Home School Science Lab: Ocean Currents

(Done using the K12 curriculum for 5th Grade)

The movement of deep-water currents depends on how salty the water is, its temperature, and it's density.

Surface currents are mainly caused by wind, which is a result of the rotation of the Earth.

This activity will demonstrate both types of currents.

Materials:

baking dish - clear, deep (mine is round, but rectangle would have worked better)

drinking glass

drinking straw

food coloring

graduated cylinder - 100 mL

salt

spoon

very warm water

very cold water

 

 

 

Deep Water Currents

 

 1. Measure 97 mL of very cold water in the graduated cylinder. 

 

2. Add salt to the water in the cylinder until the water reaches 100 mL.

3. Pour the mixture into a glass.

 

 

Observe the salty water.  Compare it to freshwater.  Notice that it is denser than freshwater because it is so salty.  Add blue food coloring to the glass of salty water and set it aside.

4. Pour 2 L of very warm water into a clear baking dish.

5. Add 60 mL of salt and stir until the salt is dissolved.

7. Let the water sit until it is still.

Think about how deep-water currents form in the ocean.  Cold, salty water near the North Pole is very dense.  It sinks, and then flows toward the equator where it is heated.  Then it rises, because it is less dense, and flows back toward the North Pole as more cold water moves in.

When your water is still, slowly pour the cold salt water into the pan.  Observe what happens to the cold, dense water.

You should see the cold salt water sink and move across the bottom of the pan, creating a current.

Surface Currents

 

Blow gently through a straw across the surface of the pan of water.

 

 

Observe the ripples that occur from your "wind."  These are surface currents.

:)

For more information regarding cyber schooling your children from home and the K12 curriculum, please visit k12.com.

Creepy Crafts for Hair-Raising Halloween Party Perfection

  I've got 3 incredibly freakin' difficult Halloween crafts that are sure to disgust your candy-munchin' ghosts, goblins, pirates, princesses, vampires & werewolves!  By disgust, I mean delight and by incredibly freakin' difficult, I mean HELLA EASY!  Boo-ya! (Pun intended)

  So, let's get this show on the road, ladies.  Halloween ain't gonna wait around forever!

Peter Piper Picked A Pumpkin Cup

Starting with the easiest of the easy, I'll show ya what I did to make the Pumpkin Cups!

1. Buy some Mandarin Orange fruit cups and grab yourself a Sharpie.

 

2. Use your Sharpie and draw a Jack O' Lantern face right on those bad boys.

3. DONE!

Moving on...

Granny's Ghastly Goblin Garland

Not particularly difficult, but slightly more time consuming.

1. Gather up the following items:

- 4 different styles of fabric, 1 yard each. (This will make A LOT of garland.  I made one 18' strand and three 10' strands with supplies to spare using this amount.)

- Spool of hemp

- Scissors

- Pencil (for marking the fabric to cut)

- Yardstick

2. Cut fabric into 1.5" x 6" strips.

3. Cut hemp to desired length of garland.

4. Tie the fabric strips around the hemp.  I left a little space between each one.  The closer you tie them to each other, the fuller your garland will be.

5. Keep going till you run out of string, Einstein.

6. Use the garland to tie up your children and use them as scary Halloween decor in your front yard.

And last but not least...

Paranormal Party Potion

1. Here's what you'll need:

- Juice Boxes (the dimensions of mine were 4.75" x 2" x 1.5")

- Spooky (Or pretty, whatever) Gift Wrap

- Various styles & colors of ribbon.

- Scotch Tape

- Bottle of school glue

- Assorted Halloween die cut card stock. (I found these at Michael's, but if you have a Cricut, you're ahead of the game!)

- Yard stick

- and Scissors (Not pictured.  Dummy me.)

2. Easily the most tedious step of them all: Remove the straws from the backs of the juice boxes WITHOUT RIPPING OPEN THE PROTECTIVE PLASTIC SLEEVE!  I may or may not have cursed under my breath while completing this step.

3.  Cut the gift wrap into 6" x 7.25" rectangles.  (These dimensions were perfect for the size of my juice boxes.  If your boxes are a different size, adjust accordingly)

4.  Cut ribbon into 7" strips. (Ditto from above)

5.  Wrap box in gift wrap, but don't cover the top end.  Fasten with Scotch Tape.

6. Wrap ribbon around the box and fasten in back using a combination of school glue & scotch tape.

7. Glue the Halloween die cut shapes onto the front of the box and allow to set.

8.  Attach the straw to the back of the box using a small piece of scotch tape.

Good job there, kiddo!  Now, no one will go thirsty.

  So, there you have it.  Hopefully you're sufficiently inspired enough to throw your kids one heck of a Halloween hoedown... or at least have some cool ideas to contribute to someone else's spooktacular shindig.  I'll post some additional shots below so feel free to check them out.

Until next time, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

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Spotlight: Dan

Dan, the karate guy.  Dan, the driver.  Dan, the enigma.  Dan, the bebearded.

Dan, the most amazing person I have ever met in my life.  

My husband is known differently to everyone, perhaps.  To me, he is my breath of life.  He is my rock & my provider.  He is my oasis of peace in a chaos-stricken battlefield.  He is my soul mate, given by God, to walk with along the journey of life.  He is both the simplest & most complex person I have ever known.  He requires little, but often has much to give.  He is opinionated, stubborn, and difficult for most people to get along with.  Sometimes he is social.  Usually he is not.  He's vegetarian with a passion.  He's a musician, a writer, an intellectual, a monk, a graphic designer, a truck driver, a human Martial Arts encyclopedia!  And the list goes on...

Take a moment and read all about the unique, wondrous individual that is my husband, Dan!

If you were shrunk to the size of a pencil and put in a blender, how would you get out?

Dan:  *sigh*  I would also use some magical device (that seems to exist in this hypothetical universe) to fly.

An apple costs 20 cents, an orange costs 40 cents, & a grapefruit costs 60 cents.  How much is a pear?

D:  A pair of what?

What would you do if you just inherited a pizzeria from your uncle?

D:  *laughs*  Make the BEST garlic bread-crusted pizza in the world.

What is the philosophy of Martial Arts?

D:  To defeat your enemy, whether that is an external opponent or yourself.

What would be your first question to the people of Antarctica?

D:  How'd you get here?  There are no people in Antarctica.

What do you think of garden gnomes?

D:  I would like one.

Sell me this item. *hands him a drumstick*

D:  This ONE drumstick was used by the drummer of Def Leppard... right? Isn't that the drummer who had one arm?  There's a one-armed drummer out there, I swear.  Look it up.  I forget who it is.  I'd have to, you know, forge his signature on it...    *long pause of silence*      Ok, go ahead.

What do you think makes a person good-looking?

D:  Uhhh... Hmmm... Probably... their choice in movies.  And Books.

(*side note* I don't think he quite understands the difference between good-looking & attractive, but we won't hold that against him.)

How was it working with Al Pacino?

D:  I really don't remember... hahaha!  *continues laughing*

What would you do if I gave you an elephant?

D:  I would get rid of our car & ride on it.

Stats:

Favorite color:  That's tough.  It's a toss-up between green & blue.

Favorite activity:  Well, certainly not answering these questions...

Favorite singer:  Well, hang on.  I haven't finished the last one!  Don't rush me, woman.  Favorite activity would probably be listening to music.

Favorite singer (again): I don't like singers.

Favorite song:  I have so many.  I'd have to say... The March.  It's Superman's theme song in the first Superman movie with Christopher Reeve by John Williams.

Favorite movie:  The Tenth Kingdom

Favorite TV show:  Community

Favorite book:  Tao Te Ching

Favorite author:  Lao Tzu

Favorite sport:  Hmmmmm.... favorite sport.... basketball, I guess.

Yummo Tuna Salad

I've got to be honest and tell you that I'm not much of a Betty Crocker...  I know, I know.  Hard to believe.  But, it's true!  So when I come across one of my own concoctions that is actually pleasant to digest, I try to take note.  This one won the gold, in my opinion... and it's easy as heck, too!

Take all the following ingredients and mix 'em up in a bowl:

1 can chunk light tuna (BumbleBee if you're an Ace Ventura fan like us - "BumbleBee Tuna!")

2/3 cup mayo

2 tsp. deli mustard

2 Tbsp white vinegar

1 medium apple - cored & chopped (I used an organic Red Delicious because they're my fave)

Serve on bagel, toast, crackers, whatever!  It's tangy & sweet and makes me salivate just thinking about it!  Sorry for the mental picture, but you'll know what I mean when you try it.  ;)

Spotlight: Elijah

  I was thinking that a good way to introduce myself on my blog would be to introduce those who are the biggest influences on my life - my soul,  my being, my family.   Each entry will highlight a specific individual with whom I interact on a daily basis and inspire me to be the best person I can be.

  First up:  My son, Elijah.

  Elijah is my first born who stole my heart with his first breath.  Everyday, his imagination takes me to places I never thought I would go.  His inquisitive nature is both endearing as much as it is nerve-wracking, all in one fell swoop.  He is truly a beacon of light in the swirl of a stormy sea.  His innocence makes me worry and makes me proud.  I love him with every part of my being and I am so glad to be connected at my core with this unique, funny, and awe-inspiring individual that I am able to call my son.

  I found some fun interview questions that I thought would be a neat way for you to get to know him better:

You are stranded on a desert island. You have 60 seconds to choose people of three professions to come with you. Who do you choose? Go!

Elijah: Mommy, Dan & Gwen

Mommy (Me): No you have to choose professions.

E: What is professions?

M: Professions are jobs.

E: Ok um I'd pick a Survival Guide, a Chef so I know how to cook, and a Stunt Man because if I were on a desert island, I might have to go up against a tiger or a shark.  So that's why.

If you were a tree what kind of tree would you be?

E: Well, I'd like to be a Redwood because that's the biggest tree in the world.

If you were a Star Wars® character, which one would you be?

E: Grievous.

What is the last book you read?

E: The last book I read?  I think it was... The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe.

If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional, with whom would it be?

E: Hmmmmm, Fry.

M: Fry from Futurama? Why?

E: Cause he's funny and I like him.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see play the lead role as you?

E: Well, I would like to play the lead role as me.  Because no one's ever gonna be more like me than me.

What's the most important part of the sandwich?

E: Definitely the bread.  Can't have a sandwich without the bread. Oh, that reminds me... Can I tell you about this kind-of-like-sandwich in space?

M:  Uhhhh, ok!

E: (Goes on about said space sandwich for the better part of 10 minutes.)

M: (Still has no idea what he was saying.  Something about dust that you can’t actually eat.)  Continuing...

What was the best piece of advice you ever got?

E: To me I guess it would be to never pick the easy way, always the harder way.

What is something that not a lot of people know about you but you WISH more people COULD know?

E: That I'm crazy.

M: You want people to know that you're crazy?

E: Yes.  Yes I do.

Sleeping in or staying up late?

E: Staying up late.

Snow or Sun?

E: Both

PeeWee Herman or Mr. Bean?

E: Oh, both.  Is there any questions about The Three Stooges?

M: No.

E: Darn.

Batman or Superman?

E: Superman

Stats

Age: 10

Birthday: October 29

Favorite Color: Green

Favorite Food: Grilled Cheese

Favorite Movie: Star Wars: Episode VI

Quote: "Are we doing anything today?"

No Sew Tutu-torial

Real quick.  I want you to take a look at the price of tutus on Etsy.  Go ahead.  I'll wait...

Pretty ridiculous right?  I don't want to tell you how many of these outrageously priced fluff balls I've purchased for my not-even-2-year-old daughter.  She literally has a closet full.  No more, I say!!

Have I gone insane?  Do I no longer desire to have my most precious female anklebiter draped in lacy, beautiful tulle?  Of course I do!  I (& my wallet) just refuse to pay out the wazoo for them! I knew I could do this myself... and when I finally did, I was pleasantly surprised how easy it actually was!

Here's what I used:

• A Crochet-Style Elastic Headband (make sure it's stretchy enough to fit over the waist of the recipient rugrat)
• Approximately 6 Yards of Tulle (total)
• Ruler or Yardstick
• and Scissors

...that's it.  No, I'm not kidding.

The first thing you're going to want to do is cut your tulle into roughly about 6" x 28" strips.  Measuring REALLY isn't my thing.  You could just throw out the ruler and eyeball it if you like living on the edge.  Or be creative and cut them all different sizes.  It's really up to you. I used my ruler as a guide, but didn't sweat it if my sizes weren't exact.  It's how I roll.

See those openings there in that headband?  That's where we're going to be working.  The headband I used had metallic strings in the openings... yeah, I just pretended like they didn't exist and poked right through those suckers.

Take one of your tulle strips and fold it in half.  Then, thread the fold through one of the openings in the bottom row in your headband.  Pull it through about an inch or so.

Next, reach through the loop and slide the rest of the tulle through it.  Pull tight.

Got it so far?  Great!  Now, just keep going around the circumference (whoa, big math word) of the headband.

Has the arthritis set in yet?  If so, you could just stop at this point with a dinky, boring tutu.  OR, you could be awesome.  Your choice.

If you chose to be awesome, take this moment to pat yourself on the back.  You're doing great!  Ok, that's enough.

Now, move up a couple rows in your headband. 

                                             Right... about.... there.   

Take your remaining strips of tulle and cut them in half right through the width.  That's right, Sherlock.  They're 14 inches now.  Genius.

Take one of your (now shorter) strips of tulle and thread it halfway through and then back through two consecutive openings in the headband (left picture).  Then tie a simple overhand knot.

Again, just keep going.  This will create a fun halo effect around the top of the skirt.  It will also hide the remainder of the headband.

The inside of the band should look like this when finished:

Last, but not least, tell NO ONE that you made it yourself.  I know you're probably real proud of your effort & result, however, don't say I didn't warn you.  Next thing you know, Mrs. Fisher is going to want all the girls in her first grade class room to have one and you are going to be one tulled-out mama.  Better yet, tell them you found this really fantastic blog that offers some nifty DIY ideas!  *wink*

Feedback on this tutorial would be great!  I've only done one other, which you can read here, where you'll learn to keep the kiddos from pestering you busy with Bubble Snakes.

In the famous words of the great Biz Markie: "See ya'll next time.  Bye-bye!"

~Angela

The Party

You know that feeling you get when you walk into a room full of people you don't know?  Everyone is happily chatting amongst each other.  No one offers right away to take your jacket.  You're not sure where the bathroom is... and you REALLY gotta go.

Finally, someone gives you a friendly smile & wave.  You (perhaps a bit over-excitedly) wave back, only to realize a second later that their oh-so-warm greeting was intended for the person standing 3 feet behind you.

You begin to slink over near the food table, noticed by no one other than the resident canine, who unabashedly can't seem to keep his nose out of your crotch.

We've all been there... ok, maybe not to this same extent, but we can all relate somewhat to this scenario.

That's how I feel about entering into the ever popular, possibly over-crowded "blogosphere."

I kinda feel like I'm not really sure why I came to this party.  I mean, I hear it's all the rage, but am I just another wallflower blending into the background?  Do you even want to hear my whispers in this room full of screams?  Is your dog going to sniff my crotch???

So, yeah, I have more than a few doubts.  But, you know what?  I brought some damn good cupcakes to this party.  Once you taste them, you WILL want the recipe.  And I came because I'd love to share it with you.  And, who knows?  Maybe some day I'll be hosting my own parties!

Please be kind to this fresh-faced newcomer.  I am looking forward to exchanging ideas with the online community.  I've got a few good ones up my sleeve & I know you do, too!

This might be kind of short, but that's alright, for now.  I just want to take a look around & soak it all in.  Sure is a nice place you've got here!

So, turn up the music, bring out the main course... and PLEASE point me to the bathroom!

~Angela