Science Experiments

I really do not like doing science lessons with the girls because they always include experiments.  "Experiments" always includes wandering around the house to gather a bunch of stuff, doing the two minute experiment and then cleaning up and putting it all away.  The "lessons" which the experiments supposedly teach are always (to me) ridiculously simple. 

But, the girls love the experiments.  They beg for them.  And, our curriculum requires it.  So, I do them.

The first week's worth of experiments were really just on the various equipment they send us and how to use it.  For example, one of the lessons is on the thermometer.  We put hot water in one cup, room temperature water in another, and ice water in a third.  Then the girls used the thermometer to read the temperature of the water in each cup.  You would have thought I split the atom they got so excited and squealed (and I mean squealed!) as the mercury in the thermometer rose and fell.

Then we had a lesson on capacity. Basically, the girls used a cup measure to fill different sized bowls with water.  They had to count the number of cups each bowl held and make a chart.  Surprisingly, the bigger bowls held more cups of water than the smaller bowls!

This is not a great picture because Catherine's arm is blocking her face.  But the girls measured and remeasured various amounts of water with a graduated cylinder forever.  The lesson plan told me to add a few drops of food coloring to the water to make it easier to read.  Thankfully I can get food coloring for really cheap at the dollar store. 

We also learned how to use a scale and a ruler.  But, all the water activities were the most popular.  They insist on doing the experiments repeatedly and doing them again at night with Daddy.