A Scientific Journey

I love going downtown. My mom is taking me downtown to the Outdoor Retailer Show today so I can find stuff to tell you about. My mom says that means I am “on assignment”. That’s newspaper talk for finding a story.

I learned a lot of stuff about science yesterday. I learned how to keep chocolate from melting when hiking. I learned how to keep people dry outside when it is raining. And I got to meet two girls from USA Today that were there looking for stuff to write about too. I’ll tell you what I learn later. I can’t right now because I am going downtown again.

Mom’s Notes: The Outdoor Retailer Show is a convention where stores who sale outdoor related products come to purchase products from manufacturers. I thought this would be a great time for McKayla to learn the science behind outdoor products but was pleasantly surprised about how much science she would actually be exposed too.

We spent quite a bit of time talking to the manufacturers reps. A few of them obviously didn’t know how to talk to a six year old, but most of them did very well at explaining things in terms McKayla could understand.

I’d especially like to thank the people at the 3M Corporate booth they spent a lot of quality time with McKayla explaining the science behind their products, and even fed her juice and muffins. They even gave her a bottle ScotchGard that she can use to experiment with as well. She is going to see if she can make some of her clothing more “hydrophobic.” She walked away from your booth saying, several times, “that was cool,” and I really liked that booth. She learned enough material to have plenty to talk about for a couple of weeks.

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Science Quote of the Day

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”

Albert Einstein

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Science Quote of the Day

“Science is organized knowledge.”

~ Herbert Spencer
(1820-1903)
English philosopher

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This is my first article for our new science blog, and my first ever blog posting.  I talked and mom typed.  I am six years old.

This is what I learned about Polar Bears today. I am learning about the word extinct and what it means.

Polar bears eat meat. In 40 years the ice cube is going to melt and the polar bears home is going to collapse. The snow is getting really, really, really squishy. The polars bears are going to sink into the water and they might die. But polar bears are really, really, really, really good swimmers. They eat fish.

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Our educational focus changed somewhat recently. I was trying to save money by writing my own lesson plans on nearly every subject. The lessons were basically designed to use existing materials that we had around the house and the vast variety of lesson plans available on the internet.

I created some incredible materials. I had flash cards, beautiful journal pages, or worksheet pages to go with everything and then our computer crashed. I lost hundreds of hour worth of work. Tip: Back-up regularly.

Another problem is that I was spending too much time writing lessons, and that took away from quality teaching team. So we finally invested in some courses in nearly every every subject. We are jumping into our new science courses mid-year. Here is what we are studying for the remainder of the year.

Austin: Biology

Text: Exploring Creation With Biology
Publisher: Apologia Educational Ministries
ISBN: 1-932012-57-5

Introduction
DNA and Life
Energy Conversion and Life
Sensing and Responding to Change
Reproduction
The Scientific Method
Biological Classification
The Microscope
Kingdom Monera
Kingdom Protista
Kingdom Fungi
Atoms, Elements, and Moleculs
Organic Chemistry
DNA
The Cell
Cellular Reproduction and DNA
Mendelian Genetics
Evolution and Scientific Theory
Ecology
Invertebrates
Phylum Arthropoda
Phylum Chordata
Plantae -Anatomy and Classification, Physiology and Reproduction
Reptiles, Birds, and Mammals

Items we still need for this course:

Key & Test Booklet and Key
Dissection Kit

Items we would really like to get need for this course:

Microscope
Apologia Biology Slide Set

Brieana & McKayla: 1st Semester

Text: Exploring Creation With Zoology 1
Publisher: Apologia Educational Ministries
ISBN: 1-932012-61-3

In this course we will be exploring the dynamics of flight and animal classification. We will learn about birds, their physical characteristics, diverse nests, anatomy, and domestic practices. After becoming amateur ornithologists, Brieana and McKayla will explore chiropterology, which is the study of bats.

Table of Contents

Items we still need for this course:

List Pending

Items we would really like for this course:

Owl Pellet Study Kit
Incubator with Four Quail Eggs
Bird Watcher’s Backpack Kit

Brieana & McKayla: 2nd Semester

Text: Exploring Creation With Botany
Publisher: Apologia Educational Ministries
ISBN: 1-932012-61-3

Following flying creatures we will study on the nature of botany and the process of classifying plants. We will learn about the development of plants from seeds, the reproduction processes in plants, the way plants make their food, and how plants get their water and nutrients and distribute them throughout the body of the plant. They will learn about many different kinds of plants in Creation and where these plants belong in the plant classification system.

Table of Contents

Items we still need for this course:

List Pending

Items we would really like for this course:

Botanist Back Pack Kit
Plant Presses or Materials to Make a Wooden Plant Presses
Botany Survey Set

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Science Quote of the Day

“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious - the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science.”

~ Albert Einstein

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Tags: Albert Einstein, science quotes, Scientists

Welcome to a scientific journey, our place on the web where we record the interesting things we learn in the field of science. This website is authored by McKayla - age 6, Brieana - age 12, Austin - age 15, and mom (you don’t really need to know).

We are currently studying Biology. Austin is taking Biology 101 and McKayla and Brieana are studying primarily Flying Creatures.

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