes and two triangular fangs from white construction paper. Have her cut two small pupils to sit in the center of the bat’s eyes, two triangular ears and a pair of wings out of black construction paper. Assist her in attaching these features to the body of the bat with black duct tape. Use the tape to attach a ribbon where the balloons meet. Attach the ribbon’s other end where you’d like the vampire bat to hang.

Balloon People

After your kindergartner chooses a balloon, inflate it. Direct the child to form a face by decorating the balloon with markers or stickers. Cut out a base shape to resemble a pair of feet from construction paper. Ask the child to color and decorate these feet with markers. Place a small hole in the center of the feet-shaped base, and thread the tied end of the inflated balloon through the hole. If the balloon does not stand up correctly, tape a coin to the bottom of the feet to balance it.

Balloon Octopus

Cut up several colored drinking straws into 1-inch lengths. Direct your kindergartner to thread these straws over eight separate pieces of string. Tie a bead at the end of each string to prevent the straws from falling off. Next, inflate a balloon. Assist the child in taping the strings around the balloon to act as arms of the octopus. He can then draw a face on the balloon to complete this fun octopus.

Balloon Bean Bags

Blow up a balloon to stretch it, then allow it to deflate. Attach a funnel to the balloon neck, then allow your child to pour in dry lentils until the balloon is completely full. Tie the neck of the balloon in a knot, then cut off any excess. Get a second deflated balloon. Cut off the neck completely and throw this away–making sure to save the bottom half. Using the bottom half of the second balloon, stretch it over the lentil-filled balloon. Make sure you are covering the knot you tied on the first balloon. Add more layers for extra security.

Hot Air Balloon

Place two long pieces of ribbon crosswise on a flat surface. Tie a knot where they meet. As your child to decorate a paper cup with paints or markers. It will act as the hot-air balloon’s basket. Pierce four equidistant holes around the paper cup’s rim. Thread the four ribbon ends through these holes and fasten with knots. Position an inflated balloon inside the ribbons. Glue the ribbons to the balloon surface to fasten.

Preschool Art

Have the children decorate blown-up balloons at the art table. Balloons can be decorated with glue and sparkles, beads, or other colouful shiny items. Have children use items of their choices as well. A list of Art-Shelf ideas can be found in our online E-Book available on our site.Once dried, the childrens’ balloon creations can be hung around the room. Or you can paper mache newspaper strips over the balloons and have children decorate them once dried. Pop balloons inside mache and pull out. Their balloon creations will never deflate.

Preschool Math

Keep a record and count how mant days it takes for the balloons to deflate. Count how many balloons you are waiting to deflate.

Science Experiment

Blow up a few different shapes of balloons. Place balloons side by side on top of a shelf but still visible to the children.If needed, tape or sticky tack to surface to prevent the balloons from falling or being blown around. Record how long it takes for the balloons to start to deflate.Does one balloon deflate faster than another? Have children draw pictures of what they see happen as the balloons deflate.

Sensory Activity

Once the balloons are deflated, place them in a sensory bin with other balloons. The other balloons can be filled with air, water, rice, popcorn kernels, oatmeal, etc.
Let the children FEEL the difference in the balloons;HEAR the sounds they make; SEE the difference in size, shape and colour and SMELL the balloons (4 out of 5 senses used)

Summer learning programs

I tried to cram every activity I could into the summer, since our paper and pencil work would be limited... I took great advantage of the local libraries and the free programs they offered. I occasionally double booked, like today... Star-Lab in Beacon Falls AND Farmer & Piggy in Prospect. I was running like a mad woman, but we hit them both! The StarLab, which I have seen before when I was teaching was disappointing to me... But, BUG liked it...

Our Last Science Class...

Today at science class we did some pond and pond creature exploration. We began in the classroom with an explanation of what we might see, how to catch it and how to return it to the water once our "examination" has completed. Little man totally loved wandering the pond and "catching sea creatures" in his net as well as examining them in his mini microscope/para-scope. Unfortunately, with summer approaching faster than ever... it means an end to our Nature's Classroom Science classes for awhile. Although we will continue to visit the nature center on occasion throughout the summer, it seems that we will not attend anymore structured home-schooling science classes. While we are enjoying them immensely, and Jonathan seems to be gaining some science knowledge from the classes, we need to transition into something different.

Playground Homeschool Project

Our next field trip project is going to be a playground chart in order to determine the BEST local playground. So how is that school?

• Math - Goofy had great practice graphing.

• Physical Education – lots of exercise

• Social Studies – Exploring what makes up our community

• Socialization (school, right) – meeting new friends & playing together

• Science – We used the scientific method:

o Asking a Question? Which park is the best?

o Construct a Hypothesis? If a park has the most ‘good’ things it will be the best park

o Test Hypothesis by doing an experiment. Gather data from 20 parks in our area and evaluate how many ‘good’ things they had & how much the kids liked the park

o Analyze our data with a graph –

o Conclusion – Idea courtesy of:livinglifeintentionally.blogspot.com

A little trip to the Science Center

I LOVE that our kids EARN things, and when they do they pick educational activities, like trips to the Science center as

their prize!

Popcorn!

The basic recipe can be found here : I modified it, because I CANNOT physically follow a recipe if my life depended on it.
10 cups freshly popped popcorn
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup apple juice
3 tablespoons butter
2 and 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups FILL (raisins, nuts, dried cranberries, dried apricots, sunflowers seeds,

Directions:

1 Butter a very large bowl. Add popped popcorn and your selection of the 2 cups of fill.

2 Heat brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, salt, and juice until boil. Pour over dry ingredients in bowl.

3 Butter hands with additional butter or cooking spray. Hand mix all the ingredients in bowl and form into tennis size balls. It may be easier to use a LARGE SCOOP (I use the Pampered Chef large scoop because I am an independent consultant and well I LOVE PAMPERED CHEF). With scoop
Compact lightly to get the mixture to hold a ball shape. Set aside. Wrap each popcorn ball in plastic wrap.
4 The balls can be drizzled with melted chocolate for gift giving. I OF COURSE use the Pampered Chef double boiler for chocolate melting! SUPER easy to use, easy to clean!

Hand packed

I like to use white chocolate on the cranberry/cashew ones AND butterscotch on peanut/raisin ones. After wrapping with plastic wrap, I tie with a burgundy colored ribbon.

Sink or Float

For Rubber Ducky Day, we decided to do a Science Experiment...Since Rubber Ducky's are famous floaters, a little sinking and floating...

Does a paper clip float? Does a sponge sink? Let your child find out! This experiment is simple science fun. Plus, it lets kids practice the Guess and Check Method, as they make predictions, then test their predictions through experimentation.
What You Need:

objects for the experiment (small sponge, paper clip, toothpick, marble, plastic spoon, penny, plastic straw, crayon)
2 large pieces of construction paper
newspaper
markers
plastic dishpan
pencil
blank paper
spiral bound notebook
towel

What You Do:

Label one piece of construction paper with the word “Sink” and the other piece with the word “Float.” Gather a bunch of small everyday items, such as the examples listed above, and put them on a table covered with newspaper.
Show your child the objects you’ve collected and tell her that you’re going to conduct an experiment to find out which objects will sink in water and which will float. Make sure she’s clear on what these words mean before you get started, then ask her to predict which of the items will sink and which will float. Hold up each item, one by one, and as your child makes her prediction, place it on the appropriate piece of paper. For example, if she guesses that the penny will float, put it on the construction paper marked Float. Once she’s made guesses for all of the items, give her the blank paper and ask her to write each item’s name (or draw its picture if she’s not writing yet), to document her predictions.
Time for testing! Fill the plastic dishpan with water and put one item in at a time. Discuss the result. Then dry it off and lay it on the appropriate piece of construction paper, either Sink or Float. Once all the items have been tested, give your child the spiral bound notebook and ask her to record the results of her experiment. Then talk about the results.

The great thing about science is that it can surprise us. Ask your child if any of the objects did something she didn’t expect. Talk about the experiment. Then clean up your lab space and tuck that notebook away for a future day of experimentation!

Peguins

Creating a foot penguin is SUPER easy! Prepare the construction pieces in advance, either have them cut for toddlers and preschoolers OR have the outlines and tracers available for school-age children.

Learning Activities About Penguins:

Mostly Science in nature..

Bird Day

Our Social Studies Unit includes exploration of habitats, life cycles and comparing the needs of animals.

I asked these questions to the children,

1 Where do birds live?
-- How do you build a nest? What materials are used?
*We will make edible bird's nests:

Directions

Ingredients

Place squares of wax paper onto to individual plates. Put cereal in a large bowl. If using brick chocolate, break into pieces. Melt chocolate chips or pieces in the microwave, or over low heat on stove, just until melted. Pour melted chocolate over cereal, mix together to coat. Place mounds of chocolate/chow mien mixture onto several plates (on top of waxed paper). Have children form the mixtures into nests. Be sure the chocolate has cooled, but don't wait too long or it will harden! Using peanut butter as an adhesive, "glue" down the jelly beans and candy coated chocolate eggs inside the nest cavity. "Glue" marshmallow chick on the edge of or inside of the nest.

Rice Crispies, broken shredded wheat, or Chow mien noodles chocolate chips or brick chocolate Jelly beans or candy coated chocolate eggs marshmallow chicks (optional) peanut butter wax paper paper plates (colored plates optional)

2 - What do birds eat?
3 - What sounds do birds make?
4 - Why do birds fly south for the winter?

AWESOME Website for Science Questions:

Science Topics for Little Ones

Science - Stage 1 Books
Air is all Around You
Animals in Winter
Baby Whales Drink Milk
Big Tracks, Little Tracks
Bugs Are Insects
Dinosaurs Big & Small
Ducks Don't Get Wet
Fireflies in the Night
From Caterpillar to Butterfly
From Seed to Pumpkin
From Tadpole to Frog
How a Seed Grows
How Animal Babies Stay Safe
How Many Teeth?
My Five Senses
My Pet Hamster
A Nest Full of Eggs
POP! A Book About Bubbles
Sleep is For Everyone
Snow is Falling
Sounds All Around
Starfish
A Tree is a Plant
What Color is Camouflage?
What Lives in a Shell?
What Makes a Shadow?
What's Alive?
What's it Like to be a Fish?
Where Are the Night Animals?
Where Do Chicks Come From?
Stage 2 Books
Ant Cities
Archaeologists Dig for Clues
Be a Friend to Trees
Chirping Crickets
Day Light, Night Light
Dolphin Talk
Down Comes the Rain
A Drop of Blood
Earthquakes
Energy Makes Things Happen
Feel the Wind
Flash, Crash, Rumble, and Roll
Floating in Space
Follow the Water from Brook to Ocean
Germs Make Me Sick
Hear Your Heart
How Do Apples Grow?
How Do Birds Find Their Way?
How Mountains Are Made
The International Space Station
Let's Go Rock Collecting
Look Out for Turtles
Milk From Cow to Carton
Mission to Mars
My Visit to the Dinosaurs
Oil Spill!
Penguin Chick
The Planets in Our Solar System
Spinning Spiders
Sponges are Skeletons
The Sun, Our Nearest Star
Sunshine Makes the Seasons
Switch On, Switch Off
Tornado Alert
Volcanoes
What Happens to a Hamburger?
What is the World Made Of?
What Makes a Magnet?
What Makes Day & Night?
What the Moon is Like
What Will the Weather Be?
Where Does the Garbage Go?
Who Eats What?
Why do Leaves Change Color?
Why Frogs are Wet
Why I Sneeze, Shiver, Hiccup & Yawn
Wiggling Worms at Work
You're Aboard Spaceship Earth
Your Skin & Mine
Zipping, Zapping, Zooming Bats

Science and Social Sciences Vocabulary for Little Ones

1 – Piglet – a baby pig; slop – pig food; trowel – a pig’s plate

2 - Calf - a baby cow; cub – baby bear; bird – chick; deer- fawn; duckling – baby duck rhyme – words with the same ending sound

3 - Vines - vines are plants with long, thin bendable stems; jungle – forest with lots of rain; leprechaun – fictitious character;

4 - Claws - claws are the sharp, curved nails on a kitten's paws.

5 - Iris - the iris is the colored part of your eye surrounding the pupil; pupil – dark part of the eye; occupation – work someone does for money

6 - Beacon - a beacon is a signal, a light to guide and warn; Lighthouse – street sign for a boat, warns of shore

7 - Prism - a prism can be made out of glass or other clear material in a solid, when light passes it separates into the different colors of the spectrum/rainbow.

8 - Twinkle - to twinkle is to flash, sparkle or gleam.

9 - Ray - a beam of light.

10 - Dough - the dough is the (cookie) mixture before it has been cooked.

11 - Engine - an engine of a train is the train car that usually pulls all the other cars along the track.

12 - full (moon) - the moon is full when it is round like a circle and all lit up. When something is full it is completely there.

13 – Pond – small body of water

14 - Gasoline - gasoline is a liquid substance that is used to fuel cars and trucks

15 - Mane - the long hair growing on the neck of a horse.

16 - Downpour - during a downpour the rain is falling very fast and heavy.

17 - Antennae - the feelers on the head of the butterfly.

18 - Wool - the curly, soft, hair-like covering of a sheep.

19 - noise - any sounds that we can hear, some sounds may be soft and others loud;
freedom – ability to make choices

20 – Insects – small bug; sail - the piece of cloth attached to a sailboat that allows the boat to move when it catches the wind

21 – Cowboy – occupation in which cattle is herded or horses tended

22 - Gust - a sudden strong blast of wind.

23 - Autumn - explain that this is another name for the season we more commonly call fall; humor – something that makes you laugh

24 - Flake - a flake is usually a thin, small, flat piece of something. Snow falls in flakes; Museum – a building to learn about things

25 - Leash - a leash is a strap, rope, or chain used to lead an animal, such as a dog.

26 - Whiskers - the long hairs growing near the mouth of a rabbit. Angels –
messengers from God