In a homeschooling house full of 7 kids & 3 guniea pigs....there is never a dull moment! A lot of people show genuine concern for us and want to know how we are doing, as the road we've left behind was not a pleasant one. So, here I am, to tell some of our stories...share some of our days...and open up a part of our world to you! Come join us on our journey so you won't miss the moments that take our breath away!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Eagle's lesson on Igneous Rocks

We are finally back in the swing of things around here!!  Which means that we are finally able to add supplemental activities to our lessons.  This is one of the reasons we homeschool!  As a homeschooler, there is nothing better than being able to provide my kids with a style of learning that works for them!  Not only am I able to cater to their individual needs but I can also incorporate more than one child into a lesson as well, offering a younger child a head start and an older child a fun review!  My kids learn best with the Multisensory Technique .  I have always taught with this hands on learning approach well before any of my kids started Pre-K, it has always been a teaching style that came naturally to me.  Anytime we can fit a trip to the zoo, a museum, etc. into a lesson, it is an added bonus but we can often be found supplementing with hands on activities at home!

Friends (both in the blogging world and local homeschooling friends) are often asking what kinds of things we have been doing.  I promised to make more of an effort to post some of the fun things we've added to a lesson, this way when someone is looking for ideas, they can easily find a few here!

This week, Eagle has been working on his "Rock Hound" unit in Science.  He has learned about the different layers of the Earth and he has explored many different rocks in his rock kit.  Today, he learned about Igneous Rocks and how they are formed from volcanoes.  We found some great recipes to go along with this lesson!  First, we made a model volcano.  This was quite simple as we lined a cookie sheet with wax paper, then we took a piece of foil and crumbled it up and sat a toilet paper tube in the middle of it.  Then we took a small piece of wax paper and put it on top of the toilet paper tube.  We took a 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and melted them in the microwave.  We discussed how rocks melt in the Earth's Mantle and this melted rock is called Magma.  When the chocolate chips were melted, we added 1 tsp. of vegetable oil and mixed it well.  Eagle then poured the "Magma" onto the top of our volcano.  Then, the "Lava" poured down the sides of the volcanoes.  We discussed what would happen as the Magma cooled and formed into Igneous Rock.  We sat our project aside to work on our next project.   

We began working on our next edible assignment... 

Igneous Rocks1 can evaporated milk (6 oz.)
1-1/2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped nuts
1-1/4 c. mini-marshmallows
1-1/2c. chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla

Grease an 8" or 9" pan. Combine evaporated milk with sugar and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring for 5-9 minutes. Remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients and stir gently. Pour into prepared pan. Let cool. (refrigerate) 1 pan (8") makes 30 (1") squares.

We found this recipe, along with links for lapbooks and other useful information here.

As we waited for this assignment to cool, we made a salt dough volcano.  Eagle allowed his younger siblings to assist him in making his model.  They were quite eager to flatten the dough for him.  When he added the baking soda and vinegar, we didn't intially get the result we had hoped for, but regardless...they were able to see the volcano erupt a few times. 

We then returned to our first project, which we ended up putting in the freezer to make the hardening process go faster.  They enjoyed eating the Igneous Rock that was formed and they thought it was really cool how it peeled right off of the wax paper.

We are still waiting for our other Igneous Rock recipe to completely harden...wow, sometimes Lava takes a while to make Igneous Rock...but it will definately make for a nice snack later!

Tomorrow, he will be learning about Sedimentary Rocks and Fossils.  So, we have another exciting day to look forward to.  Friday, we will be going Fossil Hunting, something that my kids have always wanted to do!

***I did take a few pictures of our fun today, but unfortunately, my card reader is broken.  We are heading out soon to work on Christmas Wish Lists, so maybe we'lll pick one up!


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