Smokin' Hot Fun!

Monday's School features Smoke Bombs!
Well, first we did the experiment that was in the actual Chemistry Chapter.(Apologia High School Chemistry CD Rom)
ThermometerBeakerWaterIceAlcohol Burner
First, filled the beakers 3/4 with ice, then added water.Stirred 5 minutes.Took the temp.It should be 0.0 Celsius.Most thermometers are off up to 2 degrees.They recorded their thermometers for sake of calibration.
Then they lit the burner and recorded temps every minute(of the ice water)They marked time/temp of when all the ice had melted.

I thought we had 3 glass beakers, but I only found 2, so Ki used a jar.
it cracked at about 37 Celsius.WATER MESS all over the table as the bottom fell out.

*NOTE TO SELF- BUY MORE GLASS BEAKERS
And I thought I had 3 of the lab thermometers. Only found 2. Gavin used Ki's instant-read meat thermometer.
Which was pretty accurate. Gavin took his water to boiling.

*note to self: buy another lab thermometer.
They seemed to enjoy this in an educational capacity. Tracking the movement on the thermometer. Watching for changes.Dealing with faulty equipment. Marking their charts.
***************************
Next came the even they have been waiting for since we started Chem class.SMOKE BOMBS! click: How To Video
2 parts sugar3 parts Potassium Nitrate KNO3KNO3 is sold as Salt Peter/stump remover, but we had trouble finding itso we ordered straight KNO3 online.

just heat & stir those two in a skillet until it looks like light creamy peanut butter.

pour into glops on foil. (my boys did 1 big glop, then broke it apart)
cool.
take outside.
Light.
(and stand back)Next time we should add sodium bicarbonate to make it burn a little more slowly here is a small part of this big mess.

The Fire Breathing (click for how to video) didn't work too well.It was mostly a mess. We used the bunsen burners. Next time we need a NOT windy day and a stick with fire.but we had a couple good tries.
and this was thee messiest still. the boys covered in cornstarch, cornstarch all over the back porch.
THREE Big Messes in ONE day! how much more fun can there be?
and then there was math and reading. but that's boring blog material.Here is what Ki wrote about writing in his writing journal:
Writing is LAME and should be illegal because it is LAME. It is mucho boring and LAME so we should not have to learn something that is illegal and LAME. Wait, i have to shoop my whoop....BLAAAAAAHHHHH.....Ok. back to LAME writing i shouldgo to jail because it is illegal.
I guess I'm in BIG trouble. (so VOTE for my blog)


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J-TERM DAY 1

MONDAY'S WRAP-UP.J-TERM DAY 1
9:OO- Ki made pancakes. What better way to start our day? Me not having to cook and Yet there are still homemade pancakes to be eaten! He made Whole Wheat Pancakes; they weren't bad. I figured I needed to try one, though I was planning on just having a protein fruit smoothie. Ki told me they were whole wheat and had an extra egg white for protein. I'll have a Fruit Smoothie for lunch.
- I read one of the short stories out of our Jesus Freaks book and sent them off to read until 10:15. being that this is Forensics Month they had to choose a book that was a mystery is some sort. 39 Clues. The Mysterious Benedict Society. Hardy Boys. Mars Diary was added to the list. I want to see if I can find some Encyclopedia brown books at the Library.
10:30 - Forensic Class.

Define Forensic Science: The application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. [OR] Using Science to gather Legal Evidence.

Took Notes from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forensic_science

*Eureka - The archamedes story

*1^st recorded use of forensics, China.

Watching these YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_58XsN6XJWQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMmSCXzmxD4

I sent an email with the Youtube links to the boys so they could watch individually and use earphones. This worked well.

Did Word Scrambles 1 from this Page: http://www.sciencespot.net/Pages/classforscistarters.html this was Connor’s strong area. Gavin’s weakest area.

Did Some Spot The Differences (from the same above link- scroll down further): Gavin was strongest in this area.

Then we did some Fingerprint Stuff. We used a thick graphite art pencil to cover our fingertips, pressed our fingers onto the sticky side of packing tape, put the tape, sticky-side-down, onto blank index cards and labeled them. They covered their entire care with packing tape and used their fingerprint cards as bookmarks.

The Finished Fingerprint Card. Gavin added tape to the bottom as well & uses it as a bookmark.

To Make these Fingerprint cards:

Step One: Make Tape Lifting Tabs. Pull out about 3/4 and inch of tape away from the roll.

Step 2: Fold this piece of tape so the sticky sides adhere to each other. You now have a non-sticky tab to hold.



Step #3 Cut so there is about 1-2 inches of sticky tape. Set, sticky-side-up, into a flat surface


Step #4: either shave graphite off of a regular pencil or use one of those FAT Charcoal Art Pencils to coat your fingertip:




Step #5: place your fingertip onto the sticky side up tape, gently rollback and forth once:



Gavin did 3 fingers at the same time

Step #6 - place your print tape tab onto a blank index card.


We didn’t have time to get to the other things I wanted for Forensic Class today, but we’ll get to them tomorrow and actually talk about fingerprints and identifying fingerprint characteristics.

12: ISH was Lunch Time!!
1:00 2nd half of J-Term.
There is not much to write about C&G's Computer Class. Their dad gives them assignments- actual computer programming. I gave them a list of research, notes, etc, that needs to be some by the end of the month. (CLICK to Read their Comp. Program List) They are to spend about 30-45 minutes on my research and the rest of the time doing the computer programming.
Ki does THEATER on Mon./Wed./Fridays.
Ki started by reading to me out of a book called "Three plays written by Thornton Wilder". It is written in script format. He liked that it is written in script format.
Then we did some online research and note taking. Playwrights vs Screen Writers. Early Playwrights. Homophones (wright/write/right). Looks up some Greek Theater stuff (the Muses & the masks)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playwrighthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muses
Ki drew the Theater Masks (Comedy & Tragedy) in his book.
Then we watched a Youtube Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksVacpkQcGs&feature=BF&list=PL8191D67D4070401A&index=2
Ki then read through different lists of Improv Games and made a list of ideas for Wednesday.http://improvencyclopedia.org/games/index.html
Our 1st day of J-term was over at 2:50.
{DAY 2 OF J-TERM IS LISTED HERE: CLICK}
All I can find for dinner is spaghetti and no one here seems to want spaghetti. I NEED to make me MENU!!! (and go to Trader Joe's)

This Blog Entry is part of the following Hops:



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Plan & Plan so more

That is what I like to do best. But it is probably not what I do best.

I have the general outline for Forensic class. I need to fill in the details.

Connor and Ki are about done with their current sciences, so we'll start Chemistry in December. I have been going through the Apologia CD Rom for the Chemistry Class. Chemistry should be FUN and full of explosions and messes. I have been looking online to find such fun things to add into the 'book lessons'. I also noticed that the math in this High School class is above Ki's level. So I'll have some extra reading or simple experiments he can do while I have to endure advanced math with C&G.

I have to obtain a few things, like burners and graduated cylinders, for Chemistry Class. Downstairs in the closet is a box of Supplies of this exact Chemistry Class, so I need to go through that ans see what we already have.

I'm looking forward to making SMOKE BOMBS! And wearing my Lab Coat.