Science in the Ice Age

Doesn't this science project look cool?

Well, let me tell you...  If you start substituting for things you don't have on hand, 

then don't do it...

For starters, we only used one bottle of water.  It was only half filled, so we filled it up the rest of the way with water from a filter jug.

Then we may have added too much water to the mix.  There was plenty of salt tho!  It coated the bottom like a delicious mountains of tastiness...

Leon and I decided this was a fail, however it did create tiny shards of ice in the glass when we were done.  

I love when my pop is JUST at that stage when I'm drinking it.

Anyway, we may try it again some time when we have complete unopened bottles of purified water on hand.

Let me know if you've tried it!

Burned by Science

Blech... right??!

Leon's Flubber that he made LAST Science night.  Still going strong.  As are the water gel beads.  They're still moist and full too.  

We started a new project last night that will take about a week unless we discover that we did it wrong and will need to start over.  We're attempting to make rock candy.

The strings will be lowered into the liquid more as time goes by.  I didn't use a paper clip to weigh it down like I should have.  

Who has paper clips when they need them??!  Not me.  I'll find a box next month sitting in plain sight, mark my words...

The bottom of the string appears to be getting thicker, so we'll see.  The left side is lemon flavored and the right side is maple flavored.

He splashed some of the syrup onto the stove while we cooked it.  The kitchen smelled of burned sugar.  This morning it smelled like bacon.  

But for a different reason.  So I guess our kitchen just smells...

But breakfast was delicious...

Color me Committed

So we've started a new tradition...

I wanted to get the kid involved with something that DIDN'T involve the computer.

I suggested science experiments.

Leon initially wanted to only do experiments that NO one else has ever done before...

He reminded us vividly of Maddy when she wanted to cook and be in charge of the kitchen.  

"I don't know what it's called, but I know what's in it."

and then we'd be enjoying batter fried pickles with banana bits and grape jelly...

Robb had a sandwich once that included a Barbie shoe...

"Um no.  I want to kind of know what the outcome will be so we won't blow up the house."

So he was ok with that as long as we included food coloring.

You GOT it!

and we did.

We  first made something I found on Pinterest called Elephant Toothpaste.

This is what it was supposed to look like.

 This is what we did...  I'm thinking it was a fail...

Then we made Flubber.  It was a hit!  Leon had a blast with it.  However he left the baggie of it open on the counter and it spread out onto the counter top for us to find this morning.  It still felt great and was easy to clean up quick.

Since his dad wasn't home from work yet and I was reaching for something to fill the time...  I grabbed a pitcher, put some water in it and let him sprinkle in water-storing gel beads leftover

from a wedding five years ago.  YOU know the one...

They took ALL night to expand.  They may have had an expiration date.  But this morning they looked great and Leon got all grossed out by how they felt.

win win.

We also taped two 2-liter pop bottles together and made green tornados.  That was a win also.

But it was leaky.  I'll let him and his dad do it again something and tape it right.

Plus I'm sure I didn't have the right percentage of Hydrogen Peroxide for the elephant thingy.  

Oh well.

But now I've told him that we can do science experiments every Wednesday, so I'm committed.

Anyone have some good ones that we do with common household supplies?

and food coloring?