Color Mixing Experiment

Today, we did a fun color mixing experiment to go along with our Before Five in a Row story, which I will be posting in a few days.  I had done this experiment with Arin several years ago, but she had forgotten it and Ella had never seen it, so they were both very excited!
First, fill six spots in an ice cube tray with water.  In two sections (with water), add blue food coloring, red food coloring in a different two sections, and yellow food coloring in the last two sections.  Once the cubes are frozen, place a red ice cube in a baggy with a blue one, a red ice cube in a baggy with a yellow one and a yellow ice cube with a blue one.  Seal and label the baggies. 

Place the baggies in a pot of hot water. 

It's really hard to be patient and wait for the water to melt the ice cubes, so you may have to help speed up the process :)

Once the ice cubes melt, the primary colors will mix, resulting in new secondary colors.

Spotted Laurel

One of the things I want to do this year is a nature study, not only to get the girls outside, but to make them really aware of the nature around them.  The owners of the house that we live in planted several bushes, trees and flowers in our yard, so we will have no shortage of plants to study (although figuring out the names of the plants may be a difficult task!).  We will also be studying animals, bugs, weather, etc.

This morning, we started with what I think is a Spotted Laurel.  If I am wrong, and someone knows what the plant it actually called, please let me know.

First, we looked at the leaves while still on the plant. 

Then, we picked a few of the leaves.  We talked about the leaves' colors and shape.  We noted the veins running through the leaves.

Then, we documented what we saw.  The girls painted their impressions of the leaves.  They started first with green paint, then added the veins with a wooden skewer, and finished with the yellow spots.

Kindergarten Curriculum

Look who's turning five and starting kindergarten!

The following is what I have chosen as Arin's kindergarten curriculum for the 2011-2012 school year (inspired greatly by homeschool veteran mom, Michelle at Delightful Learning). We'll also use other resources as supplements to our main curriculum.

~ Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by Siegfried Engelmann
~ Singapore Math 1A (we have the textbook, workbook and practice book, even though it is recommended for 2nd grade)
~ Language Lessons for Little Ones 2 by Sandi Queen
~ Italic Handwriting, Book A (Getty & Dubay)
~ Before Five in a Row, Five in a Row Vol. 1, Five in a Row Character and Bible Supplement by Jane Claire Lambert
~ Writing Strands 1
~ Little Keepers at Home by Susan D. Zakula
~ Science Experiements in a Bag 1 and Science Experiments in a Bag 2