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Science Ideas and Projects
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We had so much fun with this project and it was relatively simple. The agricultural extension agency in North
Carolina provided everything we needed free of charge. We used an egg incubator with an egg turner inside. All
we had to do was place fertilized eggs in the egg turner, set the temperature to 99.5 F, and wait. On day 7 we
candled the eggs to check for any development. In all but 4 of the eggs we could see an air sac and a black dot
which we assumed was the eye. In almost all of the eggs that were developing we could see the little black spot
moving! A week later, we candled the eggs and we could see an air sac and about 2/3 of the egg was black. We
were hoping that meant the chick was getting larger! I found a website that showed a video of a chick about this
stage of development where you can actually see the chick moving and at one point in the video see the feet
moving!(click on this link and scroll down the page to the link to the video Egg candling video). During the next
week we could hear cheeping coming from the eggs. On day 20 the peeping got louder and we saw the first crack
in one of the eggs. The egg began rocking and soon another crack. We watched the chick as it made more and
more cracks in the egg. As we watched we noticed that the chick begins with one crack and then works it way
around the egg poking and rocking until it makes a line around the center of the egg cracking the egg it in half.
Soon out popped a chick, wet and exhausted. We placed the chick in a box with paper towels on the bottom (so
the chicks new little legs would have something to grasp onto. If the bottom of the box is too slick a chick can
splay it's legs. We fed the chicks "chick starter" and water from a poultry water feeder. The kids had a blast
watching 9 more chicks hatch! At about day 2 or 3 after hatching the chicks began to develop their pin feathers,
and an uncanny ability to hop out of the box we were keeping them in. Soon, the smell and the fear of finding a
chick walking down our hallway, led us to give the chicks to a friend who lives on a farm.
Carolina provided everything we needed free of charge. We used an egg incubator with an egg turner inside. All
we had to do was place fertilized eggs in the egg turner, set the temperature to 99.5 F, and wait. On day 7 we
candled the eggs to check for any development. In all but 4 of the eggs we could see an air sac and a black dot
which we assumed was the eye. In almost all of the eggs that were developing we could see the little black spot
moving! A week later, we candled the eggs and we could see an air sac and about 2/3 of the egg was black. We
were hoping that meant the chick was getting larger! I found a website that showed a video of a chick about this
stage of development where you can actually see the chick moving and at one point in the video see the feet
moving!(click on this link and scroll down the page to the link to the video Egg candling video). During the next
week we could hear cheeping coming from the eggs. On day 20 the peeping got louder and we saw the first crack
in one of the eggs. The egg began rocking and soon another crack. We watched the chick as it made more and
more cracks in the egg. As we watched we noticed that the chick begins with one crack and then works it way
around the egg poking and rocking until it makes a line around the center of the egg cracking the egg it in half.
Soon out popped a chick, wet and exhausted. We placed the chick in a box with paper towels on the bottom (so
the chicks new little legs would have something to grasp onto. If the bottom of the box is too slick a chick can
splay it's legs. We fed the chicks "chick starter" and water from a poultry water feeder. The kids had a blast
watching 9 more chicks hatch! At about day 2 or 3 after hatching the chicks began to develop their pin feathers,
and an uncanny ability to hop out of the box we were keeping them in. Soon, the smell and the fear of finding a
chick walking down our hallway, led us to give the chicks to a friend who lives on a farm.
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Chicken Egg Incubation
One of our family's favorite activities to do each year is plant parsley in our back yard. We wait excitedly
for black swallowtail butterflies to come and lay their eggs on our plants. This year our 7 year old had a
blast watching the eggs hatch into minute caterpillars. I am afraid she enjoyed them so much she must have
squished 10-20 while examining them. We did manage to get 4 live caterpillars into our terrarium. A day
later they shed their last skin and became a chrysalis. A week later our two youngest watched in awe as
black swallowtail butterflies emerged, wiggling from their chrysalis'. What a neat display of God's
handiwork, and what a neat illustration to the kids of God's transforming power in our lives.
for black swallowtail butterflies to come and lay their eggs on our plants. This year our 7 year old had a
blast watching the eggs hatch into minute caterpillars. I am afraid she enjoyed them so much she must have
squished 10-20 while examining them. We did manage to get 4 live caterpillars into our terrarium. A day
later they shed their last skin and became a chrysalis. A week later our two youngest watched in awe as
black swallowtail butterflies emerged, wiggling from their chrysalis'. What a neat display of God's
handiwork, and what a neat illustration to the kids of God's transforming power in our lives.
I have to say, I hate bugs! But through this year I have gained a new appreciation of these little creatures.
This summer we watched a spider build her web in my lantana flowers. The kids found a grasshopper
(poor thing) and threw it in her web. I could not believe how quickly the spider bit the grasshopper and
wrapped it up in his web! It was a cocoon in a matter of seconds! This spider is nick named the "writing
spider." Do you think this spider was the inspiration for Charlotte's Web?
This summer we watched a spider build her web in my lantana flowers. The kids found a grasshopper
(poor thing) and threw it in her web. I could not believe how quickly the spider bit the grasshopper and
wrapped it up in his web! It was a cocoon in a matter of seconds! This spider is nick named the "writing
spider." Do you think this spider was the inspiration for Charlotte's Web?
Butterfly Metamorphosis
Spiders!
Black and Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope Aurantia)
Black Swallowtail Butterfly (papilio polyxenes)
egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and Butterfly
egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and Butterfly
Day 7
Day 14
Day 20: First Crack in the egg
The Chick is making Progress
You can see the egg tooth on the beak
if you look carefully.
if you look carefully.
Breaking out!
Exhausted after all that effort
Science Fair Project
The possibility of entering a science fair will often times strike fear in the hearts of the homeschool mom. "I hate
science," you say, "How could I possibly help my son or daughter put together a project worthy of such an
event". "Who has the time," you reason. "I am just too busy." Well if these are your thoughts. Think again. The
science fair project might not be as hard as you think. Here are some simple steps you can follow to make your
child's science fair project a success.
Choose a Topic: This is called "The Problem". The best way to choose a problem is to think about the interests
of your child. What piques his curiosity? What problem is he interested in solving? Does he wish you would let
him drink more soda and eat more candy? Then let him do a study on the effects of soda on tooth enamel. His
problem might be stated as..."What is the effect of soda in relation to tooth decay?"
Do Some Research: Take some time at the library or on the internet to search for other studies that have been
done on your topic. This will help you to gain a better understanding of the topic that you are pursuing. You
don't have to spend a lot of time on this at the elementary age level, but gaining a better understanding of what you
are studying may help you as your form your thesis and develop the procedure for your study. Take time to write
down what you learn in a notebook, that you can display at your table.
Write a Hypothesis: This is your child's guess at what the outcome of the study will be. Your child might write
something like: "Teeth soaked in soda for one week will be no different than teeth soaked in water after one week."
Procedure: Determine how you are going to set up your project. You will have two variables. The independent
variable and the controlled variable. The independent variable is the variable that you change. For our study the
independent variable is the teeth soaked in soda. The controlled variable is the variable that you do not change.
For our study the controlled variable is the teeth soaked in water. Once you get this straight, you can determine
how you will set up the experiment. First you will need to find some teeth. Check for any baby teeth you might
be hiding away in a baby book. Or you could ask your family dentist for some teeth. Place these teeth in two
separate containers: one with non-diet soda and one with water. Let the teeth soak for one week, checking for
any changes you might note each day. Record your findings on a chart or in a notebook.
Results: Determine how you want to display your results. Organize the data in a way that others can understand.
You may choose to place your data on a chart. One row could be labeled "Water". The other row could be
labeled "Soda". Then you could place your findings on a chart like the one that is displayed below:
Conclusion: After your experiment is over, check the results against your hypothesis. Was your hypothesis
correct? How did your experiment results support your hypothesis? Or were they contrary to your hypothesis?
Make statements that tell how your experiment either supported or disproved your thesis.
Report: The report is a written or typed paper that should include the following:
Title Page:
Try to think up a catchy title for your experiment. This child might choose a title such as: "Decadent Soda: When
it Comes to Teeth...Drink Water".
Table of Contents:
Number your pages and list the headings that are discussed here in order in your table of contents.
Abstract:
Write a short summary of your project. This should include your project title, a statement of your purpose, a
hypothesis, a brief description of the procedure, and the results.
Introduction:
The introduction is a statement of your purpose and the information that you learned through your library and/or
internet search. It should include how you came to decide on your hypothesis.
Experiments:
This section should describe in detail the experiments you have done. You should list a Purpose (ie. To disprove
the old wives tale that drinking too much soda causes tooth decay). You should list the Materials you used (ie.
teeth, soda, water, glass containers). Then list your Procedure: list in detail every step you took to carry out your
experiment. This should be fairly simple if you took notes in a lab book while doing the experiment.
Data:
This section should include any charts or graphs that you compiled during your experiment. Microsoft Excel
spreadsheets can aid you in making pretty impressive charts.
Conclusion:
This is a summary of what you found out during your experiment. The conclusion should state your hypothesis
and whether or not your data supports it.
Sources:
List any written material or interviews that you used during your research. Click here to see a sample of the
format you can use.
Acknowledgements:
This is a short paragraph thanking mom or others who might have helped you with your study.
Display: This tri-fold display board should represent all you have written in your science fair report, but in a
concise, easy to understand, at-a-glance, way. The picture below will give you an idea of how to display your
research.
science," you say, "How could I possibly help my son or daughter put together a project worthy of such an
event". "Who has the time," you reason. "I am just too busy." Well if these are your thoughts. Think again. The
science fair project might not be as hard as you think. Here are some simple steps you can follow to make your
child's science fair project a success.
Choose a Topic: This is called "The Problem". The best way to choose a problem is to think about the interests
of your child. What piques his curiosity? What problem is he interested in solving? Does he wish you would let
him drink more soda and eat more candy? Then let him do a study on the effects of soda on tooth enamel. His
problem might be stated as..."What is the effect of soda in relation to tooth decay?"
Do Some Research: Take some time at the library or on the internet to search for other studies that have been
done on your topic. This will help you to gain a better understanding of the topic that you are pursuing. You
don't have to spend a lot of time on this at the elementary age level, but gaining a better understanding of what you
are studying may help you as your form your thesis and develop the procedure for your study. Take time to write
down what you learn in a notebook, that you can display at your table.
Write a Hypothesis: This is your child's guess at what the outcome of the study will be. Your child might write
something like: "Teeth soaked in soda for one week will be no different than teeth soaked in water after one week."
Procedure: Determine how you are going to set up your project. You will have two variables. The independent
variable and the controlled variable. The independent variable is the variable that you change. For our study the
independent variable is the teeth soaked in soda. The controlled variable is the variable that you do not change.
For our study the controlled variable is the teeth soaked in water. Once you get this straight, you can determine
how you will set up the experiment. First you will need to find some teeth. Check for any baby teeth you might
be hiding away in a baby book. Or you could ask your family dentist for some teeth. Place these teeth in two
separate containers: one with non-diet soda and one with water. Let the teeth soak for one week, checking for
any changes you might note each day. Record your findings on a chart or in a notebook.
Results: Determine how you want to display your results. Organize the data in a way that others can understand.
You may choose to place your data on a chart. One row could be labeled "Water". The other row could be
labeled "Soda". Then you could place your findings on a chart like the one that is displayed below:
Conclusion: After your experiment is over, check the results against your hypothesis. Was your hypothesis
correct? How did your experiment results support your hypothesis? Or were they contrary to your hypothesis?
Make statements that tell how your experiment either supported or disproved your thesis.
Report: The report is a written or typed paper that should include the following:
Title Page:
Try to think up a catchy title for your experiment. This child might choose a title such as: "Decadent Soda: When
it Comes to Teeth...Drink Water".
Table of Contents:
Number your pages and list the headings that are discussed here in order in your table of contents.
Abstract:
Write a short summary of your project. This should include your project title, a statement of your purpose, a
hypothesis, a brief description of the procedure, and the results.
Introduction:
The introduction is a statement of your purpose and the information that you learned through your library and/or
internet search. It should include how you came to decide on your hypothesis.
Experiments:
This section should describe in detail the experiments you have done. You should list a Purpose (ie. To disprove
the old wives tale that drinking too much soda causes tooth decay). You should list the Materials you used (ie.
teeth, soda, water, glass containers). Then list your Procedure: list in detail every step you took to carry out your
experiment. This should be fairly simple if you took notes in a lab book while doing the experiment.
Data:
This section should include any charts or graphs that you compiled during your experiment. Microsoft Excel
spreadsheets can aid you in making pretty impressive charts.
Conclusion:
This is a summary of what you found out during your experiment. The conclusion should state your hypothesis
and whether or not your data supports it.
Sources:
List any written material or interviews that you used during your research. Click here to see a sample of the
format you can use.
Acknowledgements:
This is a short paragraph thanking mom or others who might have helped you with your study.
Display: This tri-fold display board should represent all you have written in your science fair report, but in a
concise, easy to understand, at-a-glance, way. The picture below will give you an idea of how to display your
research.
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This clip art taken from Janice VanCleave's Guide to More of the Best Science Fair Projects p. 26
For more information on how to conduct a science fair project and for science fair project
ideas, refer to
ideas, refer to
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excellence in
Classical
Homeschool
Education.
excellence in
Classical
Homeschool
Education.
How to Fit Science Experiments in Your Week
Does this sound familiar? It’s 2:30 in the afternoon. You decide to nurse the baby, while you ask your older
children to check their schedules to see if they have any school work left to complete. They yell from the
other room, “Everything is done, but the science experiment.” Fear, guilt and exhaustion take over your body
and you reluctantly say, “OK, see what we need, and we will do the experiment when I am done nursing the
baby.” After laying the baby down for an afternoon nap, you come out to see what the kids have gathered.
They tell you they found everything but Epsom Salt. “Where do you keep that?” your 8 year old asks? You
know you don’t have any. Frantically you look through the experiment to see if Epsom Salt is really
necessary. It is, so you sheepishly tell your children that you will run to the store after the baby wakes up.
The baby sleeps most of the afternoon, and you realize, half-relieved, that you don't have time to run to the
store. The kids are happily playing now, you reason, so while spoil their fun. You promise you will do better
next week, but this scenario repeats itself over and over again.
If you see yourself in this scenario, take heart, you are not alone. Many of us struggle to get done all the
schooling we have planned for the day. As homeschool mothers we have so many demands placed on us,
and completing one more experiment often times seems insurmountable. Take heart, there are some simple
strategies to help make science fun and not seem so overwhelming.
First, remember it is not necessary to complete every science experiment! The experiments are scheduled to
enhance learning. In the grammar stage, you are building a foundation for future learning. You are
introducing new science concepts now, so when the child enters the logic stage he will be ready to analyze
the same facts he studied in the grammar years. So, look at these years as an introduction to science. The
experiments are there to make the concepts they have learned more memorable. So, do as many experiments
as you can, but don't get bogged down doing everyone of them. Remember the goal is to enhance learning.
Second, we give you a shopping list in the front of each science schedule to give you a heads up on the
materials that you will be using during the year. Then each week you will find a post-it note with a list of
items that you will need for the following week's experiments. If you get into the habit of checking the list
and adding them to your weekly shopping list, you will not begin an experiment only to find you don't have all
the supplies. Several times I remembered, while at the store, that I didn't check the list. Fortunately my cell
phone was charged and I was able to call my kids and have them check the post-it note for me!
Third, if science is a subject you dread, do it first thing in the morning. I have often found that if I wait until
the end of the day when everyone is tired, that I am more tempted to skip science. Start off the morning with
the Bible scheduled for the day. Have your children begin something they can complete by themselves (ie.
math facts, handwriting, etc.). While they are working on this, get the science supplies ready. When they
finish, go over the science concept they are focusing on this week, and begin the experiment. You will find,
with fresh, rested minds, the experiment will run more smoothly.
Science can be fun and less intimidating if you realize that you are building the foundation for future learning
in science. Your children do not have to memorize every bone in the body or be able to write a dissertation
on the theory of relativity. They are in the fact gathering stage. Also, if you put into place a simple plan to
accomplish science it will more than likely get accomplished. Happy Learning!
children to check their schedules to see if they have any school work left to complete. They yell from the
other room, “Everything is done, but the science experiment.” Fear, guilt and exhaustion take over your body
and you reluctantly say, “OK, see what we need, and we will do the experiment when I am done nursing the
baby.” After laying the baby down for an afternoon nap, you come out to see what the kids have gathered.
They tell you they found everything but Epsom Salt. “Where do you keep that?” your 8 year old asks? You
know you don’t have any. Frantically you look through the experiment to see if Epsom Salt is really
necessary. It is, so you sheepishly tell your children that you will run to the store after the baby wakes up.
The baby sleeps most of the afternoon, and you realize, half-relieved, that you don't have time to run to the
store. The kids are happily playing now, you reason, so while spoil their fun. You promise you will do better
next week, but this scenario repeats itself over and over again.
If you see yourself in this scenario, take heart, you are not alone. Many of us struggle to get done all the
schooling we have planned for the day. As homeschool mothers we have so many demands placed on us,
and completing one more experiment often times seems insurmountable. Take heart, there are some simple
strategies to help make science fun and not seem so overwhelming.
First, remember it is not necessary to complete every science experiment! The experiments are scheduled to
enhance learning. In the grammar stage, you are building a foundation for future learning. You are
introducing new science concepts now, so when the child enters the logic stage he will be ready to analyze
the same facts he studied in the grammar years. So, look at these years as an introduction to science. The
experiments are there to make the concepts they have learned more memorable. So, do as many experiments
as you can, but don't get bogged down doing everyone of them. Remember the goal is to enhance learning.
Second, we give you a shopping list in the front of each science schedule to give you a heads up on the
materials that you will be using during the year. Then each week you will find a post-it note with a list of
items that you will need for the following week's experiments. If you get into the habit of checking the list
and adding them to your weekly shopping list, you will not begin an experiment only to find you don't have all
the supplies. Several times I remembered, while at the store, that I didn't check the list. Fortunately my cell
phone was charged and I was able to call my kids and have them check the post-it note for me!
Third, if science is a subject you dread, do it first thing in the morning. I have often found that if I wait until
the end of the day when everyone is tired, that I am more tempted to skip science. Start off the morning with
the Bible scheduled for the day. Have your children begin something they can complete by themselves (ie.
math facts, handwriting, etc.). While they are working on this, get the science supplies ready. When they
finish, go over the science concept they are focusing on this week, and begin the experiment. You will find,
with fresh, rested minds, the experiment will run more smoothly.
Science can be fun and less intimidating if you realize that you are building the foundation for future learning
in science. Your children do not have to memorize every bone in the body or be able to write a dissertation
on the theory of relativity. They are in the fact gathering stage. Also, if you put into place a simple plan to
accomplish science it will more than likely get accomplished. Happy Learning!