Submarines and Pitch Training with Bubble Wrap

The activity in this post was used with pre-schoolers, but could be used to address this Next Generation Science Standards Objective.

1-PS4-1.	Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate.

This month's challenge from Project Recycle and Create was a tough one for me.  I finally just gave up and put the box of bubble wrap Daddy had collected at work in the middle of the room.   For a couple of days it looked like our bubble wrap project would consist of pinching it with our fingers.  Not creative, but we can always use a little more fine motor practice, right?

Then T- Rex started using a craft stick as a tool and suggested that we could make a submarine, since it would not float as well after the bubbles popped. Clever, yes?

Then the Pony Artist said, "Hey Mommy, listen to this!"  And started happily snapping some bubbles.  As I listened, I realized that the bubbles had a different pitch than the ones T-Rex was popping.  

I invited her to come over to the piano, and we worked on popping bubbles of different sizes and matching them to pitch of the piano keys.  Bigger bubbles make lower sounds. Smaller bubbles make higher sounds. 

 Pony Artist figured it out, but she and T-Rex most enjoyed the rhythm aspect of this activity and treated Baby Sister and I to a concert.

Following my children's lead can take me some pretty fun places!

Click here to go to the landing page for this project and see the host projects.

Have your own Buble Wrap idea or experience? Link up! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Multiplication and Exponent Craft for Tweens

So far, most of the projects you see on this blog are for kindergarten and younger, because those are the ages found at my house.  Recently, I was given an invitation to put together some learning projects for a couple of middle school girls.  How fun!

They want princess projects, so I suggested stain glass castle windows, done in fractal patterns.  I was so excited when I received these pictures of the work they did!  I thought you would like to see them too.

To make a fractal pattern, choose a shape and repeat it systematically.  In the example above, she chose squares and put a smaller square on each corner.  Then, she put more squares on the corners of those squares.

Doing fractals inspires mathematical thinking on many levels.  In this case, I was hoping to reinforce the students ' sense of multiplication as they think through how many shapes are needed for the next level. "If I have four squares with four corners, I will need 4x4 more squares."  Count the shapes above to find the answer to "4x4=?"

 Since this is practice in repeatedly multiplying by the same number, it also gives a nice introduction to exponential powers.  Exponential powers are expressed with a "^" .  In the example below, we see a three cornered object repeated four times.  In math terms 3^4, or three to the fourth power.  Count the triangles to find the answer to 3^4=?    My son says this one looks like castles.

My inspiration for the "stain glass" came from Jean Van't Hul at The Artful Parent.  Click here to read how to do it.

I got excited about fractals while taking an on-line class at Moebius Noodles, Math Adventures. The class is over, but I found the class so useful I also downloaded Moebius Noodles: Adventurous Math for the Playground Crowd to our Kindle.  You may want to check it out.

What projects have made you excited recently?

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.  Click here for more information.   Thanks for your support!  The post, Multiplication and exponent Craft for Tweens, originally appeared on WisdomKnowledgeJoy@blogspot.com.  

Swinging Baby Catch and Inertia

We have a new favorite game.  Baby catch!  Baby sister sits in her swing and T -Rex and the Pony Artist push her back and forth to each other.  It is so sweet!

I asked T -Rex to tell me what force pulls the swing back down.  He knew it is gravity.  Then I asked, "Why does the swing keep going at the bottom of its path, and start moving up?" He was puzzled.

I told him that it is because the swing is already moving. If something is moving, it will keep moving until something stops it. He smiled. 

I asked him again just now if he knew why the swing keeps going.  He answered , "Because it was already moving." Yay!

  Newton's First Force Law says that a thing will keep moving at the same speed and in the same direction, unless something stops it.  This tendency to keep doing the same is called inertia.

Centrifugal (center fleeing) motion is sometimes credited to a force with the same name.  You are not likely to see such a force, and if you did, it would have another name.  The movement away from center is due to inertia.

 The vast majority of circular systems  depend on a centripetal (center seeking) force, in this case the rope, and inertia. 

Here is a challenge for you.  Find some circular motion examples and figure out what the centripetal (center seeking ) force is.

I would Love to hear what you find!

The goal of this Science Along the Way series to help me, my kids, and my readers take notice of the wonder around us every day in the physical world. If you would like to share a phenomenon you have noticed, e-mail me at WisdomKnowledgeJoy@gmail.com.

The post, Swinging Baby Catch and Inertia, first appeared on WisdomKnowledgeJoy@blogspot. com.

How to Plan a Road Trip your Kids will Love: Tip 3

 

Kids love routine in every context.  I knew we had really gotten comfortable with our traveling routine the night that we walked into our hotel room, and my three-year-old headed straight for the bathroom, undressed, and hopped in the tub.  Here are a few hints on how to establish a routine while on the move.

Pack by activity

Since  our children are too young to take responsibility for their things, my husband suggested this system. It works so well!

We have one overnight bag with all of our toiletries and pajamas.  We pack clothes by outfit in Ziploc storage bags, in the suitcases.  Each evening, when we pull over to sleep, we each choose one outfit for the next day and put it in the toiletry bag.  The overnight bag and electronics bag are the only ones that need to come in, unless we also grab the swim bag!  Giving the children control of what they wear and eat helps them feel more settled in the craziness of traveling. 

In the morning, dirty clothes go back in the clothing bag. The laundry bags stay in the vehicle unless we are washing the laundry.  Then it is taken to the laundry room, and everything repacked in the ziploc bags. Each child has their suitcase with just a jacket, stuffed animal, favorite book.  Well, occasionally other items mysteriously appear.  All electronics go in one bag, though.  That makes it easy to be sure everything is charged over night, out of the heat and not luring thieves to break our windows. We also have a bag just for car activities, a bag for food that I can reach, and often a second store of food and water in the back.  This system saves my husband and I stress, allowing everyone to have a better time. 

Rest Stop Routine

Whenever we pull over, every one is mandated to use the toilet.  Then, we spend a few minutes exploring or playing tag.  Either my husband or I quickly discards trash and organizes snack, drinks, and activities so we will be comfortable on the next leg of our trip.

Organizing the Day

What works well depends both on how much ground you need to cover, and how old the children are.  We have found that our pre-schoolers do best when we wake them about fifteen minutes before pulling out and eat breakfast in the car.  They love those bagels!  If we have a long day of travel, we hold off on electronics until thirty minutes before our lunch stop.  On short days, we can splurge. We try to make lunch a long stop somewhere that the kids can really be active, like a park or restaurant with a play area.  After lunch, it's another hour with out electronics.  Usually they fall asleep.  When they wake up, snacks and electronics flow freely, until we pull in for the night.

Make it an Adventure, Make Car Time a Treat, and Establish Your Routine.  Those are my ideas for planning a great road trip.  What are you doing to make your next road trip special?

Related posts:
How to Plan a Road Trip your Kids will Love: Tip 1
How to Plan a Road Trip your Kids will Love: Tip 2

Pinterest boards
Traveling with Kids, organized by the Measured Mom
My personal Road Trip board

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.  Click here for more information.   Thanks for your support!  The post,  Planning a Fun, Educational Family Road Trip: Establish Routine by Christy McGuire originally appeared on WisdomKnowledgeJoy@blogspot.com.

How to Plan a Road Trip your Kids will Love: Tip 2

When it's time to hit the road, my kids are excited to strap themselves in.  It might be weird, but it has been a huge benefit as our family has needed to cover some serious miles over the past few years.   Last week, I shared tip one, make road trips into an adventure. My second piece of road trip advice is this, Make car time a treat. Here is how we do it.

New books

I ordered a few new books for this summer's road trip. Over the past few years,  I have made a habit of buying a children's book about each state we visit. It has been a fun way to appreciate and remember where we have been.  The State Shape Books are great and so are these state alphabet books .

New Car activities

Magnet board activities work well in the car.  At Christmas, a friend recommended doing a nativity from Made by Joel.  I colored and laminated it, and both kids really enjoyed it.

You can also plan simple crafts.  Last year we did this shamrock from Roots of Simplicity while traveling on St. Patrick's day.

I am working on prepping a few new activities for this summer's trip.  I will share as I finish.

Of course, extra screen time is a major reason for my children's love of road trips as well.  I Game Mom is the go to site for great Apps for kids, and we have our own stash of favorite videos.

Snacks and water

Although vacation is the time to splurge, too much extra sugar or red dye still makes us feel bad.  We carry reusable water bottles, and a stash of nuts, crackers, dried and fresh fruit.  My children look forward to these "car foods", and we make better meal choices along the way, because we can afford to eat earlier or to wait for a better choice.

If you are looking for more great car trip ideas check put this Pinterest board organized by Anna at The Measured Mom.  My personal road trip ideas are here.

Related Posts:
How to Plan a Road Trip your Kids will Love: Tip 1


This post contains Amazon affiliate links.  Click here for more information.   Thanks for your support!  The post, Planning A Fun Educational Family Road Trip:Make Car Time a Treat, by Christy McGuire originally appeared on WisdomKnowledgeJoy@blogspot.com.

Thunder and Lightning must be Friends

We have been enjoying alot of weather here in the south east US this week.  We were just ready to leave the library on Thursday when the wind picked up and the lights went out.  We spent an hour getting to know some new friends better in the dark while we waited for things to calm down.  

Tonight, things were rumbling again.  As I was tucking him in, T-Rex asked, "So Mom, what is thunder anyway?"   I told him that thunder is energy.  The energy moves through the air, making waves and causing them to rumble.  Our ears receive that chaos as the sound "thunder."

  Energy is the most basic thing in the natural world.   So, I push myself to explain things to my children in terms of energy.  (This is actually debatable, but enough people with Phd.'s agree with me that I am going to go ahead and just make it a statement.) If you want to go a little deeper, you might think about the fact that lightening happens because electrons build up in the clouds during storms.  When the charge gets strong enough, the electrons jump to the ground. This jump releases a huge amount of energy.  Some of it is light, or "lightning".  Some of the energy physically moves out through the air.  That is thunder.

A little later, Pony Artist was out of bed, (That happens on stormy nights, right?)  As she headed back to her room, she turned to me and said, "I think thunder and lightening must be friends."

  All children are natural scientists.  What have yours been observing lately?

Simple KindergartenReadiness Checklist and the At Home Pre-School Boot camp

One day, I was talking with a friend of mine.   She told me that she was thinking of buying a pre-school curriculum to use with her son.  I quickly pointed her to a few of my favorite free on-line resources, and followed up by sending the links.  When we talked again, I was slightly horrified to hear that she had not found my suggestions helpful, and in fact, had bought a curriculum. "You are a teacher.  I am not." was her explanation.  We talked about it some more, and she convinced me that although I don't have any special training in early child hood, my background as a teacher does make accessing on-line resources written by the professionals easier.  The result of that conversation was an At Home, Pre-school Boot Camp.

Here are the six areas of growth that I try to promote in my own pre-schoolers.

Independence

Can he take care of himself?  At the kindergarten level this is about things like using the bathroom and eating lunch out of a lunch box without help.

Social interaction

Can he play well with his peers? Kindergartners are expected to be able to communicate verbally with one another and resolve minor altercations.

Function within my culture's social structure

Can she behave well in a formal situation? If she is a  North American, can she to sit and listen, raise her hand, and line up?

Language

Can she understand, be understood?  Kindergartners are expected to enjoy listening to stories of some length, follow instructions and know their alphabet.

Math

Is he organizing his world by patterns?  A well prepared kindergartner can count to ten and name shapes and colors, and work puzzles.

Writing

Can she use a pencil? At the beginning of kindergarten, the teacher will expect her to be able to write her name and copy letters.


This is a highly simplified list.  If you want a more detailed list of what children should know at the beginning of kindergarten, check out School Sparks by Renee Abronowitz or this list from the Measured Mom.

If you are working on these areas and your child is not making progress, I recommend consulting with your local school district or another trusted expert.  Some times children need special help, and getting it early is best.

 If you would like to work on these areas with your child,  and could use some hints to get started, my upcoming At Home, Pre-school Bootcamp series is for you!  

Pre-school should be a dynamic learning experience.  Whether your child attends a formal program, or spends all day with you, the At Home Pre-school Bootcamp will help you set up the activities needed to help help your child develop at home.  Each week, I will post a summary of activities that help you begin to cover the major areas that should be addressed with every child, with links to easy to follow instructions, and introductions to some of my favorite on-line experts. It's free, you'll only have to pay for your materials.  I have written your shopping list, which you can directly order from Amazon (Click here to Sign up for Amazon Prime and get free shipping), or use to find great deals around town.  Best of all, you will have fun connecting with your child while preparing him not only for kindergarten, but for life. 

If you have a resource that I should check out, leave it in the comments. I am always looking for great ideas for my own littles, and may share it as well.  Double check that you have some plain old paper and a pencil on hand and make sure that you are following this blog either by e-mail or in your reader. The first set of posts is coming Monday!

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.  Click here for more information.   Thanks for your support!  The post,  At Home Pre-school Bootcamp originally appeared on WisdomKnowledgeJoy@blogspot.com.