In our house our week rolls along not so much by which day of the week it is but by which regular activity or outing we have planned. So Mondays' are not Mondays - but Gymnastics day. Wednesdays as of this term are Art Class. Thursdays are referred to as Train Park day (in reference to play equipment in the shape of a train at the park where we meet our local home-school group each week).
And Tuesdays, for about 5 weeks now, have been renamed Experiment Day.
I finally got organised and put together a couple of tubs of the common ingredients and household items that constitute simple science experiments together with the books we have. Having everything we need in one place and committing to a regular time to get sperimenting has made the whole activity so easy to achieve. Here's a little of what we've played around with in the past few weeks...
Watched washing soda crystals grow,
Bubble powered boat - using once again the trusty gas made when combining vinegar and bicarbonate soda.
And a look at liquids and their density by mixing oil, water, and maple syrup and observing which is heaviest and lightest once settled.
Soon we'll be expanding our experiment kit with this. Electricity is a topic that we come back to again and again so I know Dexter will be very excited to have his very own short circuit kit.
I took a more detailed look at the NSW Board Of Studies stage one (K to 2) Science and Technology syllabus recently. If you're having trouble falling asleep, I highly recommend this 40 page document! Anyway, I am confident we can tick that box in terms of meeting this particular 'Key Learning Area'. What do you think?
