We finally got the first set of the Young Scientist Club kits (thanks Gammy) and the kids were gnawing at the bit to get started on the projects inside. So today we pulled it out and started with the Recycling Kit. We did experiment #2 – recycling a paper bag into paper. The kits aren’t amazing but we had a lot of fun and it was nice having the ‘not normal household’ stuff right there. In this case, two pieces of screen and a sponge. We had to supply a paper bag and a blender (although the directions did say you could skip the blender if you really cut the pieces up small and soaked the paper well).
You can easily do this at home without the kit. First tear up the paper into tiny pieces. Then soak 1 cup of paper in 4 cups warm water (they recommend a 1 cup paper to 1 cup warm water for lighter papers like newspaper) for five minutes.
If you have a blender, blend until it is a fine pulp. (Ear plugs are optional 😉 )
Place a piece of screen over a bowl or cup and pour or spoon out some of the paper pulp into an even layer. Press the back of the spoon on the pulp to squeeze out excess water.
Place a second piece of screen over the pulp, flip the paper over onto a towel and use the sponge to flatten the paper more between the screens (you can use a rolling pin for a smoother paper). We set ours to dry on a cookie sheet.
After commenting on the previous post… I decided to pull up some project notes of a seed project Bug did a couple years ago… prior to my blogging. I can’t believe that this was TWO YEARS AGO (he was four at the time). Wow… has time flown. If nothing else, it should make up a bit for my non-creative blogging as of late.
We sprouted three different seeds on a wet paper towel in a plastic baggie. We hung it on the fridge and made sure the paper towel stayed damp. Bug kept a journal of which day roots and stem were visible.
He also measured the sprouts to see which one "won" (in his mind… the bigger the better). We used 1" blocks as his standard of measurement.
This was a really fun project… great for preschoolers. They get to see the magic of the seed unfold right before their eyes… unlike when it is stuck in the dirt. I think it is time I redid it with my girls.
The kids got some little flower pot seed kits from Nana for Easter. We put them together a few days ago. Only four days later and the the sprouts are growing like crazy. We need to thin the pots a bit (or a lot). It won’t be long before we have some pretty flowers on the kitchen sill.
At the beginning of the week we went on a Field Trip to the zoo with Daddy, Liz and Kyle. The amphibians and reptiles were by far the biggest hits… although this may be due mostly to the fact that their buildings were so nice and toasty warm. It was maybe 40 degrees out, misty and very, very windy. We spent the majority of our time in the reptile house watching the nesting crocodiles which was cool… although that building is the creepiest place in the world if you ask me. I am not a fan of snakes due in a large part I assume to a traumatic experience I had at Bush Gardens when I was about 3yr… some silly zoo keeper put a giant snake on my shoulder after I told him I didn’t want to touch it and then got mad when I threw it to the ground… UGG! Anyway, we had a fun time and will be going back soon to appreciate some of the outdoor inhabitants.
This past weekend both Bug and Fairy tested up to new ranks in Tae Kwon Do. They both did a great job. Bug has been promoted to Orange Belt/7th GUP. Fairy has been promoted to Gold Belt/8th GUP.
My brother is in town for a couple weeks and we took him on a fun hike today at the local nature center. We got to see lots of water birds… no babies yet… but nesting in action.
Sandhill Crane
Great Blue Herons
Mallard Ducks
Swan
Canadian Geese
And something that was really interesting… the local fire department was conducting a controlled burn on one of the trails. The kids wanted to check it out… how can a few birds compare with firemen? We watched them for a little bit from a safe distance.
