Marine Oil Spill Lab

Although I have been in the public school system for over 16 years, I am passionate about parents who choose to homeschool their children. This oil spill lab is perfect for homeschooling because you can open up your entire kitchen and garage to any materials that come to mind! You don't need any fancy equipment and it really is true inquiry. While the lab poses the question, "How do you separate oil from water?" the materials and methods students use is up to them. The lab is posted here in this Google Doc., "Marine Oil Spill." I'll admit, like any honest teacher will, that some of the labs we've done this year are better than others. My favorite so far is a lab I modified from Joel Beller's book, "25 Low-cost Biology Investigations." The lab in the book is called "Cleaning Up an Aquatic Oil Spill" and is found on page 43. I rewrote the lab and titled it, "Marine Oil Spill."

One of the first things you'll notice about my labs, is that I always include prelab questions. I have several reasons for this. For starters, my prelab questions often ask what they already know about the topic of the lab. I do this to address any misconceptions before we get started. [Although, sometimes the purpose of the lab itself is to help them sort through the misconception.] So, in this oil spill lab, the first prelab question is, "What do you know about how well water and oil mix? Use an example to explain your answer." My purpose here is to see if they know that oil and water don't mix. Common examples students think of, is salad dressing where the oil separates out of the mixture, or oil dripping from a car, and seeing it in a puddle. They don't mix!

Another main reason I have prelab questions is that I want students to read the lab before the scheduled lab time. Our time together is short, and if students have read the lab before coming, they are familar with what procedures they will be performing, and what equipment they will be using. Those of you out there that teach, know that this is easier said than done. Science literacy is not easy for students. The science vocabulary and strange apparatus often make student timid about what they are reading. In this oil spill lab, the second prelab question, "What is the difference between skimming and absorbing methods of oil removal?" helps students to read the lab and distinguish between the two major ways they will be trying to remove the oil from the water. The question, just by being asked, provides context for the lab's purpose.

Another purpose in having prelab questions is to force students to make a prediction regarding the outcome of the experiment. Ideally then, there is a postlab question that asks them whether or not their prediction was supported by the data they collected in the lab. In this oil spill lab, the third prelab question, "Make a prediction of what material will best help remove oil from water. Why do you think this material will work better than the others?" forces them to do several things. First, it requires them to look at the materials list, and see what items are available for removing the oil. Then they must think about what they know about oil, and pick the materials they think will do the best job, and explain why they picked that material over another.

My last reason for having prelab questions is to address any safety issues. Whenever there are bio0logical specimens, chemicals, heat, flames, etc...I use a prelab question to make sure they know how to handle the risk, and what to do if there is a problem.

The reason I like this lab so much is because the procedure is simple and the results vary. Meaning, even if 2 students both use a sponge to remove oil from the water, one may use it in a way that is successful while used by another, it may not remove the oil nearly as well. It brings up an opportunity to talk about the importance of scientists and engineers clearly describing HOW they perform their tasks. I also like the lab because the students can choose whatever materials they want, they can use materials in combinations, and then "grade" each materials' effectiveness.

This lab is conducive to a lot of discussion, not just teacher-student, but the more treasured, student-student, and student-teacher. Naturally, students share what they're finding. "Hey, using Rice Crispies made a huge mess..." or "....that worked much better, I wonder what would happen if..." I encourage students to think out loud. I want to hear how they are coming to their conclusions. I also want them listening to one another. [Sometimes I have to let them know this is not cheating, but collaborating!] I want them to provide suggestions to one another and challenge each other's methodology.

You'll notice that some of the boys chose to add food coloring to their "ocean water." That was their idea, hoping it would help them differentiate between the oil and the water. In the photo above dishwashing soap is being used in conjunction with corn chex. Several of the boys found this to be the best method for absorbing the oil, because it was easier to remove inside the cereal. Feel free to use this lab.

Whether you teach in public, private, or in your home, try this lab and let me know how it works for you and your students!

My Homeschooling Research-Another family

Well today I enjoyed spending 2 hours with Amy, another homeschooling friend. Amy and I were both biology teachers in the same science department back in the late 90's. The photo below is Amy with her 3 beautiful children; Josh, Asher, and Elliana.

So I was looking forward to seeing how she homeschools. Because we both come from a science background, I thought I might get a good sense of how I might approach teaching my own children. This is Amy and me sitting on the floor of their classroom. The room is on the first floor and was probably intended to be the formal sitting and dinning room, but who uses those anymore, right? The photo was taken by her oldest son, Josh, who is in 5th grade.

Here's a look at the entire room. A table against the wall is where the two boys work and a small school desk under the window is where the preschooler worked. The room doesn't look all that different from a traditional classroom; maps, globes, posters, multiplication tables poster, alphabet letters, bookshelves organized with all sorts of great reads, drawers with all sorts of cool math and science manipulatives.

When I arrived, both boys were at the table, one working on math, and the other spelling. Elliana was working at the desk on a sheet where she was coloring the shapes within an image with separate colors. Like my friend Kristy, Amy types up a "to-do list" that each child gets every morning. Amy's kids each have a clipboard that includes any other materials/handouts they may need to accomplish the day's tasks. Amy was continually asking them what they were choosing to do next, and what items they had been able to cross off. She is obviously an expert multitasker, being able to give an oral spelling test to one child, while pulling up a website for another. Kudos to you Amy!

I was surprised to find out that both boys are learning a foreign language using Rosetta Stone. Josh is learning BOTH spanish and french. The photo below is Josh working on his spanish with the headphones as to not to disrupt the others who are working. Apparently with Rosetta Stone program, you not only learn how to write the language, you're also speaking it. So you wear headphones with a microphone, so the program can hear you say it! Kinda cool! Amy is impressed with how much her boys can speak in their second and third languages.

While Elliana spent some time working with her mom, I was so impressed with how Amy dealt with the attention span of a 4 year old. At times she focused her and at other times, allowed her to do her own thing (today it was playing with my 9 month old). Elliana also carved out some computer time this morning . She asked to go to, www.starfall.com website. After watching her interact with the reading games, I knew that Caleb would also enjoy this site. It was also amazing to me how much more engaged she was with the online reading games compared to the worksheets she had been working on. Here is Amy working with Elliana on some Explode the Code, a phonics curriculum.

Here is Asher working on the desktop computer Teaching Texbook Math 4 program. Amy said Asher loves math and he gets on the computer for "fun!" So this is additional practice above the Saxon Math he does as part of his regular curriculum.

Amy was so helpful. She set out the kindergarten Sonlight curriculum box for me to flip through. However, seeing the instructor guides, along with all the associated literature, is overwhelming. I noticed that a book from the "Boxcar Children" series is a read aloud in the Kindergarten curriculum. Right now I can't imagine Caleb, my 4 year old, listening to a chapter book with so few pictures. Really? But Amy shared with me some of her early struggles, and seemed to really understand my hesitance. She didn't sugar coat how much work it is, but also how rewarding the experience is.

Is it really possible that my husband and I might be completely responsible for the formal education of our children? Can we do this? Should we? Is it best for our kids? I'm just not sure!

Sonlight bases its curriculum on literature. This article from their website titled, "How Literature-rich Homeschooling Awakens Your Child's Natural Passion for Learning." They admit that using literature to teach history (and the context then for everything they learn) takes longer when reading literature instead of textbooks, but state that the trade off is worth it because students will remember it more. Literature allows us to connect to an experience. I also see that in this curriculum we would have to commit to read everything that our kids would be reading, so that we could discuss the ideas with them! That's not a small commitment, for sure! What I still need to research is the role of writing in this curriculum.

I walked away today with several big picture thoughts. First, I liked how the Sonlight curriculum uses "real" books. The emphasis is in reading, even in the early years, a lot of read alouds, discussion about what you read etc. I like that this curriculum uses literature to open doors to discuss not only what they are learning, but what they are feeling, how they connect with the characters within that time period. I bet I would have enjoyed history if I would have been taught this way. Second, I liked how technology can be used to reinforce ideas, or to teach material in a different way. While I don't know that the Sonlight curriculum gives tips on how this can be accomplished, I know I want technology to be a tool my kids use in their education. While I do want them using it to research and learn more about topics they are interested in, I also want my kids to use technology to create products that explain what they have learned, what they understand and why. And today I saw a glimpse of how I might be able to do that.

Thanks you so much Amy for allowing me to intrude in on your morning. I admire what you do each day with your kids. They are blessed to have you!

Resources I got from Amy:

Usborne Books: I love these. I haven't seen any for prek-K, but the science and history ones for the elementary kids were colorful, interesting, and WAY better than any textbook! I will remember these books for sure.

Learning Resource: I love the math and language arts manipulatives found here. I don't know yet how my boys will best learn, but if hands-on and visual are their strengths, this will be a great resource!

Graphic Libary: Capstone Press: Ok, I was never into comic books, but look at these graphic non-fiction books for science! So again, if my boys learn this way....you can bet my library will include these!

Ann Voskamp: A Child's Geography: Amy suggested this one..a great way to introduce kids to geography.

Exploring Creation: Young Explorer Series: Fullbright: These are full color books teaching science. I read a sample chapter, and I'm not sure how I feel about these. It seems as if it is a textbook trying its best to be conversational. Images and photos are good, and the level of science being taught is great. I think as reference material, it would be a nice thing to have around the house.

Real Science 4 kids: by Rebecca Keller. On their webpage they say, "We’ve taken great care to make our educational materials worldview neutral. This allows children from any background to examine opposing models; creationism versus the Big Bang theory, for instance. Your home schooled kids will have the richest source of insight, allowing them to shape intelligent and informed opinions." I actually like this idea! I've spent some time on this website, and REALLY like it. The philosophy is to teach chemistry and physics to apply it to biology, earth/space science in the elementary grades to provide the foundation of science. The looks of the books are really good too!

I know I can let the philosophy side of my brain take over. I've been doing a lot of research and still feel overwhelmed. At this moment, I'm thinking I could buy the K4 Curriculum from Confessions of a Homeschooler, and try it with Caleb over the summer. We can judge how it is going, how he does with his parents as his teachers, and how we handle the new role. Its not a huge money investment $15 for the entire curriculum plus copying costs.

Full of beans and grains

As promised, I wanted to provide a list of possible grains and beans that can be used for making your own baby cereal. Between 4-9 months these grains are used alone, or mixed with other grains. But after nine months old, grains are mixed with beans to make a complete protein. I've explained how to make super porridge in another post.

Grains

amaranth

barley, pearled

brown rice

buckwheat groats

bulgur

couscous

kamut

millet

oatmeal/rolled oats

oats, whole

quinoa

rye berries,

sorghum

teff

triticale

wheat, cracked

wheat, berries

Beans

adzuki

black or turtle

black-eyes pea

fava

garbanzo (chick pea)

kidney

lentil

lima, baby

mung

pinto

soybeans

soy grits

yellow or green

split peas

white or Great Northern or navy bean

Schooling Confession...

I have a confession to make. After attending the public school system for most of my life (minus my 5 years at Olivet Nazarene University) and teaching in the public schools for 17 years, my husband and I are considering homeschooling. This is something I've not even been open to until recently, but God has opened my heart to the possibility. Ironically all my life, people always told me I would be great at homeschooling. But I'll be the first to admit that I don't know the first thing about early childhood education, but you know what I do know? My kids! So I will blog my thoughts as a way to process this possibility.

I want to begin by saying that I feel blessed to be in a country were homeschooling can be a choice that people can make. As I write out my thoughts here, know that it is my way to brain dump my ideas. I intension is not to speak despairingly of anyone for the choices they make regarding the type of schooling they choose for their children. But I will be writing my thoughts about what I am learning, trying to feel my way through what I believe to be right for me and my family. Please make posts you write be respectful to the choices that I or others may make. I have no idea where this journey will lead us, and that is scary and exhilarating at the same time.

My sister-in law homeschools, as do a few of my friends. My friend Kristy gave me a list that describes the different approaches to homeschooling and that has been very helpful. I asked to come observe Kristy one morning to see how they organize their school time and to talk to her kids. They have four children ranging from 6th grade to 1st grade. In the photo below, their Dad is helping the two older kids with Latin!

Here is Kristy helping her youngest with spelling and handwriting. (The baby is mine!)

Kristy homschools abiding pretty close to the Classical Approach. From what I understand, it allows students to see a complete picture among all the subjects because what the kids are learning is by time period. That is what I really like about this approach. While there is a focus on facts in the early grades (1-4) they do see how the facts connect to one another. I believe this philosophy is based on The Well-Trained Mind. I have read the book (several months ago), and I believe it is something I could do.

I am most scared about these early years. Give me a high school kid any day, (I taught high school biology for 12 years) but teach a kid to read and write? For some reason that is much more daunting to me. But reading The Well-Trained Mind helped me see that I could do it.

The way Kristy organizes the learning for her children, is that each week she fills out a chart for what each child should accomplish each day. So the days of the week are across the top, and the subjects are along the left-hand column. So she will write in the page numbers of what should be completed each day. As the children get older, they help fill out the chart! I love that! If I homeschool, I want to allow my child some feeling of ownership of what he is learning. The OCD in me loved the way Kristy organized school. It felt like school, with everyone working, with rules and consequences posted on the wall. At this phase of homeschooling, Kristy said that she spends a lot of time with the 1st grader, while the others work independently. But she is conscious of spending too much time with one child, and may set a timer for herself to make sure she gets to everyone!

From what I understand, Kristy teaches history lessons 3 days a week. Therefore time would would be designed for all 4 children--a definite plus for this organization. Then what each student would get out of the time, i.e, what each was expected to learn, might be different. Then on Tuesdays and Thursdays Kristy does Science or Art. Now, as a biology teacher, the lack of attention to science concerns me...but I also know that I could organize my school however I wanted.

Here are the resources Kristy gave me:

Rainbow Resource: Place to buy books, crafts, etc... discounted for homeschooling families.

Youcanhomeschool: Legal organization to support parents who homeschool.

My Father's World Curriculum: Christian curriculum.

Saxon: Math Curriculum

A Reason for Handwriting: Handwriting curriculum

Spelling Workout: Modern Curriculum Press

Explode the Code: Phonics program

Baby Food-Grains & Beans

I've seen a whole host of resources that provide directions and describe benefits of pureeing veggies and fruits, pouring them into ice cube trays, and freezing them for later use. I LOVE to make my own baby food this way too. But I haven't seen anyone talking about how to make your own cereal for baby. Most of the time baby's first food is white rice. However there is a lot of research showing that this is NOT a healthy food, and certainly not a good "first food." Read this article from Parenting Squad if you want to know more.

The primary reason I like the book Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron so much is for its directions on how to make "Super Porridge." What I plan on doing here in this blog post is describing homemade cereal appropriate for babies over 9 months. I'll try to write another post that addresses months 4-9 at another time.

At 9 months a baby's digestive system is ready for mixed whole grains along with legumes (beans). This combination provides a complete protein! It is really easy to prepare and cook. Once I realized what this phrase "whole grain" actually meant, I was not only happier about feeding my baby this way, I found myself eating healthier. Here is the recipe. (Yaron, 1998; page 214).

To make 2 cups of high protein Super Porridge, mix in blender and grind:

1/3 cup of whole grains (brown rice, millet, oatmeal, or other) &

2 tablespoons (1/8 cup) dried legumes (lentils, soy grits, spilt peas, or other)

This makes about 1/2 cup of powder. Stir powder into 2 cups of boiling water, reduce heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes (20 min. if soybeans are included), stirring frequently with a whisk to remove lumps and prevent scorching. Refrigerate for 2-3 days or freeze for up to one month.

The recipe above is really all you need to know. It is that simple. What I will walk you through now is more of the logistics of how I make this method fit into my busy lifestyle.

1. Once a month or so, I get out all my grains and beans, my 1/3 measuring cup, a tablespoon, and snack sized ziplock bags. Pre-measuring saves me time. The first step is to measure 1/3 cup of any grain and place it into a snack sized baggie. The ones I used on this particular day were pearled barley, oatmeal (old fashion oats, NOT quick oats), and brown rice. In most bags I put only one type of grain, but in a few I'll partially fill the 1/3 cup with one kind of grain, and then fill the remainder of the 1/3 cup with another grain. THIS is what you call multigrain!

2. The next step is to add 2 tablespoons of the legumes to the grains. Again, sometimes I'll add only one type of legume, and sometimes I'll add several. In this photo I had lentils, black beans, pinto beans, and split peas.

3. Once I have all the baggies packaged, I organize them in a glass dish that I keep in my refrigerator. I put them in an order in which I want to feed them to my baby. Remember, you should only introduce one new food at a time, with a 3-4 day waiting period before introducing another new food. So the order matters once I start mixing grains & beans together. I don't want to give him two types of beans that he's never had before. If he has a reaction, I won't know which one is the cause.

For example, in this bag, I have barley as my grain, and black beans and slit peas for the legumes.

This bag has barley and oatmeal for the grain; navy beans and split peas for the legumes.

And this bag, has brown rice and oatmeal for the grains; and pinto beans for the legumes. As you can imagine the combination is endless.

4. Every 3 days, I get a baggie out of the fridge and dump it in my blender.

You need to blend it to a fine powder...about 2 full minutes. Sometimes the powder compacts in the bottom or edges so I'll stop blending and stir the mixture before starting the blender again. [Note: normally beans need to be presoaked, but because we are blending them, they are fully cooked with our grains in just 10 minutes.]

5. Because you can get a lot accomplished in 2 minutes; While I'm blending I measure 2 cups of water and get it boiling on the stove. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to low, and dump the grain/legume powder into the water.

REDUCE HEAT TO LOW. Use a wire whisk to remove all the lumps, and to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Put the lid on the pan, and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Stir it occasionally, more often in the first 5 minutes.

6. While the porridge is cooking get your containers ready. I use small glass dishes with lids. With this recipe I usually get 6 individual servings, but the portion sizes change with my baby's age and appetite. These containers go into the refrigerator and should be eaten within 3 days.

7. Right before meal time, I take out my frozen veggie or fruit cubes, in this case sweet potatoes and kale, and put it in the microwave for 45 sec. With a fork, I mash up the cubes and put it in for another 20 sec. My goal is to make it only luke warm, not hot--basically just taking the chill out.

This is what the final product looks like. Super porridge mixed with veggies. You can see the grains, and the little pieces of kale (how to prepare kale). It may not look great, but my baby loves it. [Editors honesty; kale goes down best when served with fruits, like bananas or pears. And I use only 1/2 of the size cube shown here...still worth it!]

8. Then right before giving it to baby, I add a few extras, like egg yolk (3 times a week), and to increase the thickness I add wheat germ.

Sleeve Gloves: No more cold wrists

Ok, so I don't consider myself a great seamstress by any stretch of the imagination. I usually make stuff for the house and can follow simple patterns. This is my first attempt at sharing a sewing tutorial. I got the idea to extend gloves by sewing them to the arm of a sweatshirt from my friend Amy who blogs "My Heart My Home." Here is her original post about sleeve gloves.

The purpose of these gloves is two fold. The first is to keep the gloves on during serious winter play. If you've ever had a frustrated child who can't keep his gloves on while trying to build a snow fort, you know what I mean. The second purpose is to keep those wrists dry and warm. You know how the snow compacts between the top of the glove and the bottom of the jacket sleeve? Then the wrist gets all cold and wet. This sleeve glove should solve both of these problems.

1. The first thing you want to do, is find 2 long-sleeve shirts you don't mind cutting up. Since my son is a size 4T, I went into the 3T stash and pulled out a fleece hoody, and a pair of pj's that he doesn't wear any more. I wanted the a pj layer on the inside because I wanted something that was snug against his skin without any seams. The fleece was a good choice for outer layer to help keep in the warmth. Ideally, I was looking for an old water resistant windbreaker jacket, to better keep out the snow, but I didn't have anything I was willing to sacrifice. Maybe I should have gone to Good Will to get something. Oh well. The photo below shows the shirts and the mittens I used for this project.

2. Next, cut off the the sleeves at the shoulder seam.

3. If your model is around, use him to fit the outer layer. Put the sleeve inside out, and pin the side with the the seam loosely against his arm. (For example in this photo, if I would have pinned above his arm, the sleeve would have two seams, and therefore not as comfortable.) Also, take into consideration the stretchy-ness of your sleeve. Since mine is fleece and has a lot of give, I could put my seam pretty close to his arm. But if you are using a windbreaker, your seam shouldn't be as close to the arm because it may reduce the ability to bend at the elbow.

4. Make a seam along your pin line. I made a zig-zag line and a straight stitch. The sleeve on the top is what is looks like before I trimmed off the excess.

5. Turn the outside layer right-side out, and place the inside layer within the outside layer lining them up how you'd like.

6. Sew the outside layer to the inside layer at the cuff. This will not be visible and will hold the two pieces together. I used a zig-zag stitch so that it would have a bit of stretch. (Excuse the poor stitches, my sewing machine is in dire need of a tune up.)

7. At this point its a good idea to put it back on your model to check for length. Decide how far up the arm you want it to go. You want it above the elbow, even with the elbow bent. This will help keep the glove on. Cut the outer layer 2 inches shorter than the inner. Then fold the inner layer to the outside, and stitch it.

8. The last step is to attach the glove to the sleeve. Overlap the 2 cuffs with the glove cuff on top. Unfortunately, I think the best way to do this is doing a hand whip stitch. (I couldn't figure out how to get to that seam on the sewing machine.) I also suggest using a thimble, to save your finger!

9. Because I made my layers so thick, my son wears a short-sleeve t-shirt, with the sleeve gloves under his winter coat. If you prefer for your kids to layer, you might want lighter layers for your sleeve gloves. Put them on and enjoy!

High School Science labs

As a career biology teacher, I've recently taken on the challenge and privilege of volunteering as the "science lab coordinator" at a Christian boarding school. The boys get their middle school or high school curriculum via Switched on Schoolhouse (SOS), which is a Christian homeschooling software curriculum. While the teachers tried to include hands-on science labs as much as they could, with up to 25 boys in different science courses and within different units in those courses, it makes it too difficult to be practical. Therefore, I am doing labs with the boys 2 days a week. I'm getting a chance to pull out labs I used to do with my public high school students. Sometimes I rewrite existing SOS labs-improving them to be more inquiry, and sometimes I'm writing new labs entirely. I'd like for this blog to be a place I can share those with you.

This is a photo of my lab space. Nice huh? Rocky Mount Church, from North Carolina came last summer to design and build this lab. [Side note: I had not yet contacted the school about volunteering. God made this a case of "If you build it, she will come!" Totally a God thing.] The room came with basic science supplies like a microscope, basic glassware, magnets, rulers etc. Not only the space functional, it is beautiful. I don't know who did the decorating, but I LOVE the classy science decor (notice the ThInK sign above the door). I never have more than six boys at a time so the space is perfect.

I've been doing labs since November, and so far we've done 2 microscope labs (rotating 6 boys around one scope has its challenges), graphing lab, Calculating volume lab, Living-Non lab (a personal favorite of mine), Probability lab, and Cleaning up after an oil spill lab (a great inquiry lab). I've posted some of them here for you in Google Docs. I suppose at some later time, I can spend more time talking about the labs.

Guidelines for Lab Drawings: I am kinda particular on how students do lab drawings, this is my description of how they are to be done! (Ok so I'm OCD!)

First Microscope Lab: Traditional, cutting out newspaper letter, and looking at colored threads.

Cheek Cell Lab: I have students make three slides, as methaline blue stain on one, iodine on another, and no stain on the third. Then they compare them and determine best as they can the shape of their cells.

Determining Volume: In this lab students measure linear objects (like small boxes) to find their volume, then use the principle of displacement by dropping irregular shaped objects into graduated cylinders and beakers to find the change in water level.

Graphing: Basic paper lab that leads students to make line, bar, and pie graphs. Honestly, its not that great.

Cleaning up an oil spill: I modified this lab from (info coming) and I really like it. Students are provided a bunch of materials and they work to determine which best clean up an oil (veg. oil) spill in their ocean (water in a pie tin).