It's Winter

The arctic blast blew through Georgia and brought with it freezing temperatures.  We were beginning our winter unit, and it couldn't have come at a better time...helping us experience winter in its pure form.  70 degree weather makes it hard to discuss winter. :)

So here are all things winter!

Science

Our first night of below freezing temperatures, we set buckets of water outside to freeze overnight.  I placed a few toys in the water that they would have to "dig" out the next day.  Old Crow and I reviewed the freezing point.  When we noticed that the water had not completely frozen,  Dad reminded us that 32 degrees is the freezing point for pure water.  Impurities in the water can keep it from freezing unless at a lower temperature.  We made an educated guess that our water had some impurities.

They enjoyed feeling the ice and digging for their toys.

This also gave us the opportunity to discuss the states of matter.  We felt the ice and talked about how it was a solid.  We left the container of ice on our counter and watched it melt and turn to liquid.  After it had completely melted, we boiled it on the stove and watched the steam rise...creating our gas.

Solid, liquid, gas...all from one fun experience.

Crazy Horse and I read from an ABeka Kindergarten Science book about the different seasons.  He enjoyed playing a file folder game where he sorted various pictures and placed them in the correct season.

Sensory Activities

Our first attempt at making snow was a lot of fun for the kids...but extremely messy for me.  We made Sparkling Snow by mixing:

2 16 oz containers of corn starch

1 can shaving cream

White sparkling glitter, flakes, or confetti

 

Our next attempt at snow was much more life-like and MUCH cleaner!!!  We used Insta-Snow that I ordered from Amazon.  You can read more about our fun with Insta Snow here at my previous blog post.

We also made white slime from our trusty recipe that I first used back when we made green slime during our Grinch Unit.  Crazy Horse begs to make slime about every two weeks...that boy loves it!!!  

Directions for slime taken from Grinch Unit:

You mix 1 teaspoon of Borax powder with 1 cup of water.  Mix and set aside.  In a separate bowl mix a whole bottle of Elmer's glue (4 oz.) with 1/2 cup of water.  Add food coloring choice to the glue mixture (dont' add any to make white).  Mix well.  Then combine the glue mixture with Borax powder mixture.  Almost immediately the liquid will begin to form solids...perfect science lesson!  The more you knead and squeeze the more it will turn firm.  Pour out excess water and continue to squeeze!

Reading and Literature

Old Crow is currently reading Stone Fox and it is the perfect addition to our winter unit.  We enjoyed researching dog sled races to give us background knowledge for the book.  More to come on this soon! :)

We created a book basket with all of winter themed books.  We collected winter books from our house and checked out some from the library.  This basket was available so the kids could pull them to read at anytime.

Art

We created our own snowmen art by making a white puffy paint.  We mixed equal parts glue and shaving cream.

I found that the younger two needed help in creating their snowmen.  So I created the 3 circles and then had them move the paint around until they were filled.  This gave them a template of sorts.

Once the paint dried, we pulled out our art materials and they had free reign to create their snowman.

Extra Fun

They loved pulling out the game, Don't Break the Ice, and it is a perfect addition to any winter unit.

Memphis Belle and I also enjoyed creating her snowman for her preschool class.  They sent home the snowman cutout from poster board and then each child could decorate it.  We had a lot of fun with this one.  It was her idea to cover it in the sparkly flakes that we had leftover from our sparkling snow activity. :)

   

Stay Warm,

Jenny

Instant Snow

For the past couple of weeks, we have been playing and creating with "winter."  Here in the South we don't get much of a winter (the arctic blast we had last week was a shocker) so the kids have enjoyed experimenting with "snowmen" and ice.  :)

Today we created snow, and it was definitely the highlight of our winter unit.  I bought a jar of Insta Snow from Amazon when I was online looking for another winter related activity.  It had great reviews so I thought I would give it a shot.

This one little can provided us with so much fun!!  A small scoop of powder and a little water...then snow began forming before our eyes.  It was even cool to the touch.  A perfect sensory activity!  It didn't take long for the kids to get their toys involved. Memphis Belle's ballerina danced in the snow and the boys acted out an avalanche with helicopter rescue. :)

It was super-easy to clean up (not at all like the sparkling snow we made earlier with corn starch...more on that later).  We can store it in a sealed container for several weeks, and tonight we are putting it in the freezer so we can have more life-like snow in the morning.

For the Classical Conversationers out there, this activity provided us with a great example of the states of matter.  We watched the liquid turn to a solid and compared the two different stages.  It also gave us the chance to practice our liquid equivalents. :)

Happy "Snow" Day,

Jenny

Sensory and Science: Rainbow Explosion

Well, I have finally found my way back to blogging. ;)  It has been a month since I last posted and a lot has been keeping me away.  A sweet, dear friend has been in the hospital, and I have enjoyed spending my free time with her at the hospital.  We have also been going through the "February Blues"...just working hard to complete the bare bones of our schooling.  It seems February brings on this feeling of not caring too much about school. :(  No creativity, no fun units, no new ideas.  But I think we can see the light!!

Yesterday, when there was a break in the rain, we headed outside for a little science fun.  It was a sensory tray meets science experiment!

I gave each child their own disposable tray filled with baking soda.  Then we mixed food coloring and vinegar in small bowls to share.  They each had their own dropper to drop the colored vinegar into their baking soda.  And the fizzling and sizzling began!!

Memphis Belle quickly got the hang of the dropper (which is great for fine motor skills) and was amazed at the reaction!

Old Crow was very meticulous and wanted to cover every part of his pan.  We talked about how the bubbles were a chemical reaction between the baking soda (a base) and the vinegar (an acid).

 

Crazy Horse enjoyed making "lava" and "volcano eruptions."  This activity also offered a perfect time to review our 5 senses.  Before we even began, they all had already put their hands in the baking soda and wanted to play.  Then we talked about the smell of the vinegar and we watched the chemical reaction and bubbles.  We also listened carefully and could hear the "sizzling like a snake."  The only sense that didn't get used was taste...but we talked about why that wouldn't be a good idea.  ;)

This was definitely a hit!  They concentrated and played for about an hour.  And this one activity was jammed packed with learning:  chemical reactions, 5 senses, fine motor skills, creativity, and FUN!  They even threw in a little art...naming their finished products because they looked like paintings.  

Memphis Belle:  Rainbow of Fizzles (with a little help from me)

Crazy Horse:  Colored Eruptions

Old Crow: Art of the Rangers (because the colors were the same as the Power Rangers)

This one is worth repeating!

Jenny

Fun in the Cotton Field

Back in October, we had the chance to tag along with Crazy Horse's preschool class for a trip to the cotton fields.  What a blast we had!!  I wanted to include this with our crop studies and do a more in-depth study for Old Crow, but with the holidays and our crazy schedule we just didn't have time.  So I thought I'd share our trip and the fun the kids had.

The first leg of our trip was a hay ride through the cotton field.  As we rode through the middle of the "southern snow," the kids were able to see how the cotton grew.

Then the hay ride stopped and let everyone get off for a close-up examination of the cotton plants.  The kids were able to pull off some of the cotton and feel the texture.  They also looked for the seeds inside the cotton boll.  

We boarded the hay ride and it took us farther down the field to the cotton module builder.  They opened the doors and let all the kids play in the cotton.  They had such a good time!!  So did the adults! :)

Then we once again boarded the hay ride, and as we rode back through the field the cotton picker drove alongside us.  It picked the cotton, and we were able to look closely at this mighty machine.

Back at the barn we all had a picnic...a perfect way to end the morning.  :)

Jenny 

A Visit to Whoville: Grinch Unit

This week we opened the book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and explored the world of Whoville and the Grinch.  This is a favorite for the boys and we had a blast.  I found this free printable Grinch unit from First Grade W.O.W.   This is an awesome resource and a perfect jumping off point...using it along with other activities made for a great week!  Here is a look into our week with the Grinch.  

We started the week off by reading the book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  Then we followed that up with watching both movies...the original cartoon version and the modern one with Jim Carrey.  Their favorite was definitely the original cartoon.  We often watch this even during the middle of summer. ;)

   

Snacks:  Who Pudding

As a snack to eat during the movie, we made Who Pudding.  Using vanilla jello pudding mix and milk we made regular pudding.  But when we added the green food coloring...it became Who Pudding!!

Language Arts and Craftivities

1.  After reading the story, Old Crow and I discussed what Dr. Seuss' message was...what the big idea was for the story.  This is his response sheet.

"that Christmas can never be stolen."

2.  Included in the free unit was a Grinch poem/song to the tune of Row Row Row Your Boat.  We sang the song and also used the poem as his poetry work for the week.  He copied the poem into his poetry notebook.

3.  We worked on Grinchy Adjectives.  I printed out this large size Grinch.  We colored him, laminated him, and then cut him out.  The boys had a fun time putting him together and playing with his face as a mask.  (An actual mask template can be found here.)  Then Old Crow and I came up with words that would describe the Grinch's character.

4.  Discussing the Grinch's character was a perfect way to also talk about how characters can change throughout a story.  This is his response sheet on character development.

5.  Old Crow worked on a writing activity that had him finishing the following sentence.  I feel grinchy when...

Math Activities

1.  Using a 100 number chart, we created a mystery picture (which turned out to be the Grinch).

2.  A great problem solving booklet can be found at Made For 1st Grade.

3.  For addition work, Swamp Frog First Graders has an activity sheet for rolling dice and finding the sum.

Grinch Slime

This activity is one that uses math skills, science themes, sensory play, and lots of fun!!

Directions for the Grinch Slime can be found in the free unit (A Pinch of Grinch), but basically you mix 1 teaspoon of Borax powder with 1 cup of water.  Mix and set aside.  In a separate bowl you mix a whole bottle of Elmer's glue (4 oz.) with 1/2 cup of water.  Add green food coloring to the glue mixture.  Mix well.  Then combine the glue mixture with Borax powder mixture.  Almost immediately the liquid will begin to form solids...perfect science lesson!  The more you knead and squeeze the more it will turn firm.  Pour out excess water and continue to squeeze!  Crazy Horse LOVED this one!!

Put it in a ziplock bag, and it will keep indefinitely.  We are still playing with this.  It's a great stress reliever too. ;)

Thanks for stopping by!

Jenny

Next week, we will get our passports and head on a trip around the world...learning Christmas traditions from other countries.  Stay tuned! :)