Summer of Science...

[Mommyfaithe]

I would like to spend the summer doing science with my kids. I just did not have time during the year and feel summer lends itself to doing those messy experiments outside that I don't want to do in the house.

 

What are your all time favorite messy, sparkly, wowza science experiments, kits, projects (such as models, grow a frog etc.) type stuff that the kids will actually enjoy and most importantly LEARN SOMETHING from?

 

Thanks,

Faithe

[Mommyfaithe]

bump

[PeterPan]

Which kids will you be doing this with? The 15 yo or the 11 and under? It's definitely a great idea! For the older kids, you might look at the GEMS guides that got mentioned recently. There are some you can download for free and some that are lower-key, wouldn't be so hard to implement. WonderScience would also be good.

[Guest]

Great outdoor GEMS units: Bubble-ology and Bubble Festival (they work better in slightly humid, not too windy places); and Dry Ice Investigations. Probably the unit my daughter liked best, which took A LOT of set-up but which was incredibly fun, was Mystery Festival, in which you create a crime scene and the kids conduct various chemical tests and analyses, then present their ideas about what happened. There's an unthreatening little kids' version and a bigger kids, more complex scenario in the same booklet.

[Carol in Cal.]

Around here, now is the time to get those tadpoles, or you will end up with only bullfrogs.

 

I used an old wading pool. I filled it with water 4 days before we got the tadpoles so that the chlorine could evaporate. I used an old cement mixing bowl from the hardware store (cheap and black) to stage water additions from then on. I hooked up an old aquarium pump to run through the pool's spray nozzle to keep the water moving and prevent mosquitoes.

 

The tadpoles are fun to watch every day! I fed them blanched lettuce.

 

Unfortunately, just as they almost had their little legs grown, my DH decided to surprise me by changing out the water completely. They lost their camo and were all eaten by raccoons or something. I was pretty ticked!

 

But there was a good thing that also happened, very strange--I had noticed that some of the tadpoles we collected looked translucent. I never saw them grow into anything, but somehow they escaped detection and established a newt colony in our yard! It lasted for several years! We had the fun yard for sure--all jungley, with actual wildlife! And I let the kids dig mud holes as well. This made DD very popular in our citified little neighborhood.

[Mommyfaithe]

Which kids will you be doing this with? The 15 yo or the 11 and under? It's definitely a great idea! For the older kids, you might look at the GEMS guides that got mentioned recently. There are some you can download for free and some that are lower-key, wouldn't be so hard to implement. WonderScience would also be good.

 

I will be doing this with the 11 and unders. I will check out the GEMS guides. Thanks!

 

~~Faithe

[Mommyfaithe]

Around here, now is the time to get those tadpoles, or you will end up with only bullfrogs.

 

I used an old wading pool. I filled it with water 4 days before we got the tadpoles so that the chlorine could evaporate. I used an old cement mixing bowl from the hardware store (cheap and black) to stage water additions from then on. I hooked up an old aquarium pump to run through the pool's spray nozzle to keep the water moving and prevent mosquitoes.

 

The tadpoles are fun to watch every day! I fed them blanched lettuce.

 

Unfortunately, just as they almost had their little legs grown, my DH decided to surprise me by changing out the water completely. They lost their camo and were all eaten by raccoons or something. I was pretty ticked!

 

But there was a good thing that also happened, very strange--I had noticed that some of the tadpoles we collected looked translucent. I never saw them grow into anything, but somehow they escaped detection and established a newt colony in our yard! It lasted for several years! We had the fun yard for sure--all jungley, with actual wildlife! And I let the kids dig mud holes as well. This made DD very popular in our citified little neighborhood.

 

This is really cool!! We have done the newt thing by accident too...kids had thought they caught tadpoles but they were actually newts. We have also hatched mudpuppies...but those didn't survive :confused: Not really sure why not.

 

One time I killed the tadpoles by accidently leaving the air filter off when i cleaned the tank...so i feel for your dh. I was so upset with myself. I was trying to help...oh well...my kids said I was a frog killer...ACK!!!

 

~~Faithe

[Mermaid Mama]

This deserves another bump.

[khall]

summer kids club at quickstudylabs.com

[LoveBaby]

This is a great idea. We haven't done much formal science this year either and the projects would be fun to do outside. We have hatched praying mantis (my DD collected the egg sacks in the yard) and have done tadpoles and ants.

 

The bubbles sound awesome as well as some dry ice experiments!

 

They get most of their formal science studies at co-op, but are always game for more experiments, so a summer of science would be fun and take the pressure off of more formal science through the school year when we have so many other obligations!

[Jumping In Puddles]

Sounds like fun!

[TandLMommy28]

I don't have any brilliant recommendations for you but I just wanted to say that you just made me have a "duh!" moment. We are planning to follow the WTM first grade science pattern and I kept thinking "THat stinks! We start animals in September and our zoo closes for the year in October. We won't get to do some of the stuff I had come up with!" (We have a very hands-on children's zoo and we have a family membership). DUH! We could just do science over the summer, at least the animal section and then take a break when school starts to settle into the other stuff and pick up the human body right after Christmas.... which will fall in line perfectly with our March trip to Disney World since Epcot has some fabulous human body stuff!

 

So anyway, just wanted to say THANKS for posting this because you helped my plans fall into place!

[2_girls_mommy]

We got a tadpole habitat for a gift one time. We sent off for the tadpole, and did everything it said, like buying the special water instead of tap water and letting it get room temp. first, but he died. We tried two more times ordering a tadpole by mail, and they died too. Any ideas of what we did wrong?

[Pippen]

We're really enjoying two things that were mentioned here recently (and many thanks to whoever posted these!):

 

Private Eye Do-it-Yourself World in a Box

http://www.the-private-eye.com/html/materials/desksets/kits.html#wiab

 

Zorb Digital Microscope

http://www.amazon.com/Carson-Digital-Microscope-Optical-Safari/dp/B001GIDW2S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1273258001&sr=8-2

[Corraleno]

My favorite experiments-for-kids book is Creepy Crawlies and the Scientific Method. Over 100 *real* experiments (hypotheses, variables, lab sheets, etc.), not the typical "demonstrations" (baking soda & vinegar, Mentos & Coke, etc.) you generally find in science books for kids. The projects use supplies you would have around the house, and critters you would mostly find in your backyard. Includes detailed info on catching/housing/feeding/keeping critters, including making a pond. Perfect for summer!

 

Jackie

[lisabees]

Fun idea. We'll be doing the escience camp with Supercharged Science.

 

http://www.sciencelearningspace.com/summer-ecamp/

[robsiew]

I didn't look at where you live, but just a thought... we're doing astronomy this summer because it will be nice enough to be outside at night to study the stars... granted it will be late, but not frigid! You might want to add in some astronomy...

[Carol in Cal.]

We got a tadpole habitat for a gift one time. We sent off for the tadpole, and did everything it said, like buying the special water instead of tap water and letting it get room temp. first, but he died. We tried two more times ordering a tadpole by mail, and they died too. Any ideas of what we did wrong?

 

We went to a little stream where they hatch, and scooped some up, water and all. We also, and I think this is key, brought along some big old plastic jugs, and filled them with the stream water. So, when we got the tadpoles home, we had already filled our huge wading pool with water four days before, so the chlorine was gone, and aerated it well with the sprayer, so it had oxygen in it. We brought the tadpoles home and put them AND THEIR WATER into the pool. I think that there were little bugs or scum or something that was in that water that the tadpoles were accostomed to. They did just great. We also put the pool under a tree, so it didn't heat up too much in the sun. It was not very deep, and we put some big rocks in it so they could hide. I do think that having local organisms and having some of their own water in the mix was really helpful. Every day or two I would blanch a little lettuce and put it into the pool, and take out the old ones. I also bought some frog and tadpole food just to be on the safe side when their little legs started to develop. We have done this several times, and it has worked very well.

[Create Your Ritual]

My kids have also been in the tadpole rescue business this summer. I've posted some info and pics at my blog below. We are pretty rustic about it... big bucket filled with the creek/pond water we got them from and feed them fish food flakes. Amazingly they are doing rather well.... "Rosetta" is about ready to be released into the wild.