"Free" from the Government!

Hi all. Just wanted to pass along an awesome resource my brother-in-law Daniel shared with me. This website http://free.ed.gov/ has some great information. As I check in out in depth, I'll let you know what we've done with it. Have fun exploring!! Now here's something I will take for "free" from my government!

Fun Summer Science

My fun friend Linda M. shared these easy science experiments she did with her kids.

Centrifugal Force is the apparent force that is felt by an object that is moving in a curved path that acts outwardly away from the center of rotation.

To help your children understand this definition, try this easy experiment. Fill a bucket (she used an ice cream gallon bucket) half-way with water. Ask your kids what they think will happen if you swing your arm while holding the bucket in circles. Let each child discuss what they think. Go outside swing the bucket (the center of rotation being your shoulder) and watch centrifugal force in action! Ask them what would happen if you stopped at the top. Let the kids try swinging it and then let them stop mid-swing. I feel a water fight coming on...

Go to this website for a fun explanation and experiment about Isotropy and Thixotrophy.

Thanks Linda for sharing what a fun mom you are! ; )

Paper Making

I am a FUN homeschool mom!

This is my new positive affirmation. Today we made paper and everyone had a hand in the process. We followed the directions found here.

We decided not to blend the paper pulp too much so that there are colorful flakes left in the paper. We used a lot of color so our paper actually came out sort of purplish.

We just let it dry in the sun instead of squeezing the water out with cookies sheets and hanging it on the clothes line. Simplify!

To tell you the truth it made me feel sort of powerful. While we made our paper we chatted about this and my daughter decided to write a story about how she and her siblings saved the country by covertly making paper and sending a crucial message to the White House while we were at war. Can't wait to read it!