The Joshua tree has a unique insect-pollinator, the yucca moth. The bumble bee pollinates the morning glory in the cool beginnings of a new day. And a gentle breeze is responsible for spreading the pollen of the spruce tree. The moth, bee, and wind all act as pollinators for these plants. They are responsible for getting the pollen from the male part of the flower to the female part, so … [Read more...]
How to Skip an Experiment
So, you are staring at this week's experiment and you realize that you don't have the materials you need. Your week is jam-packed. You can't make it to the store. You have no substitute materials. You can't swap out the experiment because you don't have the materials for the only other one that will work. So what do you do? Do you toss the book aside and resign to the fact that you … [Read more...]
Homeschool Science Corner ~ How to Record an Experiment
I have been homeschooling my daughter for over seven years now and every once in awhile I love to take a moment to look back over her previous work. It cracks me up to read some of her responses and helps me to know how far we have come. In this week's Homeschool Science Corner, I want to share with you how to record the experiments your students have done. So that you can look back in … [Read more...]
How to scale one experiment for multiple ages
As homeschoolers, it is not uncommon for us to have a wide age range of students. We are comfortable scaling writing assignments, spelling words, history notebooks, and art projects. Even so, the thought of being able to do one experiment with all of our students seems elusive. In today's Homeschool Science Corner, I wanted to share with you could use one experiment - with all of your students … [Read more...]
But I don’t have the experiment supplies…
I know that I'm not the one this happens to. I forget to look ahead in my plans and as a result I don't have all the experiment supplies I need on hand for the scientific test we are scheduled to do. So do we ditch the experiment all together? Is the only choice to push it back till another week that, let's face it, will probably never come? Heaven's no! What to do when you don't have … [Read more...]
Dry Ice Exploration (FREE Printable Included!)
Dry ice is one of those materials that can induce hours of science fun for your students. It appears to boil in room temperature water, sending out billows of white, wispy smoke. In today's Science Corner, I'm sharing a few activities that you can use to explore the science surrounding this amazing material. The Science of Dry Ice Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide, the same chemical that can … [Read more...]