School Experiments

Homeschool in the Berg household is fascinating and varied. We have added science experiments to our curriculum in order to keep the four hooligans interested. I thought I would include a few here for the sake of posterity.

This is Jumpy the tadpole. We ordered him from the grow-a-frog company so we could study him as he developed into a frog. I found out after I had ordered him that frogs like Jumpy live for fifteen years or more. After accepting the fact that I had purchased a new pet for myself, I pulled a Todd Elkins and bought him a frog friend. Now Jummpy and Hopper sit on my kitchen counter and stare at me while I work. Weird. 

We grew plants in a mason jar without dirt so we could study the root system and the plant's development. This was the bean plant. It grew to be the biggest and the strongest, reaching far beyond the top of its jar. 

The sunflower plant began weak and, although it made it out of the jar, died shortly thereafter. 

The roots of the pea plant grew mold. It was sort of gross. 

The roots of the corn plant went the deepest but once the plant reached the top of the jar it stopped growing. We had to throw all the plants away after a few weeks because the mold from the peas had spread around the jar (yuck!) but it sure was fun while it lasted. 

Lastly, we mixed colors by putting the ends of paper towels into different mason jars filled with dyed water. The colored water climbed the paper towels and mixed when they met at the top. It was pretty cool. Yay for science!