A Science Exploration: The Circulatory System

Recently we have been studying the human body with R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey's Life Science Level 1.  We have covered the skeletal system and the muscular system, and today we moved on to the circulatory system.  I thought that the lab we did today was quite neat.  We built a model of blood.  The girls really seemed to get the point that blood is more than just a red liquid.

They all worked had to color and diagram the blood cells.

Stirring the mixture together was definitely their favorite part of the lesson, however.

This was our final product.

Gans Creek

Today, before heading to the pool, I thought we would check out a part of Rock Bridge Park we had never been to before. We went to the Gans Creek area, to look for living and non-living things as part of our science curriculum. While the entrance confused us a bit (guess I should have checked out a map before heading out), we did eventually find a place to explore by the creek.

The girls found LOTS of living and non-living things there. Their list of living things included plants, flowers, trees, tadpoles (or small fish, it was hard to tell because I forgot to bring along a jar to catch one in and they moved fast), crayfish, and insects. Their list of non-living things included rocks (many with fossils), water, sand, mud, and a bridge.

The girls were very diligent about the task. They are always excited to be exploring outside, and today they enjoyed being "scientists," recording their findings. Madeline wrote about her exploration with words, and Hailey and Isabella used pictures. Isabella was especially careful to draw neat little pictures of the things she found.

Here is Madeline sitting in her area, working.

Isabella had a tree and a bridge above her area.

Hailey drew leaves, a tree, and rocks (mostly unidentifiable, but luckily she told me what she was drawing).

This crayfish was hiding among the rocks and leaves in the creek. We saw several of these little guys.

Building a Love of Learning

I am always so pleased when my girls make decisions to learn on their own.  One of my major reasons for homeschooling is to nurture a love of and excitement for learning.  Madeline and Isabella asked to watch The Way Things Work DVDs again.  Then they got out the K'Nex and spent quite a while building and experimenting with them, together.

Inclined Planes

We watched the The Way Things Work DVD on inclined planes today, at the girls' request. Afterwards, Madeline decided to try to build the steep inclined plane by herself.  I was not sure if she would be able to follow the instructions on her own, but I figured she would ask for help if she needed it.  I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that she was able to complete the project on her own, and even went on to make a modified version of the wheelbarrow to hold a doll to ride down the incline.  On another day we will experiment with the benefits of using an inclined plane.

Building Bridges

Well, our first K'Nex Education kit arrived today.  It was the Bridges kit, which is not really covered in the The New Way Things Work, so we decided to try it out.  There was lots of excitement about building our first bridge, a beam bridge.  The kit provides instructions and some information about each bridge type.  The instructions were not too difficult for me to follow, but I do not think that the girls would be able to follow them by themselves, at least not yet.  But, to be fair, the recommended age for the kit is 8+.  Madeline and Isabella were, for the most part, able to put the pieces together by themselves to construct the bridge, once I told them which pieces to connect next.  All in all, it was a success!  Madeline even added some embellishments once we finished the construction as described in the instructions.  I did neglect to take pictures of her additions, but I did get pictures of the process as well as the bridge completed as described by the kit.

This is the kit we used to build the beam bridge.

I was kind of surprised about how excited Isabella was to try this activity.  She really wanted to do parts herself, and was very proud of the finished product.

Madeline constructed one half of the bridge, and Isabella constructed the other half, and then the connected them in the middle.  It was a great cooperative effort.  Also, I continue to be convinced that Madeline is going to write a Broadway musical at some point.  She "wrote" a whole long, dramatic song about the bridge and its story while she was building.

When the bridge was finished, Madeline and Isabella decided to walk their fingers across it.

Just a note about Isabella's hair... she has a babysitter this morning who French  braided it.  It did not stay very well, but she did not want to take it out, or add barrettes to keep it it of her eyes, thus it covers her face... oh well. 

Woolly Bear Update...

After many searches for woolly bears around our neighborhood, Madeline found one in our driveway.  Good thing she found it before I backed the car over it!  So, now we have one woolly bear caterpillar hanging out in a cozy container to wait for spring.  Then, hopefully, the girls will be able to witness its transformation into an Isabella tiger moth.