Water Cycle Science With A (healthy!) Snack!

As we were driving yesterday, Annabelle pointed out the clouds, and predicted that it was going to rain. I took advantage of this teachable moment, and asked her a series of questions:
Why do you think it's going to rain?
What do those clouds look like?
What's in those clouds?
What happens when it rains?
We talked about the different types of clouds, and how they formed.
Then I got to thinking. A few searches around the internet directed me to two fun science experiments to help better explain the water cycle.
The first experiment involved a jar, water, food coloring, medicine dropper, and some Barbasol shaving cream.
We filled the jar about 2/3 with water, and topped it with shaving cream.
It looked just like a puffy cumulus cloud!
Next, I filled a bowl with a little water and blue food coloring.
The girls had a great time squeezing and dripping the colored water onto the shaving cream cloud.

We did learn that I used too much shaving cream, as it took the colored water a long time to make its way down to the bottom of the cloud to "rain" into the jar.
Once I scraped a heap of shaving cream off the top of the jar, things started moving more quickly.
The girls were astonished when the shaving cream clouds filled with blue water, and began to "rain" down.

Next, we made a real cloud in a jar.
I explained that the sun warms the water on the ground, and it evaporates into the sky, where it's colder.
We filled this jar about 1/3 of the way with hot water. I also took advantage of this opportunity to make myself a cup of tea! Food coloring is optional here, but it makes it easier to see what's happening, and adds an element of fun for the kids.
A slightly larger bowl of ice was added to the top, and we waited and watched.

Talking about what we learned about the water cycle, I asked Annabelle what she thought would happen. What do you think will happen to the bottom of the bowl? She predicted that it would be wet, and she was right!
After some time, the water collected at the bottom of the bowl (condensation), and it rained down onto the table.
That moment. The moment when I could tell that Annabelle had truly learned something, about how clouds are formed. She made a cloud! And she made it rain!
After all that excitement, it was time for a snack.

Greek yogurt served as our cumulus clouds, and blueberries served as the rain drops.
We always love finding snacks that are fun AND healthy.
Both girls had a good time making (and eating) rain clouds.

First Day Of School

Annabelle eagerly began her school career this morning at home, with A Beka's K4 program. She is ready to learn. I'm so excited to begin this journey with her, as her teacher. The curriculum covers the basics: reading and writing; basic math skills; and Bible. In addition to that, we will have a rotating curriculum, beginning with science. When we are finished with the science unit, I hope to go over units on telling time, famous artists, dinosaurs, and whatever she wants to learn about.
Today was a fairly easy day, as the information I presented to her was review (and it will be for the first few weeks).
We began the day with the calendar, weather, and a preview of what we would be learning. Then we headed to the dining room for table work. I found a fun activity for her to do on the first day of school, to be repeated again at the end of the school year. I'm excited to see how her progress changes over the next several months.
We then took a short break for a snack, and a quick walk around the neighborhood before digging into our Bible curriculum. Annabelle learned about the first three days of Creation in Genesis 1:1-13.
She also learned about how the Bible was written, and how it is laid out.
Before long, the school day was over, and it was time for lunch!

Obligatory 1st day of school picture, complete with signs

1st Day of K-4

I'm just here for the stickers!

Our daily board. More on that in a later post

Hard at work

Reference board. More on that in a later post

Practicing scissor skills