Science School

I was feeling a bit of the good old "mom guilt" for not spending much time with my kids the week or so before spring break.  We didn't have any big spring break plans since we had just had returned from Mexico.  I was also hoping to do some fun things with the kids without spending much money either (especially not at the over crowded zoo, science center etc etc).  Enter in my Pinterest board labelled "kids" filled with a million fun ideas to do with my kids and Science School was born!  The kids were so excited that they kept asking all through Easter how much longer till Science School.
The kids are really at the perfect age now that I could plan a few hours worth of activities and we could embark on them with minimal mess and full attention.
We set off with a hefty to do list and checked them off one by one with a trampoline break now and then while I shifted between activities.  We truly had so much fun.

 1. Vinegar and Baking Soda - adding color to the vinegar and using medicine droppers made this classic experiment even more fun.  The kids loved mixing colors too and seeing what they could create. Our tray was over flowing by the time we were done.

 2. Marshmallow and toothpick construction - this activity was a massive success.  I couldn't get over the concentration and how long they wanted to continue.  I will for sure be pulling this one out again and again.

WR has a one track mind always - he built a train track and a train ;)

3. Ivory Soap Explosion - this was a super fast but super fascinating activity. Place a 1/4 of a bar of Ivory soap in the microwave 2 mins and watch it grow.  We did it 3 times over

 It pretty much felt like a cloud of tissue paper

 4. Grass heads - we decorated cups and filled them with soil and grass seed.  A week later we are now watching our grass heads grow.  The kids are already making plans for the hair cuts these heads have in store for them!

 5. Rock Candy - we mixed up a super saturated sugar solution (added some color and banana artificial flavor for taste) and filled our jars.

 Watching the crystals grow each day was so fun

 By Day 5 the kids could wait no longer and enjoyed the crystals that they had made!

6. Elephant Toothpaste - this was a really fun experiment with yeast and hydrogen peroxide.  The kids loved watching it grow and grow as they cheered it on!

 7. Gak - good old cornstarch and water.  It took a few minutes to get the right consistency but once they did they couldn't keep their hands out of it!

 Science School was a complete success and one that needs repeating in the summer.  AL requested they be allowed to skip regular school on tuesdays and do Science School at home each week lol.....nice try.

We enjoyed the nice weather and hit the beach in the afternoon and then my big kids cracked me up and insisted on having a sleepover in AL's room in these tiny play tents.  I love days when they all just get along and enjoy each others company!

 Can you spot AL in there?

A good day!