Salt and sugar

During dinner, W asked about the differences between salt and sugar, so we thought up a few experiments and executed these after our main course. 

We began with the sensual experiences of each: how does each look and feel?  How does each smell and taste?  Thinking back, we should have also tried putting our ears up to the little heaps, but I guess we were not expecting any auditory properties.

Having established that sugar tastes sugary and salt tastes salty, we explored how they behave with water.  What happens when a tablespoon of each is mixed into a glass of water?  What happens when a little of each is placed onto an ice cube?

Then we searched ingredient lists to see if various food items had one, both, or neither of salt or sugar as an ingredient.  After a few items, and perhaps a pattern established, we turned it into a game to try to predict the inclusion of salt or sugar.    

snow day (no fooling!)

Today was probably the longest that C has been happy playing in the snow. The power was off and on this morning but with most of the snow off the tree limbs I would be surprised if it goes out again. The temperature was warmer than it has been after most of the snow falls this year considering it is April after all. The boys enjoyed making snow angels and running around in the snow. I saw some wild turkey foot prints in our driveway but this time no other evidence of the bird was left. At least this snow should melt soon and potentially be beneficial to the maple syrup producers.

Last week we rowed The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf for FIAR Volume 2. Check out this post from last year about Ferdinand which recently celebrated it's 75th birthday, and check out the cartoon based on the story. The book is one of my favorites.

Last week we also took a field trip to Parker's Maple Barn with a homeschool group to see how maple syrup is made, and the trip finished off with a delicious pancake and cocoa. We will likely make this a tradition since it is a fun place to visit and there is nothing like the smell of a sugarhouse. W celebrated his 6th birthday with a party this past weekend and spent some time this week writing thank-you notes to his family and friends. Unfortunately this week the boys have had runny noses so I hope no colds were spread to the other little ones during the party. They had insisted on going outside and running around in the cold much to the dismay of the parents.

This week we have been reading The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge by Hildegarde H. Swift (what a name, love it!) W has been recalling some of our big trip to NYC last spring and learning about lighthouses, rivers and geography among other subjects. He has finished chapter 25 in the Math-U-See Primer and we have the Alpha curriculum waiting in the wings for later this spring. We are in the planning stages of our next vacation later this spring to SC, with perhaps some stops on the way back north in VA & PA. :)

   

Now We Are Six

Happy birthday to W! We have spent part of the day reading poems by A.A. Milne from the book Now We Are Six, making and eating frozen homemade juice pops, making paper airplanes, cleaning for the party, playing, and watching the movie Cars which he has proclaimed his favorite. We are about to make cupcakes and W insisted on waiting for his gifts until after dessert this evening. It is snowing here in NH. Just flurries (I hope!) C is Mr. Crankypants having skipped his nap in order to watch Cars so I will try to put him down so we can get started on the cupcakes. 

Magic Tree House books

W has recently discovered the Magic Tree House series of books by Mary Pope Osborne and in the past couple of days he has read several of them completely on his own. I asked him a few questions about them for reading comprehension and it seems like he understands the story but he is a speed reader! This means a library trip will be in order very soon. We bought several of these books at the Christmas Tree Shop which offers them at dollar or more off of list price (yes, I love a bargain). He has read #1 Dinosaurs Before Dark (and study guide), 2 The Knight at Dawn, 3 Mummies in the Morning, 4 Pirates Past Noon, 11 Lions at Lunchtime, and 23 Twister on Tuesday.

This reading transition to chapter books is happening as I am planning W's curriculum for spring/ summer 2011 so now I am in search of similar book suggestions, if you have any please post a comment. As for other subjects, we ordered the next step of Math-U-See (Alpha student & teacher texts). I am slowly acquiring other first grade materials, and will certainly be on the lookout for local book sales. We have a few things already including a set of Flat Stanley books we got at a homeschool book sale last year. W was a little young for them at the time but now I think they would be up his alley. We will also keep going with Five in a Row books and some of the longer chapter books such as Little House on the Prairie for read-alouds.

Today besides reading W was working again with the Explode the Code 1 workbook, Math-U-See, and making his own mazes and drawings. It was raining and sleeting today, it will be nice when the ice is gone and we can start thinking about the garden.

  

EcoTarium day trip

I forgot to post some photos from our visit to the EcoTarium in Worcester, MA last month. We met up with most of Jacob's side of the family so the boys enjoyed spending time with their cousins, uncles & aunt. It is a nice little museum which I think would be even more fun in the summertime when more time can be spent at their outside areas as well. We got to see the polar bear Kenda who was happily napping in the snow.

              Polar Bear! She was not too excited to her picture taken.

They also exhibit animals of the non-living variety. This used to be a mountain lion.

The iguana demonstration was neat, the handler put a bunch of unlucky crickets in the pen for a snack.

 The EcoTarium seems to be expanding as the upper level of the museum was closed and under renovations, so it would be fun to go back on a warmer day when there is more to see.