Experimenting with Copper

Today we began working in our Apologia Exploring Creation with Physical Science book. I mainly wanted to use this book with the older two but wanted to include our 4th grader somehow and was happy to find a unit study online that used the curriculum and made it for younger children.

Today they were introduced to atoms and molecules and had the opportunity to do an experiement. They took a glass of water and added baking soda to it. Then had to connect copper wires to a battery and put the other end in the water. It made bubbles and caused one of the wires to turn green...to know which one, you'll have to do it yourself!

We are using the lab reports and other resources from DonnaYoung.org. Here are some pictures from our science experiment today!

Bass Pro Shops Summer Camp

My husband's Bass Pro Shops ad came in the mail the other day and I saw that they were doing this really cool Summer Camp every weekend from May 30th - July 5th and thought it would be something great to share with my friends!
My family LOVES camping and doing anything outdoors so this is right up our alley! If you have never been to a Bass Pro Shop, you really should stop by one soon. It is not just a store...it is more like a museum! I am not a "window shopper" at all...in fact, I HATE doing it but Bass Pro is one of the places where I enjoy doing that! Weird, I know! We can seriously spend a lot of time and little money when we go in there. So many cool things to see and do. SO, look up your local store and stop by this weekend for some great family fun!

The Grass Stain Guru

I have a new blog friend! Her name is Beth and she is the Grass Stain Guru. Her website is http://grassstainguru.com/. She and I share the belief in the power of play and if you visit her site, you will get lots of great ideas to do with your kiddos. Please go check it out for yourself and then go outside to play with your kids!!!

Time To Play!

You all know about my passion for playtime so when I saw this amazing site, I knew that I had to be a part of it! There is a site warming party happening tomorrow night on Twitter. You can read all about it here: http://resourcefulmommy.blogspot.com/2009/02/bringing-back-family-game-night.html
Join us!

Speaking of spelling / Scrabble Contest

While we are still on the topic of spelling, (see last post)I decided that this contest will have a spelling focus!

Amy and I watched Akeelah and the Bee yesterday and we saw how the spelling bee contestants used Scrabble to practice. We have used the game ourselves to work on spelling. Today as I was rearranging things in my office, I came across a box and guess what was inside??

An extra Deluxe Edition Scrabble game! So what better than to give it away in my Playing To Learn Contest!




Here is what you have to do to win:

* Post the link to this contest on your blog and then leave a comment here with your blog link.

I will hold a drawing from all of the entries on Saturday Feb 28th.

Good Luck!!

Listen to this & win a Sound Bingo Game!

This week, we took part in the Say What You Mean Convention and were completely blessed!
Wednesday was "Kids Day" and the sessions were all geared to the children. JoJo Tabares did a "Listening Seminar" where she taught the kids the importance of listening and not just hearing. She also played a game with them called the "Name that Sound Game" where her son played a sound and the kids had to say what it was. Amy was listening on the computer so she had to type her answers in. Alex was listening on the phone and could shout his response. They both did very well but Alex guess more than she did and he won the game! The prizes are great!











The convention is over now but you can still listen to the sessions because they were recorded. Simply go to the Say What You Mean Conference on Talk Shoe and click on the topic that interests you.


I know that I use a LOT of "play things" to teach my children. One of my online names is PlayToLearnHome because I truly believe that children learn best through play. I have seen the results! So, I want to have a little contest and give away a "Sound Bingo" game. This is a fun little game that is from Do-Re-Me & You/Discovery Toys. My kids love it!

Here is how you can win:

1) Post a comment to this blog post about "Learning Through Play".

2) Write a blog post about this contest on your blog and link it to this one.

3) Update your Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc status to tell your friends to visit here too! If I am your "friend" on these sites, I will see the update. If not, you can either add me or send me an email with the screen shot.



There ya go! I will draw a name on Friday the 13th.



Good luck!