Workshops Rail Museum - Build It

Yesterday we took a trip to the Ipswich Rail Museum, it's roughly 45 minutes from home, but is a great place to visit, especially if you have train loving kids in your house.

The children participated in a Crane Construction Workshop for a part of the visit.

They learnt about cranes, their function and the various types of cranes, via a series of slides and a presentation.

Then they proceeded to construct their own crane and work/play with its' various functions. Discussing what they were taught during the presentation.

Whilst the Bulid It Exhibition is on there are several activity stations placed around the museum all revolving around construction of some kind or another.

I don't think we got the opportunity to see even half of the hands on activities they had available.

Never the less, everyone had a fabulous time. During the week you are virturally the only ones there so definitely a great place to go for a day out.

Over the back of the museum they have a children's play area, with roads, a train track, bikes and trikes, large builidng blocks and trucks and trains to play in.

However, I warn you, it may be bery difficult to get your children to leave, I'm just sayin!

This post is linked to the Field Trip Blog Hop

The Craft Club: Candle Making Part 2

Remember our candle making experience from a few weeks back? Well we had Crazy Candles come out again, since the kids just loved their candles so much. The older kids tried something different this time, something a little more challenging.

Balloon dipped candles. Basically the process is the same as before except this time they used a balloon with cold water in it. The tricky part of this design was keeping their levels even. With each colour they had to make sure as best they could to get the wax to the same level each time.

Then with a new colour choice, they needed to lower the level by roughly 1cm and so on.

B chose to have little shapes cut out of his, which would look nice when/if he places a tea light candle inside. K left hers as is and I obviously didn't get a photo because I can't find one.

Although the process was technically the same the experience and end products were quite different.

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Art Class: Painted Toilet Paper Trees

Yes that's right, Toilet Paper Painted Trees!

Don't these just look absolutely fabulous. The kids completed these as part of our Home School Networks Art Class and the best part about them is that most children can successfully do this art activity.

These were completed over a period of two weeks. The first week they painted their background area, keeping in mind that they would be building a tree on top of the painting. K chose an afternoon sunset and B decided to do a night sky.

Once the paint was dry they used some pva on a brush (or their finger) and drew a tree shape (trunk and branches) with the pva. This would make the adhering of the toilet paper easier.

Then they dipped a few wads of toilet paper into watered down pva, kind of like paper mache but with toilet paper, and proceeded to build their trees on top of the now dry pva painted tree.

These were left for a week to ensure that the toilet paper was thoroughly dry. The following week they painted the trunk and branches, added tissue paper amd/or cellophane leaves and used oil pastels to finish off the background image.

Three classes in total completed these and to see them altogether was fantastic, it definitely inspired us to consider an art show for the kids, that's for sure.

This simeple, but very effective idea really lends itself to many varied options. Just imagine the textured creations you and your children could come up with!

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Cake Decorating For Kids

As part of our Home School Network activities this term some of the children were able to particpate in some beginners cake decorating with one of our very lovely Grandmothers. This class was an absolute hit and they are definitely wanting to do some more.

They made dogs and cats the first week.

Can you believe B's dog and yes they did this themselves.

He is beginning his work on the cat in this one.

This is K's cat, unfortunately by the time I got around to taking a photo the paper had started coming away.

The second week they decorated biscuits and turned them into pretty bonnets,

And Pirates.

Dad got these for Father's Day, it was perfect timing.

We are hoping to do this again before the year's out and even the mummies might have turn at it as well.

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Science Sunday - Gases, Froth and Bubbles

The kids were busting their seams when I mentioned that the very hands on, very fun Professor Jellybean would be joining again this term for a couple of science experiment sessions.

They just love attending these workshops, not only are they fun and educational, they also have relatively small group sizes (average of 10 children per group this term).

But the best part has to be that each and every mum/parent/carer also gets to enjoy the excitement with the kids as not a single one of us has had to find all of the experiments, get organised to run the workshop, set up, run the group, make sure the experiments are working, nope, because all of that is done for us, all we simply need to do is enjoy the fun along with the kids.

As a homeschooling parent we are so busy planning and scheduling lessons it is such a blessing when we can access fabulous hands on activities for our children to participate in from time to time. Working and interacting with other adults outside of the home and to also be able to work alongside and with ones peers is a skill all children need.

How blessed we are to be able to provide this without having to hand over the entire education process of our children AND the best parts of their lives to someone else. It IS great to be a home schooler!

Sorry got a bit carried away there hehe.....now K doesn't look the least bit happy about participating in this does she.

The first experiment gave the children a visual of gases, something that is very difficult for a young child to fathom. They had a small continer filled with a citric acid solution. They placed a teaspoon or two of bi carb into the fingers of the glove. Whilst someone held the glove tightly around the cup, the other person lifted the glove dispersing the bi carb into the citric acid as it bubbled and the gases were released the glove 'blew up' and the kids eyes lit up!

This experiment was similar, a citric acid solution with dish soap in it, added to bi carb, a lovely fizzing, bubbling green little pot of fun.

They finished the morning off with these very cool rocket tubes. These are basically a large piece of plastic open at both ends. You begin by tying off one end and then with the other end open you very lightly blow into it (yes lightly, too hard and it doesn't work) and they seemingly instantly blow up. Grab the end and seal it shut with a rubber band.

And proceed to spend an enormous amount of time playing with them. These rocket tubes are super fun on their own but join forces with your friends and you can come up with all sorts of contraptions.

Yet another great week with Professor Jellybean.

I am linking this to Science Sunday, click on over to have a look at loads of science fun.

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Oh It's Great To Be A Homeschooler!

We had our mid year LHEN Family Picnic today. These are moments I cherish, the moments I know that it truly is wonderful to be a homeschooler! A homeschooler blessed with a community of similar minds and friendship.

With the gorgeous surrounds of Daisy Hill State Forest the children were free to run, play, explore and do what ever it is that children do best. Whilst the mummies and daddies got to mingle, socialise and chat. Especially the dads, they so often miss out on all the fun we homeschoolers have and it is very important for them to connect with other homeschooling dads.

There were soccer matches, cricket, badminton, totem tennis, hiding in the bushes, some simple but delightful craft activities and just plain old having fun.

We did manage to round up the troops, well most of them anyway for a group shot.

You can see in the top right image they are all nicely finding their place and then the mass exodus, after the photo shoot was through of rushing to get back to whatever it was they were doing before hand.

We did in the end mange to grab a nice group photo of them, not an easy task with a large number of children, that aren't used to sitting still for very long!

I think I counted 16 families, anywhere between 40 and 50 children so not all are in the photo, but that's ok. What a gorgeous bunch of happy, smiling, carefree children.

Oh it's great to be a homeschooler!

PJ Science Week 2 - Gooey Jellyfish & Snow

This week the kids used the same solution that they used to make the Freaky Goo Worms but they also got to be a little creative with the solution and came up with Freaky Goo Jellyfish!

Neon coloured tentacles

A swirly rainbow body

Join them all together

And you have a Neon Freaky Goo Jellyfish.

They also did a couple of snow type experiments, we've used this snow material at home before so the feel of it wasn't new to my guys. Have a look at the expression on K's face though.

Professor Jellybean placed a small amount in their hands and added water and of course it exploded (grew) incredibly fast, K couldn't hold it all it was growing and spreading so fast. We've only ever done this in a tub, not held it in our hands as it absorbed the water so the feeling of that on her little fingers must of been fun.

Definitely another thumbs up for this week's round of PJ Science Fun.

Check out the other science fun posts.

PJ Science Week 1- Freaky Goo Worms & Gooey Slime

A couple of the members of our house have taken up new professions the moment. They are pretty exciting professions too. Allow me to introduce you to them.

Meet Scientist B

And Scientist K

This week they concocted a batch of Freaky Goo Worms by mixing a seaweed protein with a calcium solution. It's the stuff that is in some of those gooey lollies and the worms really feel like a little gummi bear.

They also mixed up some colouring, glitter, PVA solution with a binding agent and hey Presto.....Gooey Slime!!

This was our first week with Professor Jellybean. She is coming along for the next 8 weeks to our homeschool network mornings to share her science fun with the kids. And fun it surely is! They all got kitted out with their lab gear and got down and dirty mixing up their experiments.

I don't have the exact ingredients as she didn't give them away but I am sure some googling will produce results. The slime is fabulous and those gooey worms, you need to remind yourself that they ARE NOT lollies hehehehe!

So ok we might be cheating a bit for Science Sunday, since we didn't actually do these at home but they were super fun and our budding little scientists are itching to see what they will come up with this week.

Check out the other Science Sunday fun Posts.