Froglet Update

I awoke this morning to discover two things - one sad, one happy. Little Ozzy did not make it, this morning he was found on the bottom of the tank, barely moving and I felt it was time to end his suffering. He will be missed. Charlie, on the other hand has sprouted his front legs, so we have added the floating piece of wood to the tank. I think he will need to be moved to another tank soon. The second largest - still unnamed at this point - definitely has his hind legs sprouting and the twins are holding stable.

The second largest - still unnamed at this point - definitely has his hind legs sprouting and the twins are holding stable. This continues to be one of the most educational and interesting projects yet. I must do in all home ed households!

Froglet Update - Legs have sprung

Backyard Science

Baking soda rockets and microscopes -----

Sketching at the park -------

Pooh sticks and snake identifications--------

What could be better on an incredible spring day!!!

Froglet update

So we have determined that the problem with our littlest froglet - Ozzi - is that it's organs are not centered within the body. In the picture below you can see the red mass of organs is shifted to the left side of it's body.

I am not really sure what the outcome will be, but we are keeping a close eye on this little one.

Random update - Froglets!

We haven't updated in a while as they really haven't had much of a change other than there size lately. The largest is now about 3 inches and little one is only 1.5 inches, so there is quite a size difference. Since we will have to eventually create a terrarium for the critters we decided to upgrade to a 10 gallon tank today, but only put about 3.5 gallons of water in it. This gives them plenty of space to swim around and grow but will not become overwhelming to change the water. It should also be ample space so that the littlest will not get eaten or taken over by the larger. 

Mass Audubon - Free PDF activities to get outdoors!!!

Mass Audubon has some great fun and FREE printable activities available on their site to help you and your family get moving and learning outdoors. Though some are specific to their parks - like the discovery booklets - many - like the spring bingo - can be used anywhere! SO surf on over, print some out and GET OUTSIDE!!!

Welcome to REAL TREES 4 Kids! - FREE Ecology Resources

REAL TREES 4 Kids!:

The REAL TREES 4 Kids! project began early in 1999 in preparation for the 30th anniversary of Earth Day. Sponsored by the National Christmas Tree Association, the project's goal is to teach school-aged students the ins and outs of Christmas Tree production.

On April 2, 1999, Internet viewers got their first peek at curriculum materials prepared specifically for students, teachers, and leaders in grades 2 through 5. Since that time, the set of materials has grown to include materials for middle and high school students.

In 2008, curriculum materials were made available for teachers of students in grades K through 2. These new materials were designed by elementary educator Michelle Drake as part of a grant through the USDA.

REAL TREES 4 Kids! has had over 169,000 visitors since April, 1999. However, this project is not limited to the Internet. Our REAL TREES team has shared information and activities with participants at the convention of the National Science Teachers Association as well as with visitors to the AgEarth celebration of Earth Day on the Mall in Washington DC.

As we keep growing, keep in mind that new additions to the curriculum happen, in great part, through suggestions and requests made by you. If you would like to "get active" in the update process, please let us know. Send your input, suggestion, or comments to our design team.

You Tube Monday - Extraction of DNA from onion

We use You Tube for a lot of things - including Science Experiments!

Free Science Projects for Kids from Home Science Tools

The Home Science Tools site is one of my first stops for anything science related. They have a fantastic Free Science Projects for Kids section that includes project ideas in every area - Biology, Chemistry, Microscope Projects, Dissection Guides and so much more!

Computer Science Unplugged - FREE Resource

Computer Science... without a Computer!

Free activities for classroom or home

CS Unplugged is a collection of free learning activities that teach Computer Science through engaging games and puzzles that use cards, string, crayons and lots of running around.

The activities introduce students to underlying concepts such as binary numbers,algorithms and data compression, separated from the distractions and technical details we usually see with computers.

CS Unplugged is suitable for people of all ages, from elementary school to seniors, and from many countries and backgrounds. Unplugged has been used around the world for over fifteen years, in classrooms, science centers, homes, and even for holiday events in a park!

You Tube Monday - Our Tadpoles

Weekly Update - Taste of Summer

We are on "book break" this week and BOY OH BOY did we pick a good one. The weather has been incredible and we have fully been taking advantage of it. DN survived his first road trip with CJ and it seemed to be a good turning point and bonding experience for them. KM and I spent the week cleaning, yard-working, finishing projects, KM finished up Wuthering Heights and completed the work for her last Skype class which will be held next week, spent an afternoon at the beach, watched LOTS of shows on the ROKU and KM went to her first semi-formal!!! OH and our FROG EMBRYOS ARRIVED!!!!

Weekly Update - Looking Ahead to SPRING!!!

This past week is the last one of our winter session and things went really smoothly. This was DN's first full session and though there was some trips and a few stumbles all and all it seems as though we are all getting our feet firmly planted beneath us! He was here over the weekend and finished up things smoothly and with no issue. He also completed a few "pre-tests" in writing and in U.S. Geography so that I know exactly what I am working with. He really surprised himself on the writing evaluation as he thought he was going to do poorly on the entire thing, but only a few areas - 4 out of the 21 - that he needs to work on. As for U.S. geography, we have a ways to go, but I think it will all come together without too much of a problem if he puts his mind to it. He was at home for the rest of this week and will be going on the road with CJ next week. This should be a very interesting experience for the both of them, as they have never spent that much time together - 24 hours a day in close quarters for an undetermined number of days. I am confident that this will help them to understand each other a bit better.

KM finished up some areas, but will not be taking a full break over the next two weeks as she has to complete her Literature Skype class which doesn't end until 3/28. She has also decided to keep watching the Liberty Kids episodes and may need to do one or two other things as she is HOPING to have her turn to on the road with CJ the first week of April. This will also be an interesting endeavor as has never been away from me for more than two nights and although I know she will be fine and CJ will take good care of her, I will also be staying at home all alone for the FIRST TIME EVER - dun, dun, DUN! I will be fine, but will probably not know what to do with myself after the first day. I bet they will come back and the whole house will be rearranged, organized and unrecognizable.

As we were ending our winter studies, this included the ant and earthworm habitat studies, so it was time to release the critters. Although I know it is not recommended that you release harvester ants in our area as they are sure to not survive, there were only two left and we really didn't think that it would be long before they would be gone as well. They seemed so sad and lonely in there. As for the earthworms, they were going strong and KM had a great time making me jump and squirm nearly as much as the worms were - I know it is an irrational fear, but I think it is more that I just don't LIKE them than that I am afraid of them. So we released all of the critters close to home and right into our compost container. KM was delighted to see all the worms that were already crawling in there and felt Herbert and his friends would be in good company there. We will be freecycling the Anthill and remaining supplies so that another family can enjoy learning about these incredibly complex creatures. For next session we will be hatching frogs and are awaiting the arrival of the embryos.

I had a personal break through this week that I want to mention - I FINALLY learned how to skate backwards. Yes at 33, my 14 year old daughter found the key to unlocking my ability to skate in reverse. I have been trying all season to figure out how it is done. I watched others, I tried it myself, I listened to suggestions, but for some reason I just could not get more than two or three little movements before I would be in a dead stop or a spin. Well today we got to free skate a few minutes early and had the entire place to ourselves. We got right out into the middle of the ice and started playing around, spinning, turning, attempting to go backwards and suddenly I was doing it a little bit more than I had before. KM was making different suggestions to me and I was trying all the different things when suddenly I had made it from one side of the rink to other, it was jerky and no where near smooth, but I made it. At this point some other skaters arrived and I was nervous about them being behind me. When I would glance over my shoulder my whole body would move causing me to feel unsteady and catch my skate. I just kept trying though. KM was very supportive and started skating in front of me to keep an eye out when she suddenly said, "Move like the samba"  - WELL DUH!!! That was it, I moved like I was doing the Samba and I skated backwards flawlessly. That was my key, she kept trying and finally found a way for me to understand what she was doing.  I was so proud of myself, but I was even more proud of her. She didn't get frustrated or give up on me, she just kept trying. I feel like this is what I do every day with her and DN - I try to find just the right words, programs, approach, resources, games etc. to help them reach their potential and her she was doing the same for me!

And on that note here are some pics from the week -

Our Ant Study - COMPLETED

As part of our biology unit we will be studying ants and will chronicle their adventure here!

I decided on purchasing an Ant Hill from Insect Lore through Amazon. I choose this particular model because it had great ratings and I really liked the idea of the three dimensional design allowing you to see what the ants are doing in and out of the hill in a much more realistic fashion. We ordered the ants from Ants Alive and since it said we had 7-10 days until they would arrive we waited until the following Monday to prep our ant hill following the directions exactly. I also went to the library and picked up a few book for the kids to peruse: Ants (Nature's Children), An Ant Colony (Nature Watch), and Ant Cities (First Sight).

The day the ants arrived KM and I were very excited and took all necessary precautions to get them into their ant hill safely - for us and them, as these are harvester ants and they can STING!!! We did manage to get them in and ready to go. Here I will be posting various links, photos and videos from our study as well as KM's Daily Observations. If you have any interesting links you would like to share PLEASE leave a comment and let us know!!!

OBSERVATIONS BY KM ----

2/8/12 - The ants arrived today and are currently clumping together and getting used to their new home. 

2/9/12 -  The ants have started tunneling on the right side of the hill.

2/10/12 - 

Up close

9:46 am

10:31 pm

2/11/12 - 

9:11 am

9:58 pm

2/12/12 - The ants have a little graveyard outside the hill. They have also constructed about 9 tunnels.

8:51am

8:59 pm

graveyard on backside of hill

2/13/12 -

8:11am 

8:03pm

2/14/12 - The ants are moving very slow and seem to only tunnel on the right side of the hill. It also looks like they have no motivation to work on tunnels. It appears as though only 2/3 are still alive.

8:31am

2/17/12 - They seem to have slowed down working quite a bit the past few days. Not sure what is going on.

2/19/12 - They are busying themselves again, but working more on the outre graveyard than tunneling.

3/2/12 - Haven't posted much of anything as they really are just doing the same old thing. There are only about 17 left now though and it is starting to feel a bit creepy and deserted.

3/15/12 - We released the last two ants today because they just seemed so sad. We learned a lot and it was a really interesting study.

Weekly Update - AAAAAHHHHHHHHH Balance

This week was so balanced and relaxing which is just what was needed around here!

DN was here while CJ was home and things went okay. He and KM worked on the earthworm experiments in Janice VanCleave's Bio Labs. We all learned a lot and had a good time with them. CJ and DN spent some time together and CJ got some things done around the house while I took KM to a teen hangout event Saturday night.

Once the boys were off on their adventures, KM and I had two days of relaxing, getting things done and just lounging around the house and two days running all around town. Monday KM got a lot of her lessons done, while I cleaned out closets and reorganized things. Tuesday we ran errands, went to see The Secret World of Arietty, - which was FABULOUS!!! - ran a few more errands and then found the perfect shoes to go with her dress for the semi-formal. Speaking of the shoes not only were they perfect but they were $59 marked down to $11.99 and we had a $10 off coupon so we got them for $1.99 which means we saved 96.7%!!!!! Wednesday we finally had a wintry day at home! It snowed, I built a fire and we spent the day in the living room - KM working on lessons while I finished up the spring lesson plans and then we caught up on the 3 episodes of Smash we had missed. Then Thursday we went  ice skating, to the grocery store and swung by the library to pick up some thingss we had on hold. We were hoping to make it to the BSU observatory for their special events for the opposition of Mars, but the sky was just not cooperating, maybe we will make it there this weekend. All and all it was a pretty good week and we hope that this balance will continue! 

Some extra pics of the critters around here this week -