Arrrrgh!

If we ever study astronomy again, we'll do so in the summer, when we're more likely to have some clear nights.  This past week, we talked about stars, constellations, and galaxies, but we haven't had a chance to actually look at any constellations in the sky because of the clouds.  The next few nights are supposed to be clear, though, so maybe we'll get a peek.

Today we'll be going to OMSI to see an IMAX movie about the Hubble telescope.  That will be a great way to cap off a week studying stars.

I didn't take any pictures this week, so I thought I'd wrap up this post with a picture of my niece as a pirate.  Enjoy!

Project Pluto

One of the things I love about the Apologia science curriculum is that the projects are simple (not a lot of supplies to buy), but interesting and varied.  The Pluto project, I have to admit, is one of my favorites....homemade ice cream!  You know, because Pluto is so cold.  A bit of a stretch, I guess, but one I'm willing to accept.

We even added our own special touches, including a night sky backdrop made of hot fudge, and a Kuiper Belt made of sprinkles.  Mmmmmm....

Note: Yes, we are aware that Pluto has officially been categorized as a dwarf planet, which was covered in the curriculum, but we didn't think that should stop us from doing this project. =)

On Cloud Nine

One of the things I love about homeschooling is that I'm learning right along with the kids.  For example, I've learned there is no polite way to pronounce "Uranus".  This doesn't seem to bother the kids, though, and they've enjoyed learning that the reason Uranus and Neptune are blueish is because they have a lot of methane in their atmospheres.  Also, since they are "gas giants", they are covered by swirling, stormy clouds.

So for our experiment this week, we created clouds in our kitchen.  We filled a jar half-way with warm water, dropped in a match, and immediately covered the jar with a bag of ice.  If you look closely, you can see the "clouds" forming in the top of the jar.

When we removed the ice, the clouds swirled out of the jar.  As you can see from their expressions, the kids thought this was really neat!

Wanted: Giant Bathtub

Ella's project and presentation were on Saturn.  One of the many unique facts about this planet is that it is actually less dense than water.  That means that if you happened to have a humongous bathtub, Saturn would actually float.  So if you have one lying around, Ella would take it off your hands. =)

As a visual aid for her presentation, Ella made a Saturn out of a CD and a foam ball.  She covered one side of the CD with glitter and painted the ball.  It is now hanging in her room, and it looks great!

Jumpin' Jupiter!

The kids are diligently working their way through the astronomy curriculum by reading the text and reinforcing their knowledge through notebook activities and projects.  In our study of Jupiter, the one fact that stood out the most was that the Great Red Spot on Jupiter is actually a giant storm.  So we decided to create a storm in a bottle!  We even put glitter in the "tornado" so we could see it swirling around.

Jupiter was the planet that Brennan chose for his project and presentation.  We made a huge Jupiter lollipop by smashing life savers, sprinkling them on a baking sheet, and melting them in the oven.  As you can see above, it came out looking (and tasting) great!

Then Brennan presented some Jupiter facts he had put together, with a little help.  I'll post the video later.