A Better Way to Teach Electronics

A better way to teach Arduino: http://igg.me/at/codeshield

The Codeshield is a small add-on to the Arduino Board and enables students to get started on electronics projects very quickly (lesson plans included).

If you are interested in teaching electronics to your students, please check out the crowd-funding campaign: http://igg.me/at/codeshield

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Hamsters and Homeschool

Squeker

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have a new addition to our home and homeschool, and he is a rodent! His name is Squeker (not a misspelling) and he is a Golden Syrian hamster about 9 weeks old. He was not a sudden or spur-of-the-moment aquisition, either. My hubby said he wanted to see a one page typed paper explaining why Dana should have a hamster and how he would care for it. With a little help, that was accomplished.

Much research, thought and careful planning went into his choice. Dana researched online before announcing that he thought a hamster would not only be a good pet, but a neat 4-H project as well. So our first purchase was made at the county extension office, where we bought the two 4-H Pocket Pets Project books. After reading a lot, he decided that a Golden Syrian would be the best choice for him, and we were off to the pet store for equipment and supplies. That was a hefty dent in the pocketbook, but Dana has agreed to earn money to help pay for it and to buy future supplies. 4-H doesn’t start up until February, but he has a head start so there will be less pressure later to complete the project book and required activities.

(Photo above was taken by Dana on his 3DS.)

 

As a homeschooling project it is already paying off in learning (research, reading, record keeping, planning and writing). As a life skills learning opportunity it is also showing results already. He is learning some things that are very hard for an Aspie, like empathy, patience, responsibility, planning ahead, and more.

 

Maybe every prospective parent should be required to do all this with an animal before being allowed to have children!  I do know that no baby has ever been more wanted, prepared for and lovingly nurtured than Squeker.

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Homeschool Excursions Planned

Our studies are moving along now, so we want to add some field trips and take advantage of learning activities around us. Fortunately, I have found three that look like fun educational opportunities for Dana.

The first one on the calendar is a science workshop provided free for 6-8 graders (homeschoolers welcome) by Kenyon College, which happens to be very near where we live. The LADS (Learning And Doing Science) session for boys will be from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm, Saturday, October 22. This free session called “Chemistry All Around You” will include”  “KABOOM! Come see the hidden powers of common household items. How can you tell if a liquid has enough acid in it to burn through a table? You don’t want to touch it to find out, but a food in your fridge can tell you. We’ll watch candy blow up, and make and eat delicious instant ice cream. Come learn how chemistry can be cool! Registration will be open from September 1 to October 14, 2011.” If this one goes well, we will also register him for one in February on light particles. For more information, if you are anywhere in Knox County, Ohio, go to: http://www.kenyon.edu/physicslads They already held the first session for girls, but another will come up in March (http://www.kenyon.edu/x58103.xml )

Then, on Saturday, November 5, from noon until 4:00 pm, we will be taking a “Walk In the Past” at Mohican Outdoor School in Butler, Ohio. This is a family event giving the opportunity to experience what life was like in Ohio in the 1800s costing only $5.00 for the whole family. Click here for more info and to download flyer:  http://www.mohicanoutdoorschool.org/events/view/56/169.html No registration required.

On Tuesday, November 15, Dana and his granddad will be attending Mohican’s Fall HOOT (Homeschool Opportunities for Outdoor Training).

The website says: “Join us for the Fall 2011 Session of HOOT!, from 10 am – 2 pm.  Let’s start digging – that is, digging in our mock archaeology dig site!  We will explore the geology of Hemlock Falls, and learn about archaeology during this HOOT! session.  Cost per child: $5.00.  No fee for parents.  Please bring a packed lunch for child and adult, something to drink, and outerwear appropriate for the weather, as we will be outside for most of the class times, rain or shine.  Pre-registration required.”
Click here to register online

Hopefully these will all be great experiences and are all either free or extremely inexpensive. If you don’t live in my neck of the woods, check your own area for great activities. Happy Fall homeschooling!

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Robotic Arm Project

The type in the image is very small and hard to read, but this was a gift Dana received this year. He built the robotic arm (with some help from Grandma getting the screws good and tight) in a day and a half. I plan to have him write a descriptive page about the project to go in his scrapbook/portfolio. It is a rather amazing little wired-control robotic arm not unlike industrial use robots. It has grippers and several rotation points and extensors controlled by 5 little motors that he had to put together.

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Chemistry: Mysterious M&Ms

Scrapbook page

 

The cup on the left contains two M&Ms. The cup on the right contains two gumballs. We also experimented with colored light corn syrup. In all cases, the colors did not mix as Dana predicted, but formed a pretty clear line separating the colors. In several cases, one color pushed over the top of another color, but no mixing occured. Next we will investigate whether the temperature of the water affects how fast the colored coating dissolves from an M&M. We have to hurry and finish these experiments before we discover how fast we eat all of the M&Ms!

Dana is also reading “Investigating the Scientific Method with Max Axiom” and has done some related pages on Time4Learning.

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Science Links

These are science resource links that I recently shared with friends on All Kinds of learners, so if you are on that great list, you have seen these before. If not, enjoy!

The National Institute of Health (NIH) has lots of free teaching resources available at: http://science.education.nih.gov/customers.nsf/WebPages/CSHome
for elementary through high school, including “Doing Science: The Process of Scientific Inquiry” for grades 6-8. Some materials can be downloaded in pdf format, some you can request free in hard copy, and there are online supports, including short videos for some. The “Doing Science” module has four objectives: 1. to help students understand the basic aspects of scientific inquiry; 2. to provide students with an opportunity to practice and refine their critical-thinking skills; 3. to convey to students the purpose of scientific research and think about the relationships among knowledge, choice, behavior, and human health; and 4. to encourage students to think in terms of these relationships now and as they grow older.

“Einstein’s Miracle Year” – This site (Physics Central) also has lots of other stuff that I plan to explore, but this 15 minute award-winning movie is a great introduction to physics and to Einstein. He says in the video that science is about observing and solving puzzles. http://www.physicscentral.com/explore/einstein/miracleyear/index.cfm

Download the “Strategic Science Teaching: Grades K-12” book from: http://scienceinquirer.wikispaces.com/file/view/StrategicSciTchgBk.pdf
It is a sampler of science lessons connecting literature with the California standards. 196 pages

Rocks and minerals: Lots of free downloadable teacher packets and I have also gotten some neat stuff on rocks and minerals mailed to me from this source. http://www.mii.org/teacherhelpers.html

Please bookmark this site: http://scienceinquirer.wikispaces.com/freestuff
It has just tons of great links for teaching science! It is truly fabulous. If you can’t find what you need here, it probably isn’t out there or it isn’t worth wasting your time on. (Just a guess) Happy hunting!

And last, but not least…You may not have ever heard of “Invitations to Science Inquiry” by Tik Liam. I hadn’t. But apparently a lot of science teachers know about it. It is selling used on Amazon for over $48.00 ($98.88 new), but I found a free download of the whole book! This 486 page book has, according to one reviewer, “…over 350 [the book intro to this edition says over 400]science demonstrations that challenge students to think. Each activity is one page and has a section covering materials, procedure, questions and explanation. The index is useful in finding that demonstration you need for a certain topic. Liem covers such topics as Air, Weather, Matter, Chemistry, Energy, Heat, Magnetism, Electricity, Light, Sound, Force and Motion, Space Science, Plants, and the Human Body. This is a must for all Middle and High School Science Teachers.” The original link I found didn’t work so I had to do some searching. I found it at: http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED301471

This is the download link, but I must warn you that I tried three or four times before I could get it to complete the download. I think it is because of the size of the file. Hope it is easier for you, but in my opinion, it is worth the aggravation to get such a good and expensive book for free.

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Home Chemistry Lab

MAD SCIENTISTS INVADE HOMESCHOOL!

Since I seem to have focused on some great free chemistry books lately, I though I would share some pictures of our new home chemistry lab we are setting up for next fall. Our upstairs, which was originally added to our house to be an art studio for me to work in and teach classes, has morphed several times to meet changing family needs. Originally, I had a photo darkroom with a deep sink (and a toilet) up there, too. Since I long ago swtiched to digital photography, it is now being transformed into a home chemistry lab. While we could do most of our experiments at the middleschool level on kitchen counters or work tables, this allows us to go a little bit further and keep things stored ready to use comfortably and safely. There is no window, but ventilation is provided by a ceiling exhaust. We won’t be working with any noxious fumes, anyway.

We still need a couple of lab aprons, some lab-type rubber gloves, and a few other things before fall. But the lab now includes a balance scale, an alcohol  burner, test tubes, stands, a test tube holder, beakers and bottles, stoppers, funnels, glass and rubber tubing, a Teaching Tank, chemicals (including household products we will use) splash goggles, a table of the elements, and safety signs and instructions. My make-shift chemical storage could use some upgrading. I am thinking a wide medicine cabinet with or without doors might work, if I can find an old one somewhere.

We probably have more books than we need, including those pictured below, which includes those written about elsewhere on this page. But we can choose some great lessons and experiments from them to help Dana really begin to understand and experience chemistry.

If you are having trouble finding supplies and chemicals for home chemistry (or materials for other science fields), you might try HomeScienceTools. I have found them to have decent prices and fast shipping. But by all means, search on eBay or Google for what you need.

Happy “Mad Sciencing”! Be safe! Have fun!

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Great Free Physical Science Resource for Gr 3-8

If you are like me, looking at the many free share curriculum ideas online is mostly bo-r-i-n-g! And I say that as a former public school teacher. I do love some of the great free books with facts, ideas, activities and even neat illustrations and worksheets. I especially like being able to select from them what I want to use.

One good one that I found a long time ago and forgot about until recently being reminded of it by another homeschooler on the All Kinds of Learners list is from the American Chemical Society. This 470 page book in pdf format is called “Inquiry in Action: Investigating Matter Through Inquiry.” It is designed to be used with students in grades 3-8 as a resource for guided, inquiry-based activities to supplement whatever physical science curriculum you follow. Photocopying is strongly encouraged!

Activities include investigating scientific questions with M & Ms, investigating physical properties and physical changes in solids with crystals, dissolving solids, liquids and gases, chemical change, and investigating density. The experiments/activities are all simple, safe, and fun, using items available in the home. Key concepts for students are provided, along with chemistry concepts for teachers.

I plan to use some of these next fall when we study chemistry. To download the book, go here. Did I tell you, the best part is,  it is FREE!

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Free Chemistry Book Download!

This is such a great book for teaching chemistry to kids that I had to share it. It is on “Freebie of the Day,” which you should join for daily freebies. The site says”The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments (PDF ebook) – Here’s a great Chemistry experiments book from the 1960s that was actually BANNED and removed from libraries across the country for being too “dangerous” for young experimenters. Much beloved and enjoyed by young baby boomer experimenters, apparently it was aimed just a bit above the heads of its intended audience as it included some advanced experiments considered hazardous by teachers and librarians. Even though most of the activities and experiments in this Golden Book are safe, a few will need parental supervision should you decide to pursue them. ”

If you miss the download day from Homeschool Freebie of the Day, right-click here to save the pdf file direct.

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More 4-H Robotics: RCX Gears and Pulleys

Dana is starting his second year with 4-H, and although he is starting to get interested in some of the many other projects he can do, he is sticking with just robotics again this year. In his club there are only 2 boys who have chosen robotics projects, and the other is a high school senior. Although they are both working on the Robotics Probe, or level 2, project, they will each work independently. Fortunately, one of his homeschool friends who was in his robotics workgroup last year, is also doing the project this year on his own. He is in a different 4-H group, but will come to our house now and then so they can compare projects and learn from each other.

This level gets into physics and mechanical engineering, especially toward the end of the 14 activities. However, only 7 activities per year are required. Dana will do only the first 7 activities, while the older boy in his group will likely complete the book. This year the building and programming involves the use of a rotational sensor and belts, pulleys and gears. This requires understanding different types of gears and gear assemblies and figuring the ratios, as well as new programming.

Besides the workbook/activity guide, 4-H provides online supports. The “Robotics Project Online” has building guides, information sheets and booklets and worksheets as well as slide presentations. These are all in pdf format and can be downloaded and printed. The “Robotics and You CD” online provides instructional narrated videos. The two activity guides for Robotics Explorer, Level 1 and Robotics Probe, Level 2 can also be downloaded and printed. And there is a guide for project helpers. Links to all these online resources can be found here. (This is the only site I have found with a link to download the project books.)

The projects are designed using the experiential learning model: 1. Experience – do before being told or shown how; 2. Share – describe the experience and their reaction; 3. Process – discuss what was most important about what they did; 4. Generalize – relate to their own everyday experiences; 5. Apply – share how they will use the life skill and robotic skill practiced in other parts of their lives.

With the entire set of materials available free online, the child would not have to belong to 4-H to do the project, if they have their own Lego RCX robotics kit including the required sensors and parts. But they would miss the enjoyment and skills developed as they participate in and accept leadership positions with their 4-H club. Of course, they would also miss the experience of having their project judged. If you cannot find a suitable 4-H club near you, you might consider contacting the extension office and asking if you can start one.

Either way, anyone can purchase any of the 4-H project manuals, and there are many, from their local extension office or order online.

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