Friday Fun!!

The Backyard Volcano

Age: Elementary and up Time: About 15 minutes Type of Activity: Backyard science


Encourage your children to explore science in their own backyard. Plant a garden, catch butterflies, or better yet, build a live volcano! Sound tricky? You'll be surprised. MaryAnn Kohl, author of the book Science Arts, makes it easy with the following simple instructions.


Materials needed:· Baking pan· Soda bottle (16 or 20 oz.)· Moist soil· 1 tablespoon baking soda· 1 cup vinegar· Red food coloring· The great outdoors!


Experiment
Step One: Place the baking pan on the grass, and set the soda bottle in the middle of the pan.
Step Two: Mound and shape the moist soil around the bottle to form a mountain. Bring the soil right up to the top of the bottle's opening, but don't get the soil inside the bottle.
Step Three: Pour one tablespoon of baking soda into the bottle.
Step Four: Color one cup of vinegar with red food coloring.
Step Five: Pour the colored vinegar into the bottle. Stand back and watch red foam spray out of the top and down the mountain like lava from a volcano.


Tips for parentsExperimentation is an exciting way to teach your kids about the world around them. But before you get started, Kohl has a few words of advice: "Keep it simple! Begin with materials you have around the house, such as flour, cornstarch, and paints, and, most importantly, let the child do most of the experimenting. You can provide the encouragement." Kohl adds, "Don't worry about not understanding the 'science' that's happening." You and your kids can make your own hypotheses, then look up the answers later online or at the local library.

Parent Tip

Keep Toys Simple

The more a toy does, the less there is for a child to do. A plain toy phone will lead to more imaginative conversations than one with prerecorded messages.

Friday Fun!

Homemade Sticker Book

Make a homemade sticker book for your kids to collect the numerous stickers that they acquire on various outings. Simply use wax paper for the pages, and use construction paper or decorative paper for the covers. Let the kids decorate it themselves, and they have a great place to store their stickers. The wax paper allows them to move the stickers around and choose a favorite spot.

Parent Tip

ABC Board

For an educational project that you can do with your kids, create an ABC board. Use a large poster board, label each letter and have your kids search for items to represent each letter. For example, yarn for Y, feather for F, heart for H, etc. and glue to each letter. It provides a learning experience while making it, and leaves you with something to come back to over and over again.

Parent Tip

Write Letters to Resolve Differences
Writing letters to a teen is a great way to communicate, particularly during an argument. This way you can think out what you need to say, (in a loving way) without being interrupted, challenged or losing your cool. The result should be greater understanding and a peaceful conversation.