Notes from Janice’s Desk Density is a physical property describing the mass of one unit volume of a substance. If the mass is measured in grams, generally the volume is measured in milliliters or cubic centimeters. (NOTE: 1 ml = 1 cm3) A pure substance is an element, such as copper or gold or a […]
Fermentation
Notes from Janice’s Desk Wild purple grapes grow in our area. My family loves wild grape jelly. I often pick and cook the grapes, separate the juice, and then store the juice to use later. If I plan to use the juice in a short time, I store it in the refrigerator. Even with the […]
Bonding
Notes from Janice’s Desk A friend, Laura Sherman, teaches kids to play chess. I am adding a link at the bottom of this page to an article she wrote about how chess can bond families. The word bonding made me relate the types of bonding between chemicals to emotional bonding between people. Some chemical bonds […]
Periodic Table: Hydrogen
Notes from Janice’s Desk I wish kids learned about the periodic table in elementary school. It would make science so much easier for them. With this thought in mind, I am going to write a few lessons about the periodic table. First of all, the periodic table is a chart of the chemical elements arranged […]
Technology
Notes from Janice’s Desk I need to buy stock in “Snagit”—I finding this program so helpful. Have I figured out all it can do–of course not. I don’t know all the things that my word processor can do. I seem to learn what I need to know to do specific jobs, but I am going […]
Measuring Volume
Notes from Janice’s Desk Most of my books use measuring tools that you have at home. This is purposely done to encourage more science discovery. I am not minimizing the importance of learning to use science equipment. My thought is that by mastering measuring skills using familiar measuring instruments, kids will be more successful in […]
Cool Science Experiments
Kids love science and they generally figure out how to solve science problems on their own. In other words they use the problem solving process called the scientific method. Make it fun and interesting and even adults want to learn science. They might even sit in a wading pool as they play and find out […]
Chemistry: Science Fair Projects
Psssst! Always ask an adult about mixing chemicals. Some things are not safe to mix. Chemistry facts can be used as science fair project topics. Even though the chemistry facts you find in texts may be true, you are to treat them as if they are not true. Following is an example of how to […]
Recycle
Click to Look Insid Notes from Janice’s Desk When I was a kid people naturally recycled. I don’t remember garbage being a big problem because we didn’t throw many things away. We didn’t need a food disposal because any left over food wasn’t much and it was given to the dog. Clothes were handed down […]
Archeology
Notes from Janice’s Desk Archeology is the study of human culture by analyzing stuff that people left behind. Junk from garbage dumps of the past are treasured artifacts today. From these finding, scientists piece together how they think the people lived, worked, and played. I wonder what archaeologists in the far future will find in […]