Science experiments perfect for Autumn

Fossils

1 1/2 c. flour, 1 c. used coffee grounds, 1/2 c. salt, 1/4 c. sand, 1 c. water

Figure out what you want to use as artifacts...  Plastic Dinosaurs, coins, vegetation or anything you can think of, really!  

Mix the flour, coffee grounds, salt, sand, and water together. 

Form the mixture into round, flat balls. Press an "artifact" firmly into each ball then carefully remove it to reveal an impression. 

Place the balls on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper and bake for 20 minutes at 150 degrees F.  The balls will shrink slightly but when they are cool and hardened, the fossils are ready. 

You can also hide "artifacts" inside the balls and the kids can use a small hammer to break it open and discover the hidden treasure inside.  Fun for discovery type birthday parties!

Jumping Penny

Put an empty glass bottle in the freezer overnight. Take the bottle out of the freezer and quickly put a penny over the mouth of the bottle. Hold both of your hands tightly around the bottle. The penny should begin to jump up and down because the heat from your hands flows through the glass and warms up the air inside the bottle. As the air gets warmer it expands, pushing up on the penny and making it jump.

Oobleck

1 c. water, few drops of food coloring, slowly add 2c. cornstarch.

Oobleck: A mysterious matter that kids can shape into balls or let ooze from their fingers. Referencing Dr. Seuss for this one and there is a great tutorial online at:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Oobleck/
  So much fun, you have to try it!

Autumn and Back to School...

The kids are back in school, embarking on a promising new year of learning and growing... However, back to school remains ever bitter-sweet as I miss their lively chatter and imaginative play.  In the summer, we always find a shady tree to lay out a blanket and share stories and poems.  Autumn is almost here and I like to pack a short poem as a small piece of home to take with them when they go to school. Some offerings of lunch time literature I am packing this week...

  

Autumn Bird Song

Over the housetops,
Over the trees,
Winging their way
In a stiff fall breeze.

A flock of birds
Is flying along
Southward, for winter,
Singing a song.

Singing a song
They all like to sing,
"We'll see you again
When it's spring, spring, spring."

Autumn Wind

When autumn wind goes running
It does some magic things.
It gives the shadows dancing shoes,
It gives the bright leaves wings -
When autumn wind goes running.

It curls the bonfire's tail of smoke
And shares a little whispered joke
With cornstalks who delight to prattle,
It turns a seed pod into a rattle -
When autumn wind goes running.

An Autumn Greeting

"Come," said the Wind to the Leaves one day.
"Come over the meadow and we will play.
Put on your dresses of red and gold.
For summer is gone and the days grow cold."

Microsoft stock photo, love it♥

Autumn Days

September brings with it cool Autumn days and a wealth of opportunity to celebrate and plan events. 

Microsoft stock photo

Autumn Wind

When autumn wind goes running

It does some magic things.

It gives the shadows dancing shoes,

It gives the bright leaves wings -

When autumn wind goes running.

It curls the bonfire's tail of smoke

And shares a little whispered joke

With cornstalks who delight to prattle,

It turns a seed pod into a rattle -

When autumn wind goes running.

http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems1.html

 From our dear friend Victoria

Apple Picking: visit an apple orchard, Farmers market, make Apple prints

September

The breezes taste of apple peel.

The air is full of smells to feel-

Ripe fruit, old footballs, burning brush,

New books, erasers, chalk and such.

The bee, his hive, well-honeyed hum,

And Mother cuts chrysanthemums.

Like plates washed clean with suds, the days

Are polished with morning haze.

John Updike

http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems1.html

 http://www.gooseberrypatch.com/

Grandparents Day: Bookmark or can for pencils?

This little can, made of tin,

Was washed and saved to use again,

I added paint, I added glue

I made a present just for you.

It’s for your pencils or your pens,

You can show it to your friends,

It’s not empty for you can see,

It’s filled with love to you from me.

 My Grandparents, before my Grandma passed away♥

Fall Harvest: Create your own Cornucopia

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/thanksgiving/mcornicopia.htm

Poetry for Fall and Colouring Pages

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/fall/crafts-trees.htm

http://www.classroomjr.com/fall-kids-poems/fall-kids-poems-leaves/

 

September Stargazing

Queen of the Night

With fall season around the corner, new constellations begin to take centre stage in the night sky. Cassiopeia, the Queen, is a striking zigzag pattern of five bright stars that lie near to the North Pole star, Polaris.  Greek legends say that the vain queen of Ethiopia, wife of King Cepheus, was condemned by the god Zeus to the heavens after boasting that her own beauty rivalled that of the god's own daughters. Cassiopeia now sits on her star-studded throne, eternally circling Polaris - never to set below the horizon. Andrew Fazekas, TheNightSkyGuy

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/stargazing/caon0506?ref=topnav_victoriadayweather_stargazing


September: Arthritis Month
Arthritis Month aims to raise public awareness of arthritis and of the services available to arthritis sufferers.
The Arthritis Society
Tel.: 416-979-7228
Toll-free: 1-800-321-1433
Fax: 416-979-8366
E-mail: info@arthritis.ca
September: Big Brothers and Big Sisters Month
Big Brothers and Big Sisters Month aims to raise public awareness of the need for new volunteers and celebrates volunteer mentors.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada
Tel.: 905-639-0461
Toll-free: 1-800-263-9133
Fax: 905-639-0124
11 September: National Grandparents Day (Sunday after Labour Day)
National Grandparents Day honours grandparents across Canada.
The Legacy Project
Tel.: 905-640-8914
Toll-free: 1-800-772-7765
Fax: 905-640-2922
E-mail: tcp@tcpnow.com
12 - 18 September: Prostate Cancer Awareness Week (starts on the third week of September)
Prostate Cancer Awareness Week aims to raise public awareness of prostate cancer and to raise funds for research on this disease.
Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada
Tel.: 416-441-2131
Toll-free: 1-888-255-0333
Fax: 416-441-2325
E-mail: info@prostatecancer.ca
15 September: The Alzheimer Coffee Break (usually the third Thursday of September)
The Alzheimer Coffee Break encourages Canadians to donate the cost of a cup of coffee to their community Alzheimer Society to fund programs and services intended for people suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer Society of Canada
Tel.: 416-488-8772
Toll-free: 1-800-616-8816
Fax: 416-322-6656
E-mail: coffeebreak@alzheimer.ca
17 - 25 September: Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life Week
AIDS Walk for Life Week is a fundraising event for AIDS prevention, education and awareness.
Canadian AIDS Society
Tel.: 613-230-3580 Ext. 140
Toll-free: 1-800-499-1986 Ext. 140
Fax: 613-563-4998
E-mail: info@aidswalkforlife.ca
18 September: The Terry Fox Run (second Sunday after Labour Day, except if it conflicts with Jewish religious holidays)
First held in 1981, the Terry Fox Run is an annual fundraising event for cancer research.
The Terry Fox Foundation
Tel.: 604-701-0246
Toll-free: 1-888-836-9786
Fax: 604-701-0247
E-mail: national@terryfoxrun.org
18 - 24 September: National Forest Week (last full week of September)
The Canadian Forestry Association has been organizing the National Forest Week for over 70 years. This event enables the Association to work with partners across the country to raise Canadians' awareness of their country's rich forest heritage.
Canadian Forestry Association
Tel.: 613-732-2917
Toll-free: 1-866-441-4006
Fax: 613-732-3386
E-mail: cfa@canadianforestry.com
25 September: Police and Peace Officers' National Memorial Day (the last Sunday of September)
Police and Peace Officers' National Memorial Day provides Canadians with an opportunity to acknowledge the dedication of police and peace officers who have died in the line of duty.
Canadian Professional Police Association
Tel.: 613-231-4168
Fax: 613-231-3254
E-mail: cpa-acp@cpa-acp.ca