Electricity

I was originally going to do this in two sessions.  One on atoms, molecules and bonds.  And one on electricity.  But we ran out of time this summer.  So I sort of lumped them together.  We focused mainly on electricity.

What they knew:

Hannah:  It powers up things.  It can electrocute you.  It can cause sparks.

Seth:  It can be used for lights, flashlights, cameras...it makes lights work.

We covered:

• atoms:  what makes up an atom, protons, neutrons, electrons, and the nucleus.  we talked about charges, both positive and negative, the number of protons determines the type of atom.
• molecules:  made up of atoms bonding together
• electricity:  the flow of electrical charge...basically electrons on the move
• circuits:  giving the electrons a path to follow, forcing electricity to the areas we need it
• we talked about he role Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Edison played in the development of modern electricity
• we talked about sources of power, natural, chemical, man-made, etc.
• we talked about how we kept our homes light and warm before electricity
• visible forms of electricity:  lightning, sparks, etc.
• volts, amps, and watts...how to find these measurements on things in our environment, batteries, power boxes, etc.  we talked about how voltage changes from a battery to a plug, to a lightning strike
• SAFETY!  We walked outside and looked at the warnings on the power box next to our house, looked at the voltage warnings, etc.
• static electricity
• conductive materials, and insulators.

I found this great resource online that had a very simple and short video explaining electricity and the simple circuit.


First we made molecules using marshmallows as the atoms, and toothpicks as the bonds.  We viewed pictures of molecules on the internet as inspiration. 

Next we completed a few experiments.  We tested static electricity with a balloon.  We rubbed it on our hair, the carpet, and on a wool sweater.  We rubbed it on the sweater and then picked up pieces of paper from the table. 















Next we "made lightning".  We got into our dark walk-in closet and rubbed the balloon on the sweater, and then held it in front of the doorknob.  The electrons arced between the balloon and the doorknob, and sparked for just a second, but long enough to see it.  We did this several times because the LOVED it!

The most exciting experiment, for them and for me as well, was the circuit.  I was so proud because I was getting the stuff ready for school the night before, and it was late.  Rick was in bed, and I knew I wanted to try this, but didn't know if I could make it work without his help.  I know this is ridiculously easy, and as simple of a light circuit as you can make, but still...it was so thrilling to rummage through our junk tool drawers and come away with something that actually worked!  It was just a couple of wires, a Christmas light, and a 9V battery.  And provided all three kids with entertainment for the afternoon!

Hannah:















Seth: 

Even MaKaty: 

What they learned: 

Hannah:  Electricity is made out of electrons moving, there are different kinds of atoms, the best showing of electricity is lightning, you can make lightning sparks, electrons travel through wires, because they are attracted to it, tons of electrons move quickly to a place by finding somewhere to go and it makes electricity in that place.

Seth:  There's different kinds, electrics travel from one side of the battery to the other, if they go through the light they make it light up, they don't go through plastic and stuff, we walked out and looked at the electric box, if you break through the box, you'll get electrocuted, electricity lights everything up and electricity travels through your body.

Well, that's the summer for us.  I have really had fun with the kids doing these things this summer.  But I admit, I probably won't do the blog anymore.  I feel like it's just another thing to add to my "to-do" list, and I don't think it got a lot of use.  So next summer we will still do our home school, I'm just taking the blog aspect out of it. 

School starts tomorrow.  Enjoy!

Artists/Art History

The other day Hannah and I were talking.  I mentioned that something was a mosaic.  Hannah said, "What's a mosaic?"  And I knew what our next home school lesson would be. 

What they knew:

Seth:  Art can look good or bad, and it doesn't matter.  Some art can be animals.  You can use a pen or a marker, some can be anything you want.

Hannah:  You can use pen, pencil, marker, paint brushes, paint, clay, crayon, and pastels.  There are lots of famous artists.  They all had different techniques.  One is cutting out and glueing on.  Art can be colorful or dull.

First off, let me tell you...it took us 4 hours to do all this stuff.  Our usual home school session is about 2.  But they were the ones who kept wanting more.










































I am not a slave driver.  Usually.

We started off by reading I Spy Two Eyes. 

Next I gave them a very basic overview of some different styles of art.  Just a couple of sentences about each.

• abstract
• cubism
• impressionism
• pointillism
• pop art
• post-impressionism
• primitivism
• realism
• surrealism

I found images in books or online to showcase each of these styles.  We discussed the "major players" in each of these styles.  (Jackson Pollack for abstract, Seurat for pointillism, Dali for surrealism, etc.)  We spent more time talking about impressionism specifically, and talked a bit about what led up to this style.  We looked into the lives of Jackson Pollack, Henri Matisse, Monet, DaVinci, Van Gogh, and Picasso specifically.  We also discussed various mediums, but primarily learned about painting.

Then I had made a little slideshow on the computer using about a dozen paintings.  I "quizzed" them by showing them a painting and then seeing if they could remember something about it...the artist, the style, the medium, anything.  They did really well!

Then we got busy DOING!  I had prepared 4 activities for them.

• a self portrait inspired by Van Gogh
• an abstract action painting inspired by Jackson Pollack
• a mosaic inspired by cubism
• and a watercolor inspired by the Impressionist era.

They got to choose which one they wanted to do first. 

Here are the results: 





















For some reason, I cannot find Seth's self-portrait.  And I'm sad, because it was a more primitive style, and I loved it.  Oh well.  Hannah's is cute, but fairly predictable.  The mosaics turned out cute, I thought.  Seth's is a dragon, MaKaty's is a cow, and Hannah's is a unicorn. 















The watercolors were fun, too.  Seth decided on a desert landscape.  If you can't tell, it's a turtle eating a cactus.





















 Hannah's is a pond and garden in a backyard. 

And finally, we went outside and did some action painting.  Rick brought home these huge maps so that the kids could use the backside for big art projects.  They were perfect.  We still ended up cleaning a little paint off of the garage door, and some off Seth's feet,















but for the most part, it was an easy clean-up.  Seth chose to go back to the same spot each time he got a new color, and so his painting sort of has the effect of a volcano erupting. 













































Hannah walked around her painting with each new color, leaving a much more fluid look. 































































 We plan to find some cool frames for them, and then cut out a chunk of the painting to fit inside. 


What they know NOW: 

Seth:  Some artists use paper, or clay, some guy put paint in a balloon and painted splatters, some artists were never loved until now, some are weird like the guy who cut off his ear, there are self-portraits, some do cut paper, some even use glue.

Hannah:  My favorite artist was totally crazy, and I'm very disappointed (Van Gogh).  People like to paint happiness, using warm colors and cool colors, there were realism paintings, and impression paintings, some people cut things out and put them on, some people filled balloons with paint and threw them at the canvas, artists like to sign their paintings, some of the painters used shapes in their paintings called cubist painting.

I have also been doing a simple "school" with MaKaty each week.  Usually we just go over the alphabet, practice writing her name, do weather, numbers, letters, etc..,read a couple of concept books, and do a math/concept worksheet.  Today was about color, and she was just so cute sorting out the colored toys that I just couldn't resist taking pictures. 

The cool rainbow effect doesn't hurt either.

Next week will be our final home school for this summer.  Subject:  Electricity!