Science Fun with Kool-aid & Rain!

We still have school over the summer months but with a more relaxed schedule.  We definitely do more hands on activities because who wants to be stuck at a table doing seat work after six months of a gruesome winter?!?!

Nebraska Unit

The Official State Soft Drink of Nebraska is...Kool-aid!  

This was a good excuse to buy a beverage we never drink.  But, the girls didn't like it because I refused to add the required amount of sugar it takes to taste good. :-/

So, we had much more fun using it for activities! 

We poured 4 packets of Kool-aid onto poster boards & the girls used their spray bottles to create works of art. 

Their creations were beautiful! C. said hers (on the left) looks like Northern Lights. I agree!  

We also did a Walking Water Experiment.  K. added yellow food coloring into one glass of water & C. added red Kool-aid into another. We talked about the words, "Absorb" & "Gravity". 

1st Observation (9:00AM)

 

Final Observation (7:30AM the next day)
 They were ecstatic to see the colored water walk & blend to make orange. 

I found this observation sheet at The First Grade Parade. 

Grand Finale

Nevada Unit

According to CurrentResults.com, Nevada takes the lead as the least rainy state in the US, with only 9.5" of rain each year.  That's a lot less rain than our state gets! So, we decided to do a fun Science Experiment for this unit as well. 

After I got a Flash Flood Warning on my phone, I knew that was a good night for our
Measuring Rainfall Experiment. 

We set the container out at 8:00PM when it started raining. 

It didn't stop raining until 12:00PM the next day!

C. predicted that we'd get 1 cup of water & K. predicted 2 cups.
We actually got a little over 2.5 cups (3.5").

Nevada is known as The Silver State due to the importance of silver to its history and economy. 

After reading the book "Silver", we decided to do some silver creations. 

Silver paint pen on black card stock with silver plastic-coated wire. 

Aluminum covered cardboard canvas with Sharpies. 

Grand Finale - sorry for the glare; silver is quite shiny! :-)

May my children grow to love Jesus and seek His wisdom like Silver (Prov. 2:4)!