A Visit to COSI...and a strange thing...

We made one of our frequent trips to COSI - the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus - and had a wonderful time. Prices have gone up and discounts have gone down, but we bought a yearlong membership, which cost a little more than our single visit would have cost.

We were a bit surprised, though, to find this in the Science Store:

I like a good foot massage as well as the next girl, but it won't cure cancer or asthma or much of anything, as has been proven by numerous studies done by actual scientists.  So why is it in a science museum? I asked the people at the checkout, who said that "some people" believe that there "might " be evidence for FR as an actual medical treatment of value. "We like to keep an open mind."

Ever heard of the Placebo Effect?

Homeschooling Chemistry - Online Reosurces

Chem 4 Kids
An excellent site with a complete chem course for seven- to twelve- year olds. Very nicely done!

All Info About Chemistry
News, experiments, clip art, science fair projects...a lot of info here!

About.com Chemistry for Kids
Experiments, evaluations of chemistry sets, and good explanations.

MathMol Hypertext
Links chemistry and math with excellent graphics.

Chymist
Experiments and explanations...really useful!!

Periodic Table Worksheets
here at AIA

Science with me

A cheery, colorful website with games, animations, worksheets and coloring pages for preschool to about age 10. Subscription required, but it's free!

Experiments and Helps

Chemistry Comes Alive!
Several really fascinating experiments that you can watch...and probably not try at home!! Nice explosions!

Delights of Chemistry
Photos and video of over 100 experiments from the University of Leeds.

United Nuclear
Many fun experiments, with supplies sold onsite. Our favorite is "Water starts a Fire."   Be aware, though, that this doesn't start a small  flame: it starts a whooshing bright green blaze that destroyed the foil we started it on....

The pH Factor
A fun site for 8 to 12 year olds.

How to Color Fire
One of our family favorites! Try this at your next bonfire, and you can call it school!!

Burning Money
What you often feel like you're doing anyway...so why not do it literally?

Common Chemicals Around Your Home
Need something for an experiment, but afraid that ordering it will put you on a list at Homeland Security? Check other sources.

Fun With Alkali Metals!
A video of something that you probably don't want to try at home!

Curiosities
A list of things that keep science interesting.

Elements and Periodic Tables

WebElements Periodic Table
An excellent interactive table for teens. Has videos and information about each element.

Printable Periodic Table with Common Uses
A nice poster for kids. Features pictures of common things made with each element.

A Few Other Possible Periodic Tables
A new way of looking at things. Have your teen design her own!

Fun

Chemistry comics

The TWINKIES Project
Fun with bored college students. What happens to a twinkie when you....?

The Google Periodic Table
The top Google picture for each element.

Tom Lehrer
An animated song of the elements...

The Periodic Table of Comic Books
Calcium in Wonder Woman, Tungsten in Metal Men...

Homeschooling Biology - Online Resources

General Biology Websites

Biology 4 Kids
Excellent sequential lessons about cells, plants, animals, body systems and more. Great for kids ages 8 to 13, for teens' review, or for adult reference.

Treehouses on the Tree of Life
Make your own webpages about various animals, plants, or other organisms as part of this ever-growing project. Hosted bt The University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Ask A Biologist
Experiments, articles, links....very useful, especially if you have a question that your books don't answer.

Biology in Action
More video, fascinating!

Biology in Motion
Flash animations of biological processes: digestion, glandular activity, cell division, etc. Helps cement ideas in the memory. Ages 12 and up.

National Geographic Kids
Excellent site, with photos, videos, games, puzzles, news, and many things to keep a kid busy and learning. Great for times when school isn't going to happen....

Science with me

A cheery, colorful website with games, animations, worksheets and coloring pages for preschool to about age 10. Subscription required, but it's free!

Microbial Life, Cells Websites

Microbe World
Stunning site! Videos, photos, news and information about life in the world of the very small. Great for teens, and curious younger ones. Check this out for yourself, also!

Cells Alive!
Another well-done, very visual site, with lots of information games, puzzles, etc. Older kids and teens.

The Virtual Cell
Great for visualizing cell structure. Has a virtual textbook, worksheets, etc.

Heredity

I Can Do That!
For younger kids, ages 5 to 10...very nice explanations of cells, DNA, RNA and cloning. Teacher/parent pages also.

DNA From the Beginning
A really well-done interactive Flash animation site which teaches genetics in a fascinating way. Highly recommended for older kids and teens, and you!

Animal Life

Animal Diversity Web
A teen-level University of Michigan site about taxonomy and the lives and structure of animals. Look up any animal that exists, and several that don't anymore....

Electronic Naturalist
Learning about the world around us...includes 'identify this', ask-a-naturalist, and many fun things to learn.

What's That Bug?
Insects galore! All ages.

All About Birds
From Cornell, a multimedia site that will be a great help to bird watchers and those who have a report to do.... teens and up, unless your younger one LOVES birds...

Human Biology

Human Anatomy Online
Study the systems of the body with pictures and lessons.

What Color Eyes Would Your Children Have?
Basic genetics for older kids and teens...interesting approach! Compare their results with your actual kids!!

Evolution

Becoming Human
Very interactive site about how man evolved. Ages 12 and up.

PBS Evolution Lessons
Student lessons, teacher pages, activities, and videos. 12 and up.

Explorations Through Time
The history of life on earth presented in interactive modules for various age groups. Reading needed, but concepts are well-presented.

Evolving Planet: Tour Through Time
The Field Museum's  illustrated timeline about the history of the earth. Older kids and teens.

Our Space Mission

Back in February, while my husband was basking in the semi-warm sun in Del Rio, Texas and we were dodging record snowstorms here in Ohio, Neal, Allie and I checked Google Maps and ventured out to the Challenger Center in downtown Dayton.

The Challenger Center is one of 50 learning centers in over 30 states and a few foreign countries. Homeschool groups, Scout troops, school classes, and such can make reservations to take part in a simulated space mission. Allie and Neal's mission involved studying a comet, but other ones include visits to Mars and the Moon.

Kids are given various jobs on their chosen mission, and guided in performing them. Allie was in medical, and Neal was in communications. They had a really good time, and enjoyed working with the other homeschooled kids. The adults who led the program were very enthusiastic and communicated well with the kids.

We'll be looking forward to visiting the Final Frontier again soon!

Meteorology

Neal has decided to study weather, probably because he so coveted a weather kit that we saw at the gift shop of the Boonshoft Museum in Dayton. Maybe someone else could use my list of links! These are reviewed as they might apply to a bright 13yo.

We start with Wikipedia because it links so nicely to authoritative sources. (No, it's not a good primary source, but it's a superlative starting point!)

JetStream is a program put together by NOAA. It's designed to teach people about how the weather works. Looks promising.... a god basic resource.

Ooooo....free instruction, online quizzes and more at COMET. These are designed for adults, but they could prove useful. It's also much more fun to take a test online and have them record the score than for mom to do it.


Bad Meteorology - a site after my own heart! Raindrops aren't teardrop-shaped, clouds don't form because cool air holds less water....misconceptions skewered

here!


The Globe Program links weather watchers from all over the world. If Neal gets really excited about it, this could be an outlet for his enthusiasm.

That should get us started!

Free Science Lessons-Physics

How Stuff Works

All ages. How do computers work? How do malaria drugs work? What if I tried to drive my car underwater? A great site for the bored kid...and a great resource for the Eternal Questioner.

Fizzics Fizzle

All ages. A Thinkquest site which gives a very good introduction to physics. There are games and animations that reinforce the information presented. A great reference, introduction or refresher.

Reeko's Mad Scientist Lab

7 and up. A fun site with many experiments and good explanations of the results. Also has games and puzzles!


MadSci Network

For all ages. Another great site for the bored child. "represents a collective cranium of scientists providing answers to your questions. For good measure we provide a variety of oddities as well." Really fun, and has an 'Ask a Scientist' program!

NASA Beginner Guide to Rockets

Ages 11 and up. Look at various types of rockets - from bottle and stomp rockets to full-scale boosters. Find out how the work.

Life, the Universe, and the Electron

For teens. An exhibit about atomic structure.

Teach Engineering

Lessons all ages.

Glencoe Physical Science

Has quizzes and web resources for ninth-grade textbook in physical science. Can be useful.

Optics For Kids

Ages 10 and up. Learn about light, lenses, and lasers.


The Atoms Family

11 and up. Basic physics in a fun and memorable way!

Physics Life

11 and up. A look at the physics pf things in our everyday world. Nice interactivity.

Antimatter: Mirror of the Universe

8 and up. A look at the CERN particle accelerator and the quest for antimatter. Good for the teen who likes mysterious subjects. There is a kids' section!

Science Hobbyist

8 and up. Fun and useful articles and experiments. Includes the famous resource, Is Your Child's Science Textbook Wrong?

The Particle Adventure

8 and up. Activity sheets, graphics, animations..all explaining the subatomic world.

PHet Simulations

All kinds of Java physics demonstrations! Colorful and insightful!

EdHeads Simple Machines

Ages 6 to 12. Activities, animations, etc. all explaining how simple  machines work.

Science with me

A cheery, colorful website with games, animations, worksheets and coloring pages for preschool to about age 10. Subscription required, but it's free!

For Fun!

Physics Behind Four Amazing Demonstrations

10 and up. I can walk on burning coals...can you? Here's how we all can...

Unwise Microwave Oven Experiments

All ages...but watch out!!  What would happen to this if I put it in the microwave??


Physics of Superheroes

All ages. A Youtube lecture on the way things DON"T work in the world of comic book heroes! Really funny, and informative. Good for adult as well as kid enthusiasts, and for anyone who's ever watched a cartoon and marveled at how they are a bit different from real life!


Amusement Park Physics

7 and up.  Design your own roller coaster, and see how gravity and friction affect your choices.

Skateboard Science

7 and up. Your future Tony Hawk will enjoy knowing how the tricks are done, and how to improve his or her own skating.

Our First Week...

This week was travelling school. Charlie (Dad)  was off, so we made several short trips, many of which were educational  ;-)
Sunday was niece Angie's baby shower, which was very enjoyable, followed by dinner at Charlie's parents. Monday was local business and soccer practice. Tuesday was a home day, Wednesday was a trip to Ceasar Creek Fossil Beds. We came home laden with bags of  fossils, most of which were shells and corals.
Thursday was soccer practice.
Friday started out with a stop at Batelle Darby Creek Park, which was lovely, especially when we were heading down to the river when it began to rain very heavily. We  made it to the van without being struck by lightning but with totally soaked clothing. The heater and fan on the van were put to good use on our way to  the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus. There we learned about Egyptology, archaeology, physics, chemistry, oceanography, and basketball-playing rats! (Between the homeschool discount and the military discount, we pais $12.50 for 5 people!)This was followed by dinner at Spaghetti Warehouse and way too much food! I'm not sure that I'll  have the Pasta Alfredo again, but the chocolate cake was deleriously wonderful!

Physics Fun

Physics Behind Four Amazing Demonstrations

10 and up. I can walk on burning coals...can you? Here's how we all can...

Unwise Microwave Oven Experiments

All ages...but watch out!! What would happen to this if I put it in the microwave??


Physics of Superheroes

All ages. A Youtube lecture on the way things DON"T work in the world of comic book heroes! Really funny, and informative. Good for adult as well as kid enthusiasts, and for anyone who's ever watched a cartoon and marveled at how they are a bit different from real life!


Amusement Park Physics

7 and up. Design your own roller coaster, and see how gravity and friction affect your choices.

Skateboard Science

7 and up. Your future Tony Hawk will enjoy knowing how the tricks are done, and how to improve his or her own skating.

Free Science Lessons-Space Science

NASA

The best of the best!!! News, free lessons, photos, wallpaper, games...it's all here! You could spend a few years' lessons on this site alone!!

Planetary Photojournal

All ages.Beautiful!!

Solar System Exploration

Children's page

Space Kids

Starchild

Children from about 5 to 13

Imagine the Universe

Teens

Asteroid and Comet Impact Hazards

Teens and Adults

Space Place



Ask an Astronomer

Many questions are answered in their index, but you can send one in, and a real astronomer will email you!!

Neave Planetarium

Take a trip through space on your own planetarium! Set your latitude and longitude, and then use your mouse to see what constellations are in the sky right now!

Mars News

Keep up with one of the most fascinating branches of exploration right now.

Amazing Space : Tonight's Sky

A stargazing guide.

Astrophysics Science Project

Lesson plans and activities, with great movies!

Science with me

A cheery, colorful website with games, animations, worksheets and coloring pages for preschool to about age 10. Subscription required, but it's free!

Free Science Lessons-Earth Science

Google Earth

All ages. A program that allows you to see all over the world...by satellite! Amazing!! Take a tour of the Grand Canyon, visit Mount Saint Helens, see Victoria Falls...and find your house!!


NASA all ages

Wonderful Resources for teaching, including lesson plans, printable worksheets, and games...all free!!

Also check out their kids' page. It has introductions to air, water and land, along with games and puzzles.


Exploratorium

Older children and teens. An online exhibit about Earthquakes, including activities.


NOAA Jetstream

Older children and teens. A school for weather, from the US National Weather Service. Includes review questions.


NOAA Ocean Explorer

Older children and teens. News, photos, video, curriculum about the ocean worldwide. Truly fascinating!


How Volcanoes Work

Older children and teens. A site with good explanations, photos and charts, to make a very good


Volcano World

All ages. Great Photos and news about volcanic activity the world over! Be sure to check out the 'Kids Door' section for activities for the younger ones. Kids can even submit their Volcanic Art!!!


Extreme Science

Does you child love world records, extreme sports, believe-it-or-not type information? They will love this site..and you will to! It's full of pictures and media of the extremes of the world. A good way to get a child out of the doldrums, or feed their need for interesting facts. Also a good site to suggest when they're bored....

Science with me

A cheery, colorful website with games, animations, worksheets and coloring pages for preschool to about age 10. Subscription required, but it's free!

Online Planetary Science Worksheet

Clip this worksheet and email it to your child, or copy and paste to your word processor program, tweak a bit, and print.

Exploring the Planets

Go to NASA. Check out the moon chart.

Counting both the named and provisionally named moons, how many do we know of that orbit Jupiter? _____ Saturn? ______

Why do you think that huge planets get more moons than small ones like Earth? ______________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________

Right click on Compare Mercury to other planets/moons. Look near the bottom of the page and find the New Planets/Moons to Compare. Try out comparisons between several different space objects with Mercury. List a few fun facts that you've found.



Go back to the Mercury page. Click on Read More About Mercury. Do you think that places on Mercury ever have temperatures that are right for humans? ____________

Could someone live in perpetual twilight on Mercury and be relatively okay? __________________________

What could be dangerous about trying to observe Mercury? ___________________________________________________________________________________

Would you expect to find pieces of meteorites on the surface of Mercury? ____________________________________________ ______

What are scarps? How were they formed on Mercury? ____________________________________________________________________________________

Does Mercury have active volcanoes? __________________________________________

Water? ______________________________

A magnetic field? _______________________________

Who discovered Mercury?

_____________________________________________________________

Be sure to check out the Gallery, located on a tab at the top of the page.

Scientifically Literate Teens

Learning the mathematics that are part of advanced science classes is like learning a foreign language: while everyone can get some working phrases down, it often takes total immersion to learn to speak it perfectly. Even then, some people aren't wired for that kind of thing and will have a harder time with the number crunching than others.

Limiting the wonders of science to those who can grasp the math has had the effect of making most adults just past scientifically illiterate. This is evident in the way people fall for scams and pseudo-news stories that involve science. It seems that many people see science through the lens of the National Enquirer tabloid, the paper where Bigfoot lands in a UFO in the middle of the FIFA Cup to pass out irradiated Hershey bars.

If your teen is up to the challenge of learning the math, great! There are books, tutors and online resources to help, and early college courses are an excellent option. But what if she isn't quite to that point, or if that isn't an option for her at all?

Happily, there are wonderful science courses available for the less mathematically inclined. They are so intriguing that they will awaken or encourage the sense of wonder, and they may even encourage a student to wade through the math in further study.

The point of all this is to make sure that your young person understands the basics of science, and to interpret news articles and follow what's going on in the continuing discovery of our world. Even with only a rudimentary knowledge of higher math, it's still a fascinating journey.

This is also a good option for a science-oriented kid who isn't satisfied with the late-childhood books available, but who isn't ready for the more difficult things. It will introduce the child to the concepts and reasoning without being too demanding.

In some families, a teen could be assigned to read the books: in others, it may be enough to just leave the books around. Kids have a way of finding what they need when they're ready for it.

A friend once said that learning the science without knowing the math is useless. I disagree. It's a bit like reading a book in a translation: it does have a deeper meaning if you learn the language it's written in, but you can still enjoy the story if the translation is good. And just maybe you'll be inspired to learn the original language!

Conceptual Physics

The Extraordinary Chemistry of Ordinary Things

Teen Reading for Homeschooling Science