www.AFarmhouseFull.com

We are in the middle of a study about weather this semester at “Farmhouse Elementary”.  Currently we are discovering the power of static electricity and lightning.  I found a really neat experiment online and just had to try it.  The kids were jumping with excitement when they figured out that the spark of static electricity they were generating would cause a small fluorescent light bulb to light up.  In the video I used a small watt bulb from a camping lantern (so it would be brighter), but it worked with a low watt compact fluorescent as well, although the bulb didn’t flash quite as bright.  

I do describe briefly how I put together this simple experiment, but there are several resources online (search for “static electricity generator”) if you want more detailed instructions on doing this at your house.  

This semester’s science study is on weather and water.  A couple of weeks back we were studying the types of clouds and the prefixes and suffixes that you add to the specific clouds’ names to further indicate exactly what kind clouds they are.  For example a low, puffy cloud is a stratocumulus cloud; strato meaning low (in the atmosphere) and cumulus describing clouds that are puffy and piled (cumulus actually means “pile” or “heap” in Latin).  

I found these really cool “cloud finder window” for free on Pinterest a while back and was super excited to actually print them and use them.  You hold them up and look through them and try to find what type of cloud (on the print out) that looks most like the one you are looking at in the sky.  

 

We also made cotton ball “sculptures” of the three main types of clouds: cirrus, cumulus and stratus. The kids really enjoyed this project!

Last month (in Bible) we were focusing on gratitude. One activity that we did was to (literally) highlight all the things were thankful for.  For this I gave the kids each a stack of bright colored post it notes and had them walk around the house.  When they came to something they were thankful for they were to write it on the post it, kneel and thank God for it right then and there, and stick the post it note onto whatever they were thankful for. After they were finished they congregated in the living room where they were to pray over each of the items they were thankful for.

After a couple little bit I went around the house with them asking them why they were thankful for this item and then they took the post it note off the item and put it into their “Gratitude Bags” (lunch bags decorated and filled with the remains of our gratitute activities.

How blessed I felt when both the kids came into the room wearing post it notes placed by the other one.  Each was thankful for the other.  My heart turned into goo….

What are some things you do to help your child remember to be thankful?