Mad Scientists

So sorry for my lack of sewing posts lately. I did manage to cut the pieces for Cailey's Tinkerbell costume! Step one - complete! LOL  I should have a tutorial up by the end of the week.

Then Deanna comes in yesterday and tells me that she would like me to make her a long black skirt to wear to the Halloween party on Sunday. Nothing like waiting until the last minute! LOL AND she wants makeup like this -





Yep... Nothing like the last minute! ;)





Anyway, since I have a lot of sewing to DO but nothing to SHOW, I thought I would do a post about hands on science for homeschooling! FUN! ;)





Here are some fun and easy botany experiments from The Adventures of Bear.





Montessori inspired skeleton units put together by Living Montessori Now




OH! Legos!!! A great hands on unit for boys especially!! This is from The Homeschool Post.


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This is an AWESOME idea for this time of year!!! Basically you just fill your pumpkin with soil, water it every so often and watch the seeds grow! :) This idea comes from Growing in PreK. Although it says Pre K, I think this would be excellent for any elementary age child!









I <3 the Crafty Classroom!!! This fossil craft would be an AWESOME addition to a fossil or dinosaur study! The page has more hands on idea for fossils. And you should check out all the other themes on the right side bar. AH-MAZ-ING!!!!!!









This is BRILLIANT!! What a great way to show the molecules in the different layers of the atmosphere! A really good visual from Science Matters.









E Is for Explore has a lot of great ideas to show static electricity!  And we are quickly approaching the time of year when static electricity will be zapping us on a daily basis..... LOL



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I thought this was just brilliant. I would never have thought to use a soggy graham cracker to represent the tectonic plates! Thank you to the Homeschool Den!!!! This page has a lot of other ways to explore plate movements. ;)

Another perfect for fall science experiment!!! This one was put together by Science Sparks with a guest post by Rainy Day Mum.











The Science Behind Who Gets Magical Powers would be great for high school biology. It's not exactly hands on but it is definitely an attention grabber for those HP fans!!!







[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-c5GpoD8wI?feature=player_embedded&w=640&h=360]



If this shows up (FINGERS CROSSED!!!) it will be a video from BBC One that shows how your ear works.











An experiment about brain fluid from Life With My Giggle Girls.






Here is an engineering idea from Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational.









Launch a rocket from a spinning planet with this guide from NASA Space Place.









Water Cycle Wonders from Practical Pages. And while you're there, check out allllll the other amazing things on this blog!









Another brilliant idea!!! This can be found at Momma Owls Lab.






Here is another one that isn't actually hands on but definitely an attention grabber. It shows the skeletons of different cartoons!! How cool is that???



Speaking of skeletons, we had an interesting science time yesterday. LOL Cailey was petting Bonnie and asked if a cat has bones in its tail. Instead of just saying yes and moving on, I looked up cat skeletons on Google to show her. Then we dragged out our DK Eyewitness Skeleton book and looked at all the different types. That led to dragging out the starfish as an example of exoskeletons! LOL

Whenever your kids ask a question, don't just answer it. Help them explore it. See where it leads! You never can tell..... LOL Science is a natural topic for kids. They are always wanting to know the how and the why of everything around them.

We haven't been doing any "actual" homeschooling since we decided to move. There have just been a thousand things going on around here.... BUT they have still been getting their daily dose of science just by being interested in the things around them. Such as, "why are the leaves turning colors and falling off the trees?" "Why do squirrels collect nuts?" "Why are the buzzards circling over there?"

Sometimes you even get really lucky and can add some history in, too. ;) "Why do we use pumpkins on Halloween", can be both a science and a history question!

And don't forget with Thanksgiving just around the corner that the opportunities to combine the two subjects will continue! Weather, crop growing, and the different animals of the New World just to name a few science items to go along with the history!

And I just had to pause this post to explain how the earth tilts for the different seasons and why there will most likely NOT be any snow in Georgia this winter.... LOL Geography AND science in one question! LOL



I need to get sewing on Cailey's costume but all I reallllly want to do is take a nap! LOL I am trying to fight an oncoming cold..... WAH!! I do NOT need a cold right before we move!!! AND right before Halloween!! Not to mention that I am still having awful fibro flares. I think they are due to having to get up at 4 am this week to take The Hubby to work. WAH!!!!! BUT when we move he will have more decent hours! YAY!!!!