Saturday, August 24, 2013

Science Experiments for Two-Year-Olds



1. How Does a Seed Grow?


After reading The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle, discuss what happens to the seed and what makes seeds grow (water, sunlight, soil, air). Provide your child with relatively easy-to-grow seeds (we tried snow peas and calendulas) and encourage him/her to explore the soil and plant the seeds. Ask your child what they think will happen to the seeds if we water them and leave them in the sunlight. Ask your child to predict which type of seed will grow the fastest.


Emphasize the importance of your child's responsibility to water the seeds every day. Observe what happens over the next week weeks/months, and have fun! Ryan is proud of his hard work and enjoys taking care of his plants and watching them grow over time.

Our snow peas started growing in less than a week, but we are still waiting for the calendulas after about 5 weeks.


2. Living or Nonliving?



Read Living and Nonliving by Angela Royston, which explains the characteristics of living things (including growth, moving on their own, using their senses, breathing, eating/drinking, getting rid of waste, etc). Ask your child to think about people, animals, and plants, and how they are different from toys, cars, and clothes. Cut pictures out of magazines and see if your child can sort them on a mat, into the categories of either "living" or "nonliving".


Afterwards, take a field trip to a zoo, farm, or pet store, and ask your child if he/she thinks that they will see more things that are living or nonliving. Keep track of the number of things that you find by making tally marks on a paper.


3. Sink or Float?


Read Sink or Float by Lisa Trumbauer, and ask your child to search for objects around the house that they want to use in our sinking and floating experiment. Ask your child which things they think will sink and which ones they think will float. Have your child toss each object, one at a time, into a big bucket of water and see if their predictions were correct.


Ryan enjoyed this experiment so much that he repeated it over and over again, for literally thirty minutes, while I watched him from the window. Too funny!


4. Is it Magnetic?


After reading What Magnets Can Do by Allan Fowler, present your child with their own large magnet to experiment with. Help your child to gather objects from around the house, predict which ones are magnetic, and experiment to see which ones are/are not. Group the objects into the categories of "Yes" and "No" and discuss (the only metals that magnets attract are: iron, steel, cobalt, and nickel, aka the "magnetic metals").



5. Chemical Reaction

Ryan loves mixing things with me in the kitchen when he helps with cooking, so this time I surprised him with a science experiment that involves mixing baking soda and vinegar. I asked him to predict what he thought would happen and he said, "maybe it will go all over the place and make a big mess." He was partially right. We also observed an explosion of bubbles and fizz when he poured the vinegar onto the pile of baking soda. Of course, I encouraged him to stick his hands in it afterwards for a little sensory experience.


Looking back, this experiment would have been more fun if I had taken the time to design a volcano, added orange and yellow food coloring/kool aid to make it realistic, then allowed it to "erupt". Here is a cool volcano experiment that one momma did. We will definitely try it next time!



Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Pregnancy: Weeks 18 to 20



We are thrilled to announce that we will be having another sweet baby boy!!! The beginning of this pregnancy felt much different than it did with R, so I originally thought it was a girl. My morning sickness lasted the whole first trimester (with R, it was shorter, but more intense) and I never broke out all over my back like I did with R. Also, my cravings and aversions were almost the complete opposite this time around. However, since the second trimester started, I have felt similar to how I did with R, so I was thinking maybe boy, maybe girl, but really, no idea. With Ryan I just knew from day one!

Now that we know that we will be having our second boy, I have been super excited and having so much fun planning the nursery, sorting through R's adorable old clothes, and imagining how amazing the relationship between brothers will be! Ryan already talks about his little brother multiple times a day, and how he wants to share his toys with him and teach him to do things. Sigh. We are so blessed.


Week 18:

Baby’s development:
-baby can yawn, hiccup, twist, roll, kick, and punch
-nerves are forming more complex connections (touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing)

Pregnancy symptoms:
-back ache

Cravings:
-smoothies
-cashews

Aversions:
-none

Movement: 
-some

Gender: will find out next week

Total weight gain/loss: +9

Belly button in or out? in

Best moment of the week: everything checked out clear at the breast surgeon

Looking forward to: gender ultrasound next Wednesday




Week 19:

Baby’s development:
-arms and legs are proportional to body
-neurons are now connected between the brain and muscles
-cartilage throughout the body is turning to bone
-a greasy substance called Vernix is developing on baby’s skin in order to protect it from the surrounding amniotic fluid

Pregnancy symptoms:
-back ache

Cravings:
-smoothies
-cashews
-popcorn

Aversions:
-none

Movement: 
-some

Gender: IT'S A BOY!!!!  =)

Total weight gain/loss: +10

Belly button in or out? in

Best moment of the week: finding out that Ryan will get to have a LITTLE BROTHER!!!! We are so very excited to meet baby Henry in January!

Looking forward to: our first parent meeting at Ryan's school next week (he will be starting in September)


At our 19 week ultrasound, we found out that he's a boy, watched him suck his thumb, and even got to see him in 3D! When I saw him all snuggled up and looking so baby-like, I couldn't help but fall head-over-heels in love!



Week 20:

Baby’s development:
-external genitals are now visible (boy parts!)

Pregnancy symptoms:
-back ache

Cravings:
-smoothies
-pancakes

Aversions:
-none

Movement: 
-yes, movements are feeling a little stronger this week

Gender: boy

Total weight gain/loss: +10

Belly button in or out? in

Best moment of the week: making some progress in clearing out the room that will be used for the nursery

Looking forward to: enjoying the last two weeks of summer vacation







Thursday, August 1, 2013

Pregnancy: Weeks 15 to 17

Week 15:

Baby’s development:
-baby is practicing breathing, sucking, and swallowing
-baby is kicking, curling toes, and moving arms and legs
-ears and eyes are moving to their proper positions

Pregnancy symptoms:
-round ligament pain
Cravings:
-cashews

Aversions:
-none

Movement: felt another couple of flutters!

Gender: I'm not sure anymore

Total weight gain/loss: +5

Belly button in or out? in

Best moment of the week: Our 4 year anniversary! Since we couldn't find a sitter for Ryan, we decided to just stay in and have a homemade taco night. It was low-key and relaxing.

Looking forward to: Signing Ryan up for Mygym class next week. I think that he will love it!


Week 16:
 
Baby’s development:
-baby can hear voices and loud sounds

Pregnancy symptoms:
-round ligament pain

Cravings:
-fruit smoothies

Aversions:
-none

Movement: felt more flutters this week

Gender: no idea

Total weight gain/loss: +6

Belly button in or out? in 

Best moment of the week: Watching Ryan overcome his fear of getting in the pool. He stood on the deck in the middle of the pool, blew bubbles in the water, and kicked his feet while holding on to the kick board. I'm so proud of him!

Looking forward to: Ryan will be starting VBS next week. It is the first year that he is old enough to go.



Week 17:

Baby’s development:
-baby is growing in length and weight (body fat)
-eyes are making small side to side movements
-fingerprints are forming

Pregnancy symptoms:
-round ligament pain
-back ache (already?!)

Cravings:
-fruit smoothies
-coffee

Aversions:
-none

Movement: I feel flutters almost every day  =)

Gender: no idea

Total weight gain/loss: +8

Belly button in or out? in

Best moment of the week: Celebrating Barry's 34th birthday

Looking forward to: My yearly appointment with the breast surgeon next week. Eager to be reassured that everything is fine.


Some pics we took on my hubby's birthday...








Belly Growth:




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