I'm looking to start a little science club for 3rd & 4th graders and I need help with a few ideas. Will any of you brainstorm with me? :bigear: I did this a few years ago and used the curriculum from ClubZoom (remember the PBS kids show Zoom?), but I need a few fresh ideas that are a little more exciting...we'll do a film canister rocket, build a hovercraft. I tend to lean towards the engineering type of science, but it doesn't necessarily need to be so. Basically my plan is to do some fun, hands-on things that will get them excited about science, introduce the background info, let their minds think, let them have something tangible to take home & tell family about...plus I'd like it to be not too expensive and not too messy. Have any of you done any science activities/experiments that have gone over really well with your kids that you might recommend? TIA!

Maybe you could find a family in need to 'sponsor' together as a family--and all work together to make their Christmas special...instead of buying for one another. We had this issue at dh's work a few years back, each buying the other 5-6 attorneys rather expensive gifts...just added to the stress and there really was no need for it. Dh finally approached them and said let's pool the money we would spend on each other and find someone who needs it or wouldn't be able to have Christmas for their kids without help. It has been a great experience and we are all so happy with the change.

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Just thought I'd send out a little note in case any of you might be interested and might score as great a deal as I just did! :D We went to a museum today that had Keva planks...my ds-soon-to-be-8 *loved* them (we'd never seen them before, although I heard a lot of good things about them here). On the way home, he said that is what he wanted for his upcoming birthday...a whole bunch of them. I was at Toysrus and just happened to notice CitiBlocks...and they were priced 200 blocks for $14.98 (originally $45). I bought five boxes and was tempted to buy more!!! Dh thinks I've gone crazy...thinks ds won't like to 'play with blocks' but he wasn't at the museum to see how cool these are going to be!

Perhaps you could start "Room Time" or "Daniel Time" (or whatever his name is)...put out a few toys in his room, put on some preschool music, and set a timer. Tell him he needs to stay in his room for x amount of time and then it will be time for Sister Susie to play with him. He can choose to either play with cars, blocks, or read books. Gradually increase this time, from say ten minutes to thirty minutes. I've found my little one plays better by herself when some preschool or classical music is playing in the room with her. Not sure why, maybe she doesn't feel so alone? Also, perhaps he needs a little guidance in *how* to play with some of his toys. It wasn't until older sister spent time with little dd 'teaching' her how to play 'family'...now she can entertain herself for quite some time with her babies and kitchen. But before she was clueless and would be done within five minutes. So perhaps you could spend a little time teaching him how to set up some make-believe scenario with the blocks and cars and Little People. (One thing I loved about Rescue Heroes several years back...ds was always building mountains, causing earthquakes, and then rescuing everybody...).

We just had a fun day today...I made up a list of 26 different things to do, each starting with a different letter of the alphabet. We called it our ABC day and my kids *loved* it! I was surprised how much they liked it. The list included things for them to do (on their own or with sibling)--there were a few chores, a few educational things, a few really silly, a few physical exercise, a few electronic...but they could go in any order they chose...as long as they did them all. (The alternative was to be my cleaning assistant for two hours). It took them all morning and they all had a great time! Some examples of what I did: Bicycle around the neighborhood; Quickly get dressed & make your bed; Vanquish a cyber-foe for twenty minutes (computer game...V is hard to think of verbs!!!); Study scripture for ten minutes; I scream, you scream...go eat an ice cream!; X-amine a book of your choice; Entertain little sister for fifteen minutes. Now I've decided I'm going to do this periodically with different types of lists...number lists, have them make up lists for each other, color lists? Write ideas on popsicle sticks and see how many they can finish by a certain time. I haven't thought it all through very much yet, but after the response I got today...our three bathrooms were cleaned, kids were dressed w/beds made, scriptures read, little one entertained, piano practiced...and I didn't have to nag. at. all. Plus they had fun...so I felt like a pretty cool mom (for the day!).

Wow! You go all out, girl! Looks like lots of fun!

Here!

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You might enjoy searching at this site: http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.com/totschool.html. This is from another homeschooling mom who wanted to make sure she spent one-on-one time with her toddler. She's got some great ideas on there--often using things you'd probably already have on hand. I really enjoy looking through her ideas--it's inspiring. You could read a different story each day and then do a little activity to go along with it. It wouldn't take too much planning--you could easily find some fun things on the internet for this and you could make it as simple or elaborate as you're in the mood for. For example, with "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie," you make cookies together (or just eat them with milk) or with "The Big Hungry Bear...Red, Ripe Strawberry," you wash fresh strawberries together, count them and eat them. Or with "The Napping House" you print out pictures of each of the characters, draw a bed and have your child pile them on while you read the story together. That might not be what you're looking for, but I have found it's pretty easy to 'extend' storytime into a fun memory or activity. One thing I've tried to do is have a different kind of activity each day of the week--perhaps a Learning Activity (sorting colored bears, counting buttons, playing with ABC letters), Sensory Play (water, rice, sand, playdoh), Art project (gluing beans, painting, markers, stickers), Physical Play (dance to music, marching band, obstacle course). Another idea is to find a chore that you need to get done and make it into a fun activity to do with her. Usually I just want to hurry and get it done, but if I slow down and match/fold socks with dd2 and then she gets to throw them into the basket, I've killed two birds with one stone. Same thing for sorting dirty laundry or sorting silverware or washing windows. It's a fun activity to her...if I let it be! But as for educational toys, my favorites are puzzles, counting frogs, counting bears, lacing beads, matching games. Have fun!

My friend hosted a little Open House type of get-together for her dh when he turned 40--with a few treats. She asked those who wanted to, to bring 40 of something--anything. 40 m&ms, 40 paperclips, 40 paper airplanes, etc...it was fun to see what people came up with!

One idea is to have her fill out a multiplication table--help her to see all of the ones she DOES know easily (zero, ones, twos, fives, tens--perhaps?). Then have her fill in all of the other facts she knows--pointing out that 3x6 is the same as 6x3 so she can fill in both squares if she knows this one fact. The point of this exercise is to figure out which ones are the most troublesome...so you know which facts to focus on. There are lots of games to play online to improve facts...I love this site: http://www.mathcats.com/explore/multiplicationtable.html They have an interactive multiplication table--instead of writing it all out, you drop & click numbers into the right spot. My ds likes that much better than writing all those numbers in. They also have a great activity that shows arrays of the multiplication problems--helps to visualize what the answers are. I also love the triangle flashcards--helps to see how division & multiplication facts relate.

Yeah, I saw this article this morning and thought...good grief, what's next? It's amazing people have survived for years without all of the 'danger' warnings...

Recently there was a thread on here (of course, I can't find it right now!) showing a blog where a lady made CUTE tiered goodie plates...she bought a dinner size plate, salad plate/bowl, and a candle holder...then used epoxy glue to stick them together. Wouldn't that be so cute with some of your fudge or other goodies on it and a big bow? I went to the dollar store, found two different sets to make--for a total of $3 each...only I haven't gotten the epoxy yet. But I was very inspired by this and just know it will be an easy, cute, useful, fun Christmas gift!

Do your tortillas turn out okay when you freeze them? How do you heat them, in the microwave? I made a whole bunch of breakfast burritos last year, but our tortillas went hard & crunchy when we warmed them up in the microwave. Just wondering if you have a different way of doing it that might be more successful! Thanks!

Can I ask a silly Netflix question? When I go to their website and browse selections, is this only a small listing of what is available? If I were to join, would I then have a larger listing of dvds and instant viewing? So sorry to hijack...I've been wanting to ask this question somewhere and you all are obviously netflix users & know a lot more about it than I do!

Yeah, we have our days of struggling with this, too. You could try a fun way to make it a little more enjoyable--everyone works together to try to get the kitchen cleaned up before a fun, upbeat song ends; see if you can get it done by the time you get back from the bathroom; see if you can do it without anybody talking at all; set the timer and try to beat it; etc. My kids seem to cooperate a little bit more when I try to make it fun. (Okay, that takes a little more energy...and doesn't always work...) Our family has a 10-Minute Tidy after dinner. We do our assigned dinner chore (changes weekly...we have listed exactly what's involved with each chore) and then quickly pick up our assigned "Zone" (also changes weekly...simply an area of the house that needs to be checked frequently--like put shoes away in front entry, hang up sweatshirts, pick up blocks in FR, put away music books by piano, etc). On days that we do it and everybody cooperates, it's awesome! It sometimes takes a bit longer than ten minutes...but we try to race the clock.

My dd2 can't say 'v' without vibrating (completely exaggerating, with her whole body)...wonder how that will play out in the future!

:iagree: I am right there with you! I think it's way out of control. I'm not saying snacks themselves are unnecessary...especially healthy ones planned on & provided by the parents. But the problem I have with it is how so many activities have to end with giving out a sugary snack/treat to 'reward' the kids for being there. I don't get it. Library storytime, swimming lessons, soccer games, dance practice...the one that makes me the craziest is at church. But I'm not too surprised at how it's evolved...look at how many adult functions end with refreshments...

We used sign with dd2; started when she was about 8-9 months. "Signing Time" is amazing. I seriously could not believe how quickly she learned the signs and began using them (and my older kids, too!). The most helpful signs were "more," "all done," and "milk". She was able to communicate with us very early and it was wonderful. You can check out the "Signing Time" website for some info on signing with little ones. http://www.signingtime.com/faqs/benefits-of-signing/ Their DVD's are great, but it is so expensive...luckily we had them showing on our local pbs station for awhile and I recorded them. Baby Signing Time #1 and Signing Time #1 are the ones I'd recommend most.

Another idea might be to collect the supplies needed for several different experiments (either from a book or printed off the internet); put each in a separate bag w/copy of instruction page; and then put 4-5 of the bags into a Science Box of some kind. You could replenish as she finishes them. I've loved the experiments/activities from ClubZoom (remember the PBS show Zoom?). On the pbs website they have printable pages with instructions clearly written to the child....for fun things like rockets and hovercrafts, as well as many others. Most of the materials needed are things you'd typically have around your home. http://pbskids.org/zoom/printables/activities/

Don't mean to hijack or anything...but I recently went to the doc and asked him to check my thyroid because I felt like that might be my problem, too...he said it looked fine. So what you're saying here is that there is a different test that might show something that might have been missed on the first? Am I understanding this right?

We have two guinea pigs and use towels/fleece. I went to the thrift store and bought a bunch of old towels--(it takes about 4 bath towels to cover our cage w/2 layers)--and then we have fleece (just from Walmart, you have to wash it a few times before using). Supposedly the fleece lets the urine soak right through to the towels and keeps the top layer dry, so they aren't sitting around in it. I lay the towels down, then the fleece and use clothespins to attach to the cage (they love to get UNDER the fleece, but can't figure out how to get out of it and so are stuck until we notice!). We vacuum the poop daily (we...ha ha...my kids NOT me!) and change the linens once a week. They poop a. lot...way more than I ever imagined they would! So then I do one load a week of piggy linens--use bleach & wash load twice; then do an empty load w/bleach to clean my washer. Probably don't need to do that but I just hate the idea of their stuff all over my clothes. I hang-dry the towels/fleece. My neighbor just uses newspaper for her piggies...cheap option if you get a paper, but I notice it smells sooner than ours does (we are currently piggy-sitting so we have four piggies at our house right now)...and it looks pretty nasty. With the fleece, you don't really see urine spots--and if you scoop/vacuum poop up regularly, you can keep things looking relatively clean.

These are cracking me up! When ds was almost 3, one day while we were driving around he asked what all the lines in the sky were for. I wasn't sure what he was talking about, and said, Huh? He pointed to the power lines everywhere and asked what they were for. I thought it was pretty perceptive for a little guy...one of those things I just don't even pay attention to at all!

My favorite: Dd2 says "got-for" instead of forgot...Oh, mom, I got-for my blankie...you got-for my story... Ds7 said a few weeks ago, "I can't wait for high school science, you get to DIGEST frogs!"