Summer Science

I got less science fun packed into the summer than I had planned, but I also didn't get my gallery wall started. The summer was busier than expected. That said, the boys and I did do a few experiments.

We had fun with learning about the different rock types thanks to Pinterest. It was much better than our Pinterest Fail in the spring.

Tad excited about science. Warms my heart.

Our ingredients. You're supposed to use Starburst candies. I used Starburst and Laffy Taffy candies because that's what I had in my cabinet (thanks to Easter. Okay, let's be honest, some of those might be from Halloween. No judgement.)

First we made sedimentary rocks. Pressure had to be applied to our rock layers.

A toy box didn't work.

Hmmm, what could cause enough pressure to smash our layers together? 

Sitting on the candy didn't work either.

Sitting on a chair on top of the candy worked!

Next, they made metamorphic rocks so they needed heat and pressure.

They smashed their rock layers with siting in a chair on top of the rocks, and then the rocks got heated in the oven.

The candy is supposed to be wrapped in wax paper then foil. I had no wax paper so this happened. Oh well. The boys got the point.

Finally, the boys made igneous rocks - heat only.

Those aren't H's, they are I's. For Igneous. M for metamorphic. S for sedimentary.

We also looked at pictures of the different rocks in one of my earth science textbooks along with talking about the connection to volcanoes. Fun times.

I took the boys up to the Earth Science lab at school so we could make volcanoes. This is by far their favorite activity.

Bear and Yellow Friend came along as well.

The boys were super excited. Can you tell?

Ah, the old baking soda and vinegar trick.

The boys also experimented with whether or not the thickness of their lava will make a difference in the explosion.

Their findings suggest that the thickness of the lava does not affect the reaction between the vinegar and baking soda.

The last thing the boys did was make ocean water. 

They made ocean foam by shaking up salt water. Then they made fish out of clay and put them into the oceans.

I have more things posted on Pinterest so maybe we'll get something else done before school starts!