I live on the 3rd floor and spend a lot of my time in the living room there (across from my room) or on the roof (the 6th floor) where I can see the top of some of the mountains on clear days.
The students all ask for science experiments so I am thinking of small things that I can buy for the school that allows them to do science experiements. Even a beaker or graduated cylinder would be great. Any ideas? So far I have measuring water flow, playing with magnets...and some math games with flashcards and dice. I need help :)
So two important things I forgot to mention because I am already getting used to them. The first is electricity. A comic was in the paper the other day that depicted two travelers getting shown to their room. The caption below read "this is your room. don't worry about turning off the lights, the government does that for us." The government turns out the electricity for 8 hours a day (2 - 4-hr segments). It usually is in the morning while I am at school and then when it gets dark from around 6 to 10. Most nights we eat, cook, talk, and read by candlelight. I actually like the simplicity. When the lights turn on there is a quick cheer and then everyone continues with whatever they were doing (or turns on the TV). It is a fun little surprise and makes a person appreciate the little things in life :)
The other is the traffic. I have to cross the road to get to school and every day I feel like I should be so elated that I made it. Nima told me to "just walk, they won't hit you." So far that has worked! There are no traffic lanes and there are no traffic rules. when going around a corner they honk to see if someone is coming on the other side and they honk if they are coming. That way they know to try and stay on their own side. Very very few people drive something other than a motorcycle. They are the best because they can sneak thru stalled traffic. Lots of fun :) I don't almost scream when in a taxi anymore because with this kind of traffic they never really get above 25 mph. It is just a little scary at times.
Well, best get home and take a shower...I mean a "bucket bath." There is no hot water so we heat up water in buckets and use a cup to rinse off. It is difficult to wash long hair in a bucket...but nothing that different from camping. It is better than a cold shower!
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I just wrote this huge answer that was too big to post so it went somewhere. I put a couple of experiments on it and I will find them again and post them separately. there is a good website for experiments if your computer isn't too slow. www.education.com.
ReplyDeleteTo supplement your eigth grader's study of magnets in school, try this simple activity at home. Your child will create a homemade working compass using just a steel needle, magnet, jar, and a few other supplies. As he builds his compass, he'll experiment with magnetism and will get to "see" the Earth's magnetic field as it influences the compass's needle. Doing science experiments in school and at home is a good way to observe scientific laws at work and helps deepen your child's understanding of scientific concepts.
What You Need:
•Clear wide-mouthed glass jar or plastic cup
•Pencil
•String
•Large steel sewing needle
•Smaller steel needles
•Magnet
What You Do:
1.Carefully rub the pointed end of the needle on one end of the magnet 30 to 50 times. This will align the electrons in the needle, magnetizing it.
2.To test that the large needle is magnetized, place one of the smaller steel needles on the tabletop. Have your child try to pick up the small needle with the large one. If it works, the large needle is magnetized. If it doesn't work, repeat step 1, making sure to rub in only one direction to keep from mis-aligning the electrons.
3.Once the needle is magnetized, have your child knot one end of a piece of string around the middle of the large needle. Adjust the placement of the knot so that the needle hangs level from the string.
4.Have your child knot the other end of the string around the middle of the pencil.
5.Have your child lay the pencil across the mouth of the jar or cup so that the needle is hanging inside. Shorten the string if the needle is touching the bottom of the jar. The needle will now turn to point to magnetic North.
6.Watch as the needle turns to point to magnetic North. You've created a compass!
by Shar Levine and Leslie Johnstone
Topics: First Grade, Science
Whether your child loves science or just likes to be impressed, this activity will have her begging to learn how it's done. Tell your child that you're going to blow up a balloon without using your mouth. She may look at you like you're full of baloney, and proving her wrong will be half the fun. This isn't just a cool trick, it's also a great introductory lesson in chemistry and biology.
What you need:
•balloons
•narrow funnel
•1 tablespoon (15mL) active dry yeast
•1 teaspoon (5 mL) sugar
•measuring spoons
•measuring cup
•warm water
•ruler
What you do:
1.Place the bottom of a funnel into the opening of the balloon. You may need to stretch the opening of the balloon a little bit so that it fits.
2.Have a parent (or a carefully supervised child), pour the yeast and the sugar into the balloon through the funnel. Then fill the measuring cup with warm water from the sink and carefully pour the water into the balloon.
3.Remove the funnel from the opening of the balloon. Tie a knot in the balloon to keep the water-and-yeast mixture inside. Measure your balloon.
4.Place the balloon in a warm place and wait. Measure your balloon again.
Now sit back and wait as the balloon gets bigger and bigger. Soon you'll have an awestruck child asking, “How did it do that?” Explain to your budding scientist that although it seems like magic, it's science. The yeast uses the sugar and warm water to grow, and as it grows it expands and gets bubbly. By being “bubbly” the yeast gives off carbon dioxide, the same gas that your body produces when you breathe, and the gas inflates the balloon.
Watch Acids and Bases Produce Colors!
ReplyDeleteprint add to favorites ShareThisby Ashley West
Topics: Chemistry, Middle School
Show your child how to concoct a duo of simple household ingredients that changes colors as acids and bases are added! This magic mixture is called a "pH indicator," a chemical compound that is added to a solution in order to visually determine its acidity or basicity. While many items (such as cabbage juice) have this ability, the turmeric/rubbing alcohol mixture possesses the unique trait of being able to change BACK to its original color. Science has never been this fun!
What You Need:
•Bowl
•1/4 cup water
•1/4 cup vinegar
•1/2 teaspoon turmeric
•1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
•1 teaspoon baking soda
•Clear drinking glass
What You Do:
1.Have your child combine the turmeric and rubbing alcohol in the bowl.
2.Combine the baking soda and water in the glass.
3.Help your child to pour a sufficient amount of the turmeric/alcohol combination into the glass to effect a color change. Ask her to observe the reaction. What color was produced?
4.Have your child pour the vinegar into the glass.
What's Going On? Adding the pH indicator to the basic solution should have turned it red. Adding an acid (vinegar) made it foam and revert to its original yellow color.
Design a Great Glass Xylophone!
print add to favorites ShareThisby Shaheen Bilgrami
Topics: Third Grade, Science, Arts and Crafts
This amusing activity incorporates music into an educational science experiment! Your child will love learning about sound waves as he makes and plays sweet-sounding melodies on his very own glass xylophone. He’ll delight in exploring the effect of varying amounts of water in each glass, and will get to make up some enchanting tunes at the same time!
What You Need:
•6 tall glass glasses, bottles, or jars (preferably the same shape and size)
•Water
•Food coloring or colorful soft drink mix
•Metal spoon, wooden spoon, or wooden popsicle sticks
•Jug
What You Do:
1.Get your child to line up the bottles or glasses in a row.
2.Ask your child to tap gently on each of the glasses. What sort of sound is created? Do the glasses all make the same sound?
3.Put the water in the jug and get your child to mix in the food coloring or drink mix.
4.With your child, carefully pour the water into the glasses, making sure there is a different level of water in each glass.
5.Get your child to tap the glasses again. What sort of noise do they make now? Do all of the glasses make the same sound now?
6.Encourage your child to vary the tones by changing the amounts of water.
7.Invite your child to play a tune! Adjust the musical notes that are created by adding more or less water to each glass.
What's Going On?
When your child taps the glasses, he generates sound waves that travel through the water. When there is water in the glasses, the sound waves are altered as they need to travel through water. The more water is present in a glass, the lower the sound note.
Variation:
If you are using bottles for this activity, get your child to blow into the bottle and to listen to the sound produced. Are they the same or different from the sound he gets when he taps the bottles? He might be surprised, as the result is the opposite. The more water in the bottle, the higher the note. This is because the sound waves created when the bottle is blown travel through the air rather than the water. The less water present in the bottle, the more air there is!
I also thought it would be fun to give everyone a balloon and let everyone blow one big breath and then show the difference in lung capacity.
But what I really wanted to say is what a great adventure you are having and how brave you are. I know when I went to New York after college I got on the train and cried for the four days it took me to get there because I was so homesick. You have already been on big adventures so you probably aren't as bad as I was but it took me a while to get comfortable. I don't think I ever got over being homesick but I did start having fun. When I started looking for jobs I'd get on the wrong bus sometimes because I was confused about uptown and downtown. I wasn't used to being away from home, I wasn't used to being on my own, I wasn't used to no one knowing who I was or caring who I was. But I soon got used to it and figured out uptown from downtown and got comfortable. I wouldn't give up my time in New York for anything. Even now I remember some of it as bad times, most of it as good times but all of it as an adventure.
ReplyDeleteI hope you took one of your knitted cloths or you have time to make one because they would be great for a bucket bath - lots of water holding power.
Can you see Mt Everest?
Do you know why they cut off electricity? must save on electrical bills. Do the lights go off in the school or are there lights in the school?
How scary will that traffic be after you have been in the village with little or no traffic. But you might be so used to it by then that it won't seem wild.
Hope you are having the best adventure ever. If not yet then just give it a little while. Get used to your neighborhood and do a little shopping and smile at everyone you see.
love aunt pat