*I was compensated for this post, but the opinions in the post are wholly my own.

Critical Thinking Quest Box by Silverquicken Experience

When our welcome box arrived in the mail, my kids and I were so excited to see what was inside! When we opened the box, I was very impressed by the beauty and care taken into the packing the box.

My oldest had learned to make sure we have all our supplies before starting, so he laid everything out. The first item we found was a map of all the items included in the box. I loved the way they made the supply list into a map! The map walked us through each item in the box and gave a brief description of the purpose of each item.

Next, we opened the welcome box. In the small box we found a membership card, our first puzzle, along with a hint card. As I read the hint card, I realized the questions the hint card was guiding my son through was using the Socratic method of learning. The questions started with “What do you see?”, then continued down a line of questioning that led my son to discovering the key to solving the puzzle. The Socratic method is the same method of questioning we use in our homeschooling and is instrumental in developing critical thinking.

While I marveled at the hint card, my son immediately got to work to decode the welcome message. With the help of the hint questions, he figured out how to decode the message. Using the provided notepad and pencils, he worked diligently to decode the message. After decoding his welcome message, he was ready to start the adventure!

Adventures in Problem Solving!

The adventure began with an introduction letter that welcomed my son to the Silverquicken School, a school where there are no tests, no quizzes, and no essays. Silverquicken School is a place where deeper learning happens! The letter goes on to tell my son his role at the school is to solve mysteries, using his intelligence as his superpower!

Next, he opened this month’s quest packet and found the Quest introduction. The introduction begins the story that runs throughout the quest. This month’s mystery was called “The Bunker”. The quest packet included four puzzle packets, each with a part of the story started by the introduction letter. Each puzzle packet included a puzzle that must be solved before moving on to the next puzzle packet.

Puzzle Packet 1:

The first puzzle packet continued the storyline from the introduction. At the end of this part of the story, my son had to solve the combination to a lock. The lock was on a door he needed to open in order to find the source of a leak that was flooding the room. If he did not solve the combination lock, he would surely drown! He quickly started working on the puzzle, trying different number combinations. He loved the challenge of this puzzle. It was unlike any problem he had solved before. I asked if he wanted me to help him solve the puzzle, but he responded “No thanks. This is really fun!” I left him alone to work out the puzzle, and he eventually solved the combination!

Puzzle Packet 2:

In the second puzzle packet, my son had to decode a message. The story line continued from the previous puzzle packet, and in this part of the story, he needed to open a hatch right underneath him. Unfortunately, the hatch had a message on it that needed to be decoded before it would open. He worked diligently to figure out what the message was, and once he did, the hatch opened! My son could move onto the next puzzle packet.

Puzzle Packet 3:

In the third puzzle packet, my son had to follow two groundhogs down the holes they had run down. Using clues and process of elimination, he worked diligently to find the combination of two holes. While this may seem simple enough, there were a possibility of 36 combinations! He had to read each clue carefully to eliminate which hole combinations made sense. Scenario by scenario, he eliminated certain possibilities, and eventually figured out which two holes the grounds hogs escaped through. He verified his answer with the solution and moved on to the final puzzle packet.

Puzzle Packet 4:

In the last puzzle packet, my son had to solve a math riddle to gain access to a control panel. The control panel was guarded by an overgrown groundhog, and he would only let you pass after solving a math riddle. My son is a HUGE math fan, so he was excited to solve this math puzzle. He immediately put pen to paper and worked hard to find the solution. Once he found the answer, he confirmed it with the solution, and he had finished his quest!

My son loved the fun, logical, outside the box puzzles and problems he solved during this month’s Silverquicken quest. I loved the quality of the box, and all the little details in the box that added to the adventure. After the excitement from his last puzzle was over, he immediately turned to me and asked, “When do I get the next one?!?”. I laughed and told him next month!

For other ideas to develop kids’ critical thinking, try some of my other posts:

Crystal Science Experiment at Home
Sprinkler Engineering Design Process for kids
Beyblade Experiment: What affects Momentum?
Paintball Forces Science Experiment
Simple Machine Bird: Levers, Gears, and Birds! Oh My!

The post Grow Kids’ Critical Thinking with Monthly Quests! appeared first on Homeschool Momgineer.

Re-engineered Homemade Valentines Cards

*Post contains affiliate links. Please see disclosure for more information*

After spending some time thinking about our broken hearts, I realized what we needed was a binder. In chemistry, a binder is a substance that makes things stick together. The simplest example of a binder is glue, so I added some white glue to my heart mixture, and voila! I had a much stronger heart!

Materials

• 1/2 Tablespoon white glue
• 4 Tablespoons hot water
• 9 Tablespoon baking soda
• red food coloring
• small bowl
• small heart cookie cutter
• wax paper
• red construction paper
• card stock

Step 1: Pour 4T of hot water into small bowl.

Step 2: Add 1/2 Tablespoon of glue to the hot water, and stir until the glue is mixed well.

Step 3: Add 10 drops of red food coloring to the glue/water mixture.

Step 4: Add 9T of baking soda into the red glue/water mixture, a little bit at a time. Mix well.

Step 5: Place the heart cookie cutter on a piece of wax paper, and pour a little bit of the mixture from step 4 into the heart. Leave the cookie cutter in place for 5 minutes.

Step 6: Remove the cookie cutter, place it on a new place on the wax paper, and repeat step 5 until you have the number of valentines you would like to make. Leave the hearts to dry overnight.

Step 7: Fold the red construction paper in half, then in fourths. Unfold the paper.

Step 8: Cut along the creases of the paper to make eight rectangles.

Step 9: Print the valentines below onto white cardstock paper. Cut out all eight valentines.

Step 10: Glue each valentine from step 9 onto one side of a piece of cut construction paper from step 8.

Step 11: Print the instructions for the hearts, below:

Step 12: Cutout the printed instructions from step 11, and glue them onto the back of each valentine.

Step 13: Glue the dried hearts on the front of the card.

We made 33 valentines for my boys’ classes, and each one was so excited to give them to their friends!

Back at home, we decided to try out some of our leftover hearts, and boy were we in for a surprise! The binder in our hearts (the glue) seem to prevent the bubbles from our baking soda and vinegar reaction from popping! In other words, the addition of a binder to our mixture increased the surface tension of the bubbles in the reaction! Our unexpected result gave us bigger and longer lasting bubble explosions!

First we filled a cup with 1/2 cup of vinegar then dropped a heart in to see what would happen.

We wanted a bigger reaction, so we experimented with starting more vinegar. For our second reaction, we started with 3/4 cup of vinegar.

Wow! The reaction was so much bigger with a little more vinegar. We even learned we could help the reaction by swirling the cup. I love that our homemade valentines cards don’t include any candy, and show kids the fun of chemistry!

For other valentine’s day ideas, try some of these!

35 Valentine’s Day Science Experiments!
Heart Themed STEAM/STEM Activities
DIY Valentine using Water Science
Make a Light up Card with a Simple Circuit!

Or if you would like more chemistry activities, here’s a fun list!

Brown Egg in Vinegar Experiment
Grow Gold Overnight! A fun experiment for kids
Grow a Pot of Gold! Crystal Science Experiment
Crystal Science Experiment at Home
The Anti-Climatic Volcano Experiment

The post Fizzy Homemade Valentines Cards appeared first on Homeschool Momgineer.

How to Teach kids about the Atomic Number of an Element

*Post contains affiliate links. Please see disclosure for more information.

I started our week by teaching my sons what an atom is. I explaned that atoms are everywhere, but are so small we cannot see them.

Then I asked my middle son bring out one of his favorite t-shirts; a dingy yellow shirt, but with one really helpful image. The Periodic Table.

Where to Find an Atomic Number

I brought my son’s shirt to our table, then pointed to the Helium element on the periodic table. Next, I pointed to a number in the upper left corner, and told them this was the atomic number of the element.

I explained that the atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. I looked at my boys, and saw three blank stares. I needed to find a better way to help them understand.

To start, I went to our local library to see if I could find children’s books about atoms. I found two non-fiction books with simple explanations of atoms:

• What Do You Know about Atoms and Molecules?

• The Particle Model of Matter

The books gave a great summary of what an atom is, and the parts of an atom. But I am a true believer than the best way to learn is through hands on activities. So for snack time and dessert the next day, I created a fun way to make the lesson more tangible.

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Supplies

Hands-on Models of Atoms

To make our two models, I started by drawing two concentric circles on a paper plate.

The inner circle is the nucleus of the atom. The outer circle is the first electron shell, where the electrons orbit the nucleus of the atom. The lip of the paper plate is a second electrol shell.

Atomic Number at Snack Time

For snack, I brought out green and red grapes, along with blueberries. Using the green grapes as protons, red grapes as neutrons, and blueberries as electrons. We used different colored grapes for protons and neutrons because these two parts of an atom are the same size. Electrons, on the other hand, are much smaller than protons and neutrons, which is why we used blueberries.

Helium Atomic Number and Atom Model

I pointed to the element Helium on my son’s yellow shirt again, and asked “What is the atomic number of Helium?” They all said “2!”. I told them “YES! Which means a Helium atom has two protons in its nucleus.”

Then I put two green grapes in the nucleus of our atom. Then I explained that the number of protons in an atom is equal to the number of neutrons in a nucleus, and so I added two red grapes to the nucleus.

Then I explained further our atom is a neutral atom, which means it has no negative or positive charge. Protons have a positive charge, and electrons have a negative charge. Inorder for our atom to be neutral, two electrons must be added to offset the charge generated by the protons. My oldest (a fifth grader) understood this concept the best, since he knows how to add negative and positive numbers. We then added two blueberries as electrons to the first electron shell (orbit).

Lithium Atomic Number and Atom Model

We decided to make another atom, so we looked at my son’s shirt again. We picked the element Lithium (Li) to model.

Lithium has an atomic number of three, which means it has three protons in its nucleus. I then asked my sons how many neutrons we should add. They agreed we should add three neutrons to the the nucleus of the atom. I then asked them how many electrons we needed to add. My oldest son said, “We need to add three electrons to keep our atom neutral”. He was right! I then added the electrons to the paper plate. I told my sons that only two electrons fit in the first electron shell, so we needed to place two blueberries (electrons) on the first circle, and the third blueberry on the rim of paper plate, the second electron shell.

Carbon Atomic Number and Atom Model

We made one more atom model, this time a Carbon atom. I told my sons that the carbon atom is important to life. In fact, all living beings have carbon in them! The atomic number of carbon is six, so my oldest added 6 protons (green grapes) and 6 neutrons (red grapes) to the center of our model. He then added two electrons (blueberries) to the first electron shell, and 4 electrons (blueberries) to the second electron shell.

Atomic Number for Dessert

Later in the day, after lunch, we brought out our paper plates again. I always have peanut M&Ms (because they’re my absolute favorite), and had picked up some mini-M&Ms earlier in the week. Using the peanut M&Ms as protons and neutrons, and mini-M&Ms as electrons, we recreated our elements from earlier in the day.

In the following models:

Protons = yellow peanut M&Ms
Neutrons = orange peanut M&Ms
Electrons = tiny M&Ms

We decided to make Helium, Boron, and Carbon atoms this time.

Here’s how our candy atomic models turned out!

Helium Atomic Number and Atom Model

Boron Atomic Number and Atom Model

Carbon Atomic Number and Atom Model

We had so much fun making our element models. And what’s even better was the hands-on activity definitely helped the boys understand what the atomic number of an element represented. Even my 4 year old figured out that whatever number an element had on the periodic table meant that would be the number of M&Ms on the plate (and more!). He understood so well, that I had to refuse to make the model of the element gold. I refused to share 79 (times two) of my peanut M&Ms.

For more fun hands-on STEM ideas, check out some of my other posts!

Melted Crayon Pumpkin STEAM Activity
Grow Gold Overnight! A fun experiment for kids
Grow a Pot of Gold! Crystal Science Experiment 
Semipermeable Membrane STEAM activity
“If I Built a House” Preschool STEM Activity

The post Simple Ideas to teach Atomic Number appeared first on Homeschool Momgineer.

Christmas Tree Lights STEM Project for Middle School

Post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see disclosure.

Supplies:

• Chibitronics LED Circuit STEM Starter Kit
• Chibitronics White LED Circuit Stickers
• Lithium Batteries CR2032
• Green Construction Paper
• Scisssors

Christmas Middle School STEM Project

Make a Series Circuit

Step 1: Fold the green construction paper into fourths.

Step 2: Unfold the construction paper, and cut along the lines to make four equal pieces of paper.

Step 3: Draw a Christmas tree on one of the pieces of green construction paper, and cut the tree out.

We are now going to make a parallel circuit.

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Make a Parallel Circuit

Step 4p: Using the copper take, make a parallel circuit, as shown in the picture below:

Tips:
1. All long runs of copper tape are to be one piece. The Chibitronics Starter kit gives great tips for working with copper tape. **Remember to take off the white backing off the copper tape. Otherwise the copper tape will not stick to the paper tree!**
2. Make a long tail at the end of the circuit. The tail must be long enough to reach the top of the tree.

Step 5p: Add the sticker lights to the circuit.
Tip: Make sure the sticker lights are arranged exacty as shown in the picture below:

Tip: Make sure both the top and bottom of the light sticker are touching the copper tape.

Step 6p: Add the lithium battery to the circuit. Make sure the positive side of the battery is facing down, and touching the beginning of the circuit.

Step 7p: Now its time to complete the circuit, and turn the lights on! Place the end of the circuit on the negative side of the battery (top side of battery). The lights should all turn on!

Tip: If lights do not turn on, make sure the top and botton of the light stickers are touching the copper tape.

Step 8: Cut out a small star, and tape it to the top of the battery!

You have just added lights to your Christmas tree using a parrallel circuit!

We had so much fun making our paper circuit Christmas tree lights! We experimented with adding more batteries, and trying to make our circuit blink. In order to make our circuit work, we also did quite a lot of experimenting, and made several discoveries about circuits. Watch out for another post coming soon on our experiments!

Some other posts for more Middle School STEM ideas!

Make a Light up Card with a Simple Circuit!
Building Electrical Circuits and Playing with Light
15 Middle School STEM Projects
Melted Crayon Pumpkin STEAM Activity
The Science Behind Melting Crayons
Rainbow Crayon – a Crayon Melting Point Experiment
Grow a Pot of Gold! Crystal Science Experiment
Beyblade Experiment: What affects Momentum?
Angular Momentum Experiment with Beyblades!
Easy Beyblade Science Experiment: Explore Different Types of Beyblades

The post Christmas STEM Project for Middle School appeared first on Homeschool Momgineer.

Science Exploration with STEM Subscription Boxes

This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn commissions if you shop through the links on this page.

I have selected subscription boxes we have both tried, and plan to try this coming year. I hope you join us, and try some of these fantastic subscriptions boxes with us!

Preschool through High School

• Green Kid Crafts Box
  Green Kid Crafts offers a STEM Subscription box for kids ages 2 thru 10, separated into two focus age groups:
  • Junior Box – Created for preschool aged kids, 2 to 4 years old. The Green Kid Crafts Junior Box includes four to six projects per box aimed at improving preschoolers fine-motor skills, and peaking young children’s interest in STEM.
  • Discovery Box – Perfect for kids of ages 5 thru 10, the Discovery box includes a magazine with puzzles, games, and other ways to explore the science concept for the month. The box also includes six hands-on activities to further understand and apply the concept kids are exploring.

• KiwiCo Subscription Box
  Our family loves KiwiCo! KiwiCo has a full line of subscription boxes for both STEM and creative loving kids! Their subscription boxes include STEM subscription boxes for every age group, including:
  • Kiwi Crate (ages 5-8)
  • Tinker Crate (ages 9-16+)
  • Eureka Crate (ages 14 – 104+)
    We have had a subscription to Tinker Crate for a couple of years. They were a little challenging for my oldest son at first, since he was only 7 years old at the time, but I enjoyed working on the STEM projects with him. Within the last two years, he has been working on the the boxes all on his own. Tinker Crate not only broadened his knowledge of various engineering disciplines, but also improved his reading, thanks to the included Tinkerzine. To see examples of the boxes worked on, check out:
    • Simple Machine Bird: Levers, Gears, and Birds! Oh My!
    • Building Electrical Circuits and Playing with Light
    • Teach Your Kid about Biomechanical Engineering

• Curiosity Box Kids USA
  Curiosity Box Kids USA is perfect for kids who love to craft! Each box includes all supplies for multiple crafts, along with educator curated books, STEAM activities, and toys. This subscription box also offers three age specific boxes:
  • The Discovery Craft & Educational Box for Ages 2 – 4
  • Creation Station Craft & Educational Box for Ages 5 – 7
  • Great Explorer Craft & Educational Box for Ages 8+

STEM Subscription Boxes for Elementary Age Kids

• Club Scikidz Labs
  Explore the different STEM careers out there with this science subscription box! Each box includes experiments relating to a specific STEM career, with all supplies included. A lab notebook is also included in the box to explain and explore the STEM career being explored. For an unboxing of one of the Club Scikidz Labs box, watch this video!

• Genius Box
  The Genius STEM subscription box includes a fun comic to introduce the science concept or theme being explored that month. Also included are three science experiments to explore the science concept, with all supplies included in the box to complete the experiments. To commemorate the science concept explored, a collectible pin related to the theme is also included!

• Bitsbox
  Bitsbox is a great way to teach kids to code! The box includes an activity book, and several examples of simple programs to create. For more about our experience with Bitsbox, see my post “Our First Bitsbox Experience“.

• STEM Discovery Boxes
  Winner of several parent awards for STEM subscription boxes, the STEM Discovery Boxes are perfect for kids ages 7 thru 12. Kids will enjoy exploring a variety science activities, with three STEM projects in every box! Some STEM topics include:
  • electronics
  • space
  • robotics
  • electricity
  • geology
  • crystallography
  • so much more!

• Groovy Lab in a Box
  Are you looking to teach your kids the engineering design process? Groovy Lab in a Box is a great way for kids to develop an understanding of designing. Not only does it include science experiments, but also guides kids through the engineering design process with challenges. A lab notebook to document all their discoveries is also included!

• The Spangler Science Club
  Have you seen Steve Spangler’s new show DIY Sci? All three of my boys the show. You can bring the show home with Spangler’s monthly STEM subscription box! For ages five to twelve, each box includes instructions and all the supplies needed for a science fair project at home.

STEM Subscription Boxes for Older Kids

• Creation Crate
  Created for kids older than 12, Creation Crate is a fantastic, hands-on introduction to real electronics. Kids will learn to wire a project in each box, then use the programming language C++ to spring their project into motion! The box includes all materials needed to complete the project, and online instructions. The Creation Crate may be a little difficult for my boys right now, but I think it would be a great crate for us to complete together! For an example of a Creation Crate, watch this video.

• Beautiful Discovery
  Discover the beauty of STEM through patterns of nature and coding! Beautiful Discovery box is a great STEM subscription box for kids who love art. While coloring pattern art, teens will also learn about patterns in nature, like in the spiral of a shell. Also included are introductory coding games shown through patterns. For an example of several of the boxes provided by Beautiful Discovery, check out this video!

• ForensiKit by Crime Scene
  Does your teen love CSI? Do they think they might be interested in a career in Forensic Science? Then they will definitely be interested in the ForensiKit. Perfect for kids 16 and older, each box includes all the materials needed to learn a skill criminal scientists use to solve cases, and activities to further develop their skills.

I hope you found a STEM subscription box that will help your kids explore STEM this year. Please let me know what you think of the one you decide on. I would love to share your experience with other parents on my Facebook page (@fromengineertosahm) or on Instagram (@fromengineertosahm).

The post 12 STEM Subscription Boxes for STEM at Home appeared first on Homeschool Momgineer.

“Shop Class” Inspired STEM Challenge

Before I explain our STEM challenge, let me tell you a little more about “Shop Class”. The object of the show is for each team to design and build the same thing, and the team that wins is the ones’ whose design is both aesthetically appealing, and passes certain tests the design is put through. For example, one challenge was to design and build a “free little library”. The teams then had three days to design and build their free little library. We loved watching the kids work with their mentors brainstorm several designs, then seeing them work together to bring their design to life. After the three days was over, the free little library of each team was exposed to weather like conditions; first high winds (with a big fan), then rain (water pushed by the big fan), and sleet (ice pushed by the big fan). The same was followed for every episode: 3 day design and build followed by testing each design.

Watching the kids design and build inspired the boys to build something of their own, so I created this quick STEM challenge for them to do in an afternoon!

STEM Challenge

Objective

Build a ramp for Jackson Storm to drive over.

Materials

I looked for items they could use around the house. These are what I came up with:

• paper bags
• tape
• pool noodle
• markers
• toilet paper rolls

STEM Activity

I set our kitchen timer for 30 minutes, and let the boys know they had 30 minutes to design and build their ramps!

Once the timer went off, we had three very different designs and interpretation of the objective, and I loved it!

My youngest one was done first. Here was his design.

He’s four, and I was really impressed with his ramp! He used two toilet paper rolls to create elevation, then taped two paper bags on top of them.

My middle son was next to finish. Here is his creation:

He used the pool noodle to create his ramp. What a great idea! A pool noodle is more stable than toilet paper rolls, and are less likely to be squished by the weight of Jackson Storm when he drives over the ramp. He also drew the beginning and end of the track. Another great idea!

My oldest was last to finish. Here is his final design:

His design was not only of a ramp, but a game as well. He used two paper bags as the base, then cut two toilet paper rolls in half to create ramps/bridges. He then made obstacles for Jackson Storm to hit after crossing the ramp. Such a fun idea!

Testing the Designs

The next step was to test our designs!

Littlest brother first!

Then middle brother…

And finally, biggest brother!

We had so much fun with our first Shop Class inspired STEM challenge. I’m sure the show with inspire more to come! Have you seen shop class? I recommend you check out with your kids soon!

Other inspired STEM challenges and activities!

Semipermeable Membrane STEAM activity
“If I Built a House” Preschool STEM Activity
Sprinkler Engineering Design Process for kids
Painting Pumpkins with Paintballs: A Quick STEAM Activity
Caramel Apple Rock Painting Fall STEM Activity
Wind Energy STEM Activity: Building your own model Windmill

The post STEM Challenge Inspired by”Shop Class” appeared first on Homeschool Momgineer.

I recently had an opportunity to try out Raddish Kids’ cooking subscription box. Cooking is NOT one of my strengths. I have 5 go-to recipes that I do really well, but that’s about it. My husband, on the other hands, is an amazing cook, which means the boys are all interested in cooking. But the boys are with me most of the time, so I’ve been looking for ways to teach them to cook. When I heard about Raddish Kids, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to teach the boys to cook!

My boys cooking with Raddish Kids!

This post contains affiliate links (which means I earn a small commission from the purchase of each box). For more information, please see my disclosure.

My middle son was the most excited about our Raddish Kids box. He is always trying to help me and his dad cook, and has even learned to make mac and cheese (which isn’t really cooking, but close for me).

We opened the box to find all these goodies!

As we do with all our subscription boxes, we opened the box and surveyed all the contents. Our box was themed the “Taste of Thailand”, and I was excited to share some different flavors with the boys. In our Raddish Kids box we found:

• 3 fold out recipe cards
• Shopping list to make all the recipes
• a Chef’s Challenge card
• a card with instructions on a Thai Fruit Carving
• A patch for the kids to commemorate their cooking experience
• 4 table talk cards
• A kid sized whisk

My Little Ones’ Raddish Kids Experience

All three boys were really excited about the box coming. My middle one was with me when the box arrived, and was so excited he was the one who brought the box in the house.

Each boy decided which recipe they wanted to make, and I took the shopping list to the store.

My youngest two decided they wanted to make chicken skewers together. We measured each ingredient together, and talked about the units of measurements we were using. The boys learned that a teaspoon is smaller than a tablespoon, and what a half is. They measured 1/4 cup and 1/3 cup, becoming familiar with a cup as a unit of measure, and not just something they drink apple juice from.

While cooking, they discovered that adding heat to sugar makes it dissolve faster in liquids, and garlic becomes more fragrant when cooked. After the chicken had marinated, they learned that chicken absorbs liquids and spices. And when the chicken came out of the oven, they saw how adding heat removes moisture.

When their dad served the chicken they had cooked to the family, both of them were just beaming with pride! They had made dinner! And what’s more, they also learned science and math.

My Oldest One’s Raddish Kids Experience

My oldest son decided he wanted to make the dessert included in the kit, Mango Sticky Rice. Especially because his dad told him sticky rice was one of his favorite desserts as a kid.

He pulled out the recipe card, ingredients, and made his dad a dessert all by himself! The instructions were so simple, with clear illustrations for each step. The only part I helped him with was serving (only because I was trying the minimize the mess).

While he cooked, he also observed absorption of water into rice, and sugar becoming a solution with coconut milk.

This is why you get kids cooking early! They learn so many math and science concepts, all while making delicious food for their family. While measuring the ingredients, my kids learned about fractions and units of measurement. The science concepts my boys observed included:

• solutions of sugar with other liquids
• adding energy to heat water
• absorption of spices and liquids into chicken without heat
• absorption of water into rice with heat
• chemical and physical changes of chicken when baked

And the child’s self-confidence of learning to cook is incredible. All three of my boys were so proud of what they made for their parents! And that’s what parenting is all about. Giving your kids opportunities to learn skills, build their self-confidence, so, someday, they enter the world self-sufficient. Raddish kids helps us parents, do just that.

For other great subscription box ideas, check out these posts!

The Perfect Gift for the Dad who loves Science!
Simple Machine Bird: Levers, Gears, and Birds! Oh My!
Building Electrical Circuits and Playing with Light
Teach Your Kid about Biomechanical Engineering
Our First Bitsbox Experience
Rocket Science for Kids!

The post Get Kids Cooking with Raddish Kids! appeared first on Homeschool Momgineer.

35 Heart Themed STEAM/STEM Activities

Chemistry Experiments

Hearts on Fire Valentines Science Experiment
Chasing Hearts Challenge
Crystal Hearts Valentines Science Experiment
Peeps Playdough and Heart Engineering Challenge
Crystal Heart Valentine Science Experiment
Watercolor Surprise Heart Art Painting Ideas
Heart Art Salt Painting Project
Interlocking Crystal Hearts

Engineering

The Love Boat STEAM Engineering Challenge for Kids!

Experimenting with States of Matter

Chocolate Hearts Science Experiment: Forms of Energy!
How to Make Simple Melting Love Hearts

Fizzing Hearts

STEAM Valentines – Fizzy Heart Science
Valentine’s Day SCIENCE Activity
Bubble Painting – Fun with Science
Valentine’s Hearts Fizzing Chemical Reactions

Math

Geometric Heart – Valentine STEM
Heart Tessellation – Valentine Math
Valentine’s Math – Pascal’s Triangle
Valentine Math Activity: Valentine’s Venn Diagram
Counting Roses Activity for Valentine’s Day
How to Make a LEGO Heart

Mechanics of a Real Heart!

Easy Heart Pump Model: Cardiovascular STEM for Kids
Build A Functioning Heart Model – Heart STEM Activity
3D DIY Heart Model for Kids!

Physics Experiments

Floating Hearts Magnetic Challenge 
Conversation Heart Catapult for Valentine’s Day
STEAM Balancing Heart Toy for Valentine’s

Sensory Experiments

Edible Valentine’s Day Conversation Heart Slime
Candy Hearts Oobleck Science Activity
Easy Valentine’s Day Heart Slime for Kids

Water Science Experiments

DIY Valentine using Water Science
Valentine’s Treasure Ice Sculpture
Science Valentines Skittles Experiment
Dancing Candy Heart Experiment
DIY Heart Shaped Bubble Wand
Color Mixing with Heart Snowball Smashing

3 Engineering Activities!

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For more Valentine’s day STEM ideas, check out the following posts!

35 Valentine’s Day Science Experiments!
The Science Behind Melting Crayons – A Valentine’s Day Science Experiment

The post Heart Themed STEAM/STEM Activities appeared first on Homeschool Momgineer.

DIY Valentine STEAM Activity

Supplies

• coffee filter
• watercolor paper
• watercolors
• 2 small plastic paint cups
• pipettes
• clear wax

STEP 1: Fill the small plastic paint cups with water, then add watercolors from tubes for desired colors. We chose red and purple.

STEP 2: Cut the watercolor paper in half, then fold the cut watercolor paper in half.

STEP 3: Cut the block of clear wax into 1 inch strips.

STEP 4: Draw hearts on one side of the folded watercolor paper. Make sure to go over the shape several times.

STEP 5: Place a coffee filter on top of the watercolor paper. I also placed a wipe-able place mat under the watercolor paper.

STEP 6: Paint the coffee filter using pipettes and watercolors. Drop one drop of water color at a time, and watch how the paint spreads through the coffee filter.

My two youngest joined me for the experiment. I have to say, this is one of very few activities I can get them to sit still for all on their own. I loved watching them explore as the watercolors both spread across and through the coffee filter. They also built up their fine motor hand strength by using the pipettes, a skill essential for writing.

STEP 7 (optional): Press down all the bubbles created. My littlest one did this when we created the art pieces before, and did it again for his card. It’s not a must, but does create some really neat designs!

Here’s how the boys’ final paintings turned out!

STEP 8: Let the painted coffee filter dry completely.

STEP 9: Once dry, slowly pull the coffee filter away from the water color paper. Notice the beautiful watercolor designs created, and the hearts now visible with watercolors!

Printable of American Flag Experiment

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The Science Behind our Valentine

Why couldn’t we see the hearts before we painted the paper, but could after the watercolor was added? The answer lies in how wax reacts to water. Wax is hydrophobic (which literally means fear of water), and repels water whenever water touches it. Watercolors are made of pigment (color) and water. So when the watercolor touches the wax, the wax literally repels, or pushes, the watercolor away!

On the other hand, when watercolor touches the paper, it is absorbed. Watercolor paper is not hydrophobic, but hydrophilic (water loving). When something is hydrophilic, it absorbs water, which is usually clear. But, when mixed with water, the pigment in the paint is also absorbed into the watercolor paper.

My boys are so excited about giving their valentines away! They are absolutely beautiful!

More Valentine’s day STEAM activities

35 Valentine’s Day Science Experiments!
The Science Behind Melting Crayons–A Valentine’s Day Science Experiment

The post DIY Valentine using Water Science appeared first on Homeschool Momgineer.

While most cities don’t allow fireworks within city limits, there’s nothing that says you can’t enjoy the same excitement of colorful explosions, even within the walls of your home! Remembering some other fun science experiments my boys and I had done using water science, I came up with a quick science experiment for us to do for our own colorful explosions using capillary action and water!

Colorful Explosions using Capillary Action

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But first, what is capillary action? Capillary Action is the movement of water through a medium because water molecules like to stick to other water molecules, and stick to other substances. For our experiment, we will use these two features of water to create a colorful explosion!

Supplies:

1 coffee filter
Washable markers
1 pipette

Making Colorful Explosions

STEP 1: Flatten the coffee filter. I flattened our coffee filter by laying it flat under a pile of books over night.

STEP 2: Place the coffee filter on a washable surface. I placed ours on a place mat I could wipe clean.

STEP 3: Draw dots of different colors all over the coffee filter.

STEP 4: Fill a small cup with water, then use the pipette to drop one drop of water on each dot drawn in step 3.

STEP 5: Watch as the colors explode!

Printable of American Flag Experiment

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The Science Behind our Explosions

Much like a previous experiment when we made an American Flag, this experiment shows capillary action in action! The water travels through the coffee filter for two reasons. First, all paper is made of a sugar molecule call cellulose. Water is highly attracted to cellulose and wants to bond (or stick) to it. Second, the cellulose fibers in a coffee filter are made with spaces between them. Since water likes to stick together, the water fills these spaces as it follows the water attracted to the cellulose. Since the markers we used were washable, then the marker’s colors are soluble in water. When something is water soluble, so the color is a part of the water, and travels with the water. In this case, the colors travel through the coffee filter to create a beautiful design!

More experiments using water!

Fun Water Experiment to Cool off in the Heat!
Make a Rainbow using one of the Properties of Water
Make an American Flag Using Water Science Experiments
Sprinkler Engineering Design Process for kids
Appearing Snowflake: A Winter Activity for Kids
Making the Layers of the Ocean-A Density Activity

The post Capillary Action Color Explosions! appeared first on Homeschool Momgineer.