Fruity Ice Slush Experiment

Zoey chose the "Fruity Ice Slush" Experiment from her Usborne "50 Science things to make and do" book. She was really excited to see how she could make slush simply from using ice surrounding her juice. 

First, we collected our materials. We needed: a large bowl, lots of ice, salt, a glass container and fruit juice.

Then we made a prediction. Zoey hypothesized that it would make a little bit of slush, but not the entire glass full.

Now it was time to get to work...

First, Zoey filled the large bowl with ice.

Next, she sprinkled salt on top of the ice cubes and stirred it in. (The directions suggest three tablespoons of salt.)

Next, Zoey put the glass jar in the middle of the ice, making sure non of the salt got into the jar.

Then, she added her fruit juice. (We didn't have any fruit juice in the house, so we tried it with V8 instead. In hindsight, we decided we would try Kool-aid next time.)

Now it was time to wait. Every 10 minutes, Zoey stirred the juice with a spoon. After about an hour and a half, we began to look for the slush to form.

We realized here, that it wasn't really working at all. There wasn't even a little bit of slush in the jar. We continued to stir it every five minutes for another half an hour.

Even after the extra time, we realized this experiment didn't work.

Zoey's Experiment Notes

The result: The V8 was cold, but there was no slush. We concluded that we may have a different result using Kool-aid or proper fruit juice instead of V8. Zoey declared the V8 was too thick and didn't contain enough water in the liquid for it to form slush. She also observed that there is a lot of salt in V8 that could have changed the result since it had a lower freezing temperature, just like the salt she put on the ice.

We learned about the science behind this experiment too. Adding salt makes the ice melt at a lower temperature, which absorbs heat from the fruit juice eventually making it so cold it will turn to ice. Stirring the liquid helps the cold liquid stay a slush instead of turning to ice.

It was a fun experiment, but we will have to try it again to see if it works better with a different liquid.

Clay Class Creations

Zoey began taking this clay class a few weeks ago. She has been interested in clay for a while, but it is a form I know very little about. We were fortunate when a fellow homeschooling mom shared the contact for an experienced sculptor who taught clay classes for kids.

Her first project to get used to the clay was to make a dish. It came out very well. Blue is her favorite color right now.

Zoey was so excited to go on her first day to learn all she could. I think she was surprised by how much she already knew, either by watching YouTube or trial and error on her own.

The class seemed to go really well. When I picked her up, she had several pieces ready to be fired in the kiln. Her teacher truly appreciated her love for clay and her imagination to create. They seemed to get along very nicely.

There was a bell theme for this class. This is Zoey's Liberty Bell.
She even explained the history of the Liberty Bell and vaguely remembers seeing it in Philadelphia a couple years ago.
If you look closely, you can even see the crack she put in it for authenticity.

It took an entire week for those first pieces to come out of the kiln and be able to really see how they came out. I think all her pieces came out brilliantly. She was pleased too, especially with her lady bell.

Zoey's proudest creation of the day..."Bell Beauty"

 

Zoey has this "Bell Beauty" at her desk now and every once in a while she will pick it up and ring it getting this bright smile on her face. That is a beautiful sight to see.

Zoey has an inspiring abandon about being able to create freely with no expectation or judgment on herself. I would like to have more of that in my own life. It is one of many ways that she inspires me.

And because she had some extra time before class ended, she made a snake.

I am so very glad that we could find a class that supported her interests. I imagine clay with be a lifelong hobby for her. I hope she finds lots of joy in clay.

"Smallfoot" Movie Review

Photo Credit

Our legends of Bigfoot are numerous, but there is not evidence they exist as a species. But suppose they do exist. Have you ever thought what a Yeti thinks about humans?

They do exist!?!

Friendly Yeti Migo, voiced by Channing Tatum, accidentally finds a human and excitedly tells his entire village of his discovery. However, this results in fear since this species, the dreaded "smallfoot," is not supposed to exist and leads to Migo's banishment. Now Migo sets off on an epic adventure with some unlikely allies to prove his tale.

"Smallfoot" sends a very pointed message about questioning the source of your beliefs. Between the ongoing slapstick humor, viewers are asked to consider is there such a thing as a good lie. What if it protects your very way of life?

Knowledge is power, but once you know, what do you do with it?

Migo has to ask himself these questions as he realizes the "monster" is often a matter of perspective. Education can overcome fear and offer a form of communication. My favorite quote from the movie, "The only thing stronger than fear is curiosity."

Photo Credit

I really enjoyed this film, though simple, it leaves you with a lot to think about. The color palette of the film follows the tone in a graceful way that keeps you in the mood of the story. The contemporary style of the movie offers great messages about integrity and how to manage the pressures of social media. There were a lot of things that went really right in this film.

Tatum is joined by other voice talents such as James Corden, Danny DeVito, Zendaya, Lebron James and Common to round this journey with a well known and very talented cast. Award Winning Director Karey Kirkpatrick adds great vision to the animated adventure based on the book Yeti Tracks by Sergio Pablos.

Zendaya sings the feature song for the film, "Wonderful Life," which covers the main theme beautifully:

This Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Animation Group movie is fun for all ages and offers humorous encouragement to understand the source of your beliefs and not be afraid to trade what you've been taught for what is true.

"Smallfoot" opens in theaters everywhere on September 28, 2018.

*Also published on "Positive Practice Living."

{Wordless-ish Wednesday} First Day of School

Okay, so technically, we started school three weeks ago. I'm just now getting around to posting this. This year we are homeschooling for the very first time. We want to share that journey and the resources we find with others, so we are launching our new Homeschool Blog: Tales from a Homeschooling Mother. I've been writing on this blog off and on for about 10 years now. I began it when Zoey was born and now she is nine...where does the time go? "Tales from a Mother" has a whole new purpose, to record our homeschooling journey. Zoey is in the 4th grade and excited about school starting for the first time in several years. We are grateful to be able to homeschool and want to share the experience.

Now it's time for some Wordless-ish Wednesday Fun!

Link up with the direct link to your post(s) containing photos, crafts and adventures. I love to read through and be inspired by all of the fantastic happenings of the week. Be sure to visit other's posts and share some comment love! Happy Wednesday!

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Tales from a Homeschooling Mother

Hi friends!

Long time, no posting. That's my fault. You see, I started a new blog - Positive Practice Living. I needed a whole new identity to move forward in my own journey of self discovery.

However, Tales from a Mother is still sitting here, awaiting a new purpose. It has gone through several changes over the ten years I've been hosting on it, and it is time for another. I'm excited to share it with you.

This year we have decided to start homeschooling. It is a huge transition for our family, but one we are really enjoying. We are already reaping the benefits of this decision and we're only a couple weeks into the school year.

I want to share this journey with others. Several friends and family are curious how our days look as homeschoolers. As I researched homeschooling as an option, I also enjoyed reading about other family's jouney in homeschooling. There is a surplus of resources and ideas out there and it is nice to be able to see what others are using and for what purpose.

Thus, I've decided to try and record our journey as a homeschooling family. I'll share stories, resources and inspiration as it comes. This is all new for us, but we are learning as we go.

Welcome to The McCusker School, home of the Rainbow Dolphins!