An Update and a Science Lesson (or six)

Wow, 20 comments. Not only is that a personal blog record, but it was so uplifting to receive your comments in my inbox, one by one. They made me smile each time, and I needed that - boy did I need that. And thank you to those who sent emails, too - I will be responding, soon!
To add a little more, Jonathan came down with a high fever - on the day of the farm closing, naturally. So while he was fever'ing on the couch, Rob had to rearrange several appointments to come home and take him to the doc while I ran off to the closing that was to take 10 minutes but, naturally, took three hours. Oh, and all the while, Brady had to wait for me to pick him up from school - two hours late. (Oops)

So here's the news for now.

I'm part-owner of a farm.

I'm also the secretary of the Family Corporation. Please address all future correspondence as such. Ahem.

Brady is 99% certain he will come home to unschool next year.

Keep sending those great "got yer back, grrrl" vibes, because my thin skin is taking a beating on this one. And we haven't even told many folks yet. Aye.

And let's see, what else... I don't have ovarian cancer! That was another thing eating at me. I've been having some strange pains during ovulation, once so badly I vomited, so my doc ran a blood test that is pretty reliable in detecting ovarian cancer. The trouble with ovarian cancer is this - if you catch it early, it's reasonably curable. If you don't, it's fatal. By the time a doc can detect anything wrong during a regular exam, it is often tipped toward the 'too late' stage. NOT a fun thought. My friend Diane went to my doctor at the same time and had the same test - she got her results days later, so I was trying very hard not to read into the fact that it took 4 weeks to get my results. My doc wrote in nice, large scrawl - "No Ovarian Cancer!" - with a big old smiley face on it.

Oh, and another thing - my dog is on Pepcid AC.

I kid you not. She's been vomiting. Frequently. I called the vet. His suggestion? 5-10 mg of Pepcid AC at mealtime. So I'm feeding my doggie the little pink pill. She also got a new doggie bed - ain't she stylin'?

Jonathan's fever lasted 4 days, so it was a mixed blessing to be cooped up in the house. It was a good excuse to shut out the world for a few days, but too much down time just makes me think too much so every evening I'd go to the fitness center and work myself silly, trying to shake off some of my angst.

On day 3, though, he was feeling better enough to be off the couch, and we were antsy. I pulled out a pack of science experiment cards that I bought at the homeschooling conference and they were a big hit. They're made by Usborne, and all of the experiments we've tried so far called for items you likely have around the house. Jonathan selected his favorite six and we got busy. For hours!

(Wait... unschoolers do science experiments?!? Who knew?!)

First, we made crystals. Mix baking soda into hot water and fill two jars. Take a 12-inch length of wool yarn and set the ends in each jar, suspending the yarn over a plate. After a week, you'll have crystals! We saw some by the end of the night!

Then, we tested the power of water pressure. Insert inch-long pieces of straw through the bottom of the bottle as shown, then pour water into the top very quickly - the downward force of the water should make the bottle spin as it drains through the straws. Here's a suggestion - use a 2-litre bottle. The water bottle we used was too small and it only began to spin by the time all the water had drained. A bust.

Next came 'Jumping Pepper.' I was quite amused by this one. Pour a dusting of black pepper into a plastic container and put on the lid. Rub the lid with wool for 30-60 seconds. The pepper should 'jump' to the lid and stick.

Then, take a paper clip and touch the lid. The paper clip will repel the pepper and it will either fall or scoot away. Does anyone know why?

For our third experiment we made a pinhole projector. Cut a 2x4" rectangle into one end of a shoebox and cover it with waxed paper. Use a thumbtack to make a pinhole in the opposite end.

Next, cover the end of a strong flashlight with wax paper. Out of cardstock, cut a triangle that is slightly smaller than the end of the flashlight and color it dark green or dark blue. Tape it onto the end of the flashlight. Now - go into a dark room and hold the lit flashlight about 3 feet from the pinhole while you look through the wax papered rectangle. Notice the orientation of the triangle before you look through the projector - now notice the orientation of the triangle as you look through the projector. What happens?

Next - Balloon rockets!

Cut a piece of string, about 10 feet long, and string it through a drinking straw. (I had trouble with this until Jonathan had the brilliant idea to suck it through!) Tie each end to a chair and set the chairs far enough apart to make the string taut. Then, inflate a balloon (and try to do this without your head exploding - oofda) and hold the neck closed while your partner tapes the balloon to the straw, like this:

And let go!

Project #5 was 'Quacking Duck Vibrations.' Make a hole in the bottom of a plastic cup and run a string through it as shown, knotting it so it won't slip through. Then, grab a handful of wet paper towel and, while holding the cup with one hand, run the wet towel quickly over the string from top to bottom. Do you hear a noise? Does it sound like quacking? (We thought it sounded more like a moaning mutt, actually.)

And we saved the best for last. GOOP. My kids have probably made goop a time or two in museum classes, and I'd heard of it but never actually made it. So simple - so addictingly fun! Mix 2 cups cornstarch to 1 cup water.

Add a few drops of food coloring, then mix with your hands.

Jonathan had his hands in the goop for about an hour straight. He was mesmerized!

And now, just to ensure this post is all over the map, I found this while working on the last youtube upload. Evie, your kids will really want to come over and play now - we have a sith lord in training here. And they could be sith lords too!

Thanks again for your kind words, everyone. Y'all just made my day.