Here’s how we created our model atom of Sodium: Materials: 3mm aluminum wire Duck tape styrofoam balls (we used 2″ for the protons and neutrons, 1″ for the electrons) wire cutters fishing line Tempera paint Sharpie hot glue gun First it’s helpful to have a basic understanding of the Bohr model of an atom. Here’s…
Sometimes if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. It follows, after not finding anything but states of matter cards that exclude plasma, I made my own sorting activity for all four states of matter: plasma included! Poor plasma always getting left out. Plasma is awesome. Plasma is all around us,…
Elements are the ingredients that make up everything. Do you know where those elements come from? Explaining a concept like nuclear fusion and the creation of all the ingredients of the cosmos might sound a little daunting for a homeschool parent (let alone for the elementary child). However I’m here to tell you it’s not…
Do you know how big our sun is compared to our home planet? Can you visualize that? After our model solar system activity, we got a good idea for the sizes of the planets. Originally I’d really hoped to take the kids on an adventure around town showing the scale and distance apart, but even…
Florida requirements for homeschooling aren’t super stringent. We’re required to maintain our portfolio of activities with samples of work and to keep book lists — among a few other procedural requirements (like notifying the superintendent’s office). Most fellow homeschool moms I know hang on to their book store and / or library receipts as records…
So I was sharing some pictures of our homeschooling classroom (our sunporch), and I figured after spending so much time flipping through albums trying to find them, I really ought to share some in one post. Our space is constantly evolving with materials and as my kids age and their needs change. But every…
We started a small Montessori Great Lessons co-op with friends this school year. In a Montessori elementary classroom, these are presented to the group as a jumping off place for all kinds of science explorations. Because the lower elementary plane is based on cooperative work, it’s great to be able to share our lessons together! Here’s…
Here’s a quick peek at our science shelves for October. We’re still covering the first Great Lesson, and this is largely a space unit: Solar system, cosmic address, stars and constellations, phases of the moon and the seasons.
Hot off the presses, I have got a freebie for you. I had a few people ask on Instagram for our Solar Eclipse 3-part cards, so I added a cover page, converted them to PDF and voila! Solar puts a ring on it. We will use these cards to sequence, match, practice reading and nomenclature,…
Oh, I am over the moon (and sun, and Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) for my sweet, little solar system stackers by SensoryPlay on Etsy. About a month ago, I saw a for sale post in the Montessori Materials for Sale group on Facebook for a lovely, wooden sun stacker. With our upcoming…
