Homeschool Science Curriculum Resources – Page 6

Homeschooling the Happy Way

Tuesday February 17, 2015

Does each homeschooling class seem like a war in a losing battle to you? Are you so stressed that you can barely smile when your child makes a joke? This is surely not the way you thought you would react to the strain of homeschooling. So here’s what can you do to homeschool the happy way.
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Don’t make worksheets for young kids

Many children have trouble with worksheets even in regular classrooms till the second grade. So don’t waste your time and effort developing worksheets for very young children. Instead you can play educational games with them. Have them count the steps to the kitchen to revise number work. Or count down the days on the calender to learn about weeks and months. Encourage them to write out the name of their cereal box on the shopping list for the mall to practice the alphabet. Give them a chore like feeding the goldfish each day or watering the plants for expanding their life experience.

Have the siblings help each other

The elder sibling can teach the younger one basic skills and concepts. This helps the younger one learn and the elder one revise his own skills. It also saves you valuable time, while ensuring that the children are kept gainfully occupied. You can make the younger ones help the elder one with project work. Specially if it involves taking measurements and noting them down. They can also do craft work together such as making cards for birthdays or holidays. The elder sibling can supervise the younger one and learn how to be responsible for completing a task.

Work with their strengths and their weaknesses

As a parent you tend to focus more the weakness of a child and try to improve them. However when it is something that the child can do well, we tend to gloss over it knowing that he can handle it. This is incorrect. The child needs to do what he is good at to build up his self esteem and self confidence. While it is important to improve their weak points it is equally important to give them a chance to show off what they can do well.

Article Inspiration: About Homeschooling
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Enhancing Creativity in Homeschool Students

Tuesday February 10, 2015

homeschool science The focus in homeschooling should lie not just in planning lessons in each subject of the curriculum and teaching them, but also in developing independent thinking in the homeschool student. By allowing a child to solve a problem on his own you are equipping him with a great tool to handle life. The natural imagination and creativity that a child possesses can be a huge asset to you as a trainer. Here are some activities that would help the child in developing his creative skills.
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Solving brain teasers and riddles

Riddles are great ways to initiate your child into creative problem solving. By asking him to think out of the box you are enhancing his natural thinking ability. They also have the added advantage of increasing a child’s general knowledge as he must know a whole lot of trivia to be able to solve even simple riddles.

Solve one crossword puzzle daily

This daily exercise can help the child improve his vocabulary as well as learn how to solve cryptic clues. The one in the daily newspaper may be a bit too difficult for a child to start off with, so you could design some simple ones with about 5 to 10 words to start off with. There are also websites where you can get some simple crossword puzzles for free.

Solve the Sudoku number puzzle

This simple number based puzzle from Japan has taken the world by storm. There is no mathematical calculation to be solved so any body who can count from one to nine can solve this puzzle. Sudoku puzzles also have different levels of difficulty. So begin with the easy level and let your child work up his skills to the more difficult ones.

Creating artistic craft work

Sometimes just giving your child a canvas and colors can allow him to express his creativity, while at other times you may offer a more defined project. Simple ones like decorating a file folder in which worksheets may be stored, or something more amusing like making a box to keep trinkets in, can help the child express his creativity in an organized manner.
Article Inspiration: About Homeschooling
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Using a Foreign Vacation as a Teaching Tool for Homeschooling Students

Tuesday February 3, 2015

If you plan to take your children for a foreign vacation you might be surprised to hear that your family can use the experience as a great learning tool. This applies not only to homeschooling students but to any child; the exposure is great for broadening their horizons. Here are a few things that you can help them focus on in order to get more out of the trip.
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Geography

Before you leave, get a travel book for the country. Have your children learn where it is located and how long it will take to travel there. You can use the globe to pinpoint the travel route you will take. Then have them check to see if they are going to travel over land or over sea. Identify the countries that they will cross on the journey. It will help them get a sense of just where they are headed on the trip.

History of the Country

Each country has its own unique history and this is a great lesson to teach the children when they are about to visit a country. Pay special attention to the history of the tourist attractions that you are sure to visit on vacation. That way, when they get there the children will know what the fuss is about when visiting an old building. Also, try and hire a guide on the spot to get more information that is pertinent to the building.

Foreign Language Phrases

Picking up a foreign language is fun when you know that you will actually get to test your knowledge with locals. If you are already learning the foreign language in your home school classroom, all the better. If not, then have the children identify common phrases that they use daily and find the proper foreign translations. Practice these phrases to get ready for the vacation.

Traditional Dress and Food

Its always fun to play dress up, so try and get a traditional costume of the country that you are visiting for the full family. These can often be rented for a photo session if they are too outlandish to wear back home. It is also a good idea to expose children’s taste buds to different kinds of cuisine. Let them taste some of the local food and decide whether they like it or not.

Article Inspiration: About Homeschooling
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What do you do when your homeschooler learns unevenly?

Tuesday January 27, 2015

homeschool academy Your daughter is great at writing fictional stories, but basic multiplication and division give her major trouble.

Your son is reading high school level books with ease, but ask him to write and basic motor skills seem to evade him.

Your little one may have advanced skills in one subject but is barely able to handle the elementary level of another subject.

So your homeschool student is learning well in some fields and not so well in others. How do you cope with this uneven learning that homeschooling students sometimes show?
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Don’t Worry About It

The first thing to keep in mind is not to panic and think there is something wrong with your child. There is nothing wrong here. Every child has some skills that are better than other skills, just like every adult is more skilled at some things than others. Think of things that you are good at and others that your spouse is better at handling. The same principle applies with your children. It is totally natural for a child to pick up some skills faster than others. So maybe your ten year old son is better than your thirteen year old daughter when it comes to math. That does not mean that your daughter is lacking in math ability, it just means that you will have to work harder at that skill set with her while your son picks it up faster.

Go With the Flow

The worst mistake you can make is restricting your child’s learning just because something is not what children his age are “supposed” to learn. There is no point in repeating what he or she already knows just because that’s what’s given in the grade book of your homeschool curriculum. Seek out new material that will help your child learn more things while keeping him interested in the subject. You can get worksheets from the internet or make some up based specifically on the studies that you have done. It won’t matter in the long run as long as the grade book material has already been covered and your student is prepared to meet current requirements for state testing or standards.
Article Inspiration: About Homeschooling
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Lazy Parent Syndrome in Homeschooling

Tuesday January 20, 2015

The last thing you would call a parent who takes on the responsibility of educating their own children is lazy. However, critics can come up with a number of reasons to apply this adjective to a homeschooling parent and this is one of the latest. The “Lazy Parent Syndrome” has come under the scanner of critics and it has made an impact on homeschooling parents.
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Is the first born always more intelligent?

The proponents of this theory say that the birth order of the child can determine his level of intelligence. This is because the mother is said to pay a great deal more attention to the development of the first born child than she does to any subsequent children. According to the lazy parent syndrome, the mother gets lazy with the second and third born children and does not give them the same attention and time.

Does a parent spend less time on subsequent children?

Is this really true? Does a parent become more lax with subsequent children? Possibly. However this is probably because parents are a lot more nervous and thus hypervigilant about the rearing of their first child. With the second child, they do not feel the need for all that stress and are not as worried about how the child will learn once they have experience under their belts. This does not mean that Mom and Dad give less than their best to the second and third child that they are tutoring at home. It simply means that they have done it before, and are better organized the next time round knowing exactly what needs to be done.

Is it more accurate to call Lazy Parenting Syndrome Tired Parenting Syndrome?

The adjective “lazy” has many negative connotations and while a parent may seem to be more lackluster with subsequent children, it is generally because they have additional responsibilities and are tired. What’s more, the children themselves have more than one teacher as the elder sibling can often teach younger sisters and brothers many things that the mother or father would otherwise do.

So this latest criticism of homeschooling is actually nothing all that new.

Article Inspiration: About Homeschooling
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What Homeschoolers Miss Out On

Tuesday January 13, 2015

Socializing with the peer group is not the only thing that homeschoolers are views as missing out on. In some situations the difference between regular school students and homeschoolers can become painfully obvious. If you wonder about what homeschooling students are missing out on, here are a few regular school traditions and activities that you can consider.

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Bus ride to and from school

The first and most obvious would be the school bus ride to school. Since the classroom is part of the house, unless a field trip is planned there is no commuting for a homeschool student at all. Even the times that an excursion is planned, the student usually goes in the family car with the parent and does not have to ride with the peer group. There is no fighting for a seat and no struggle to get the science project to school in one piece.

Cafeteria meals and deals

Another thing that they would miss out on will be swapping lunch in the cafeteria. Since the snack is made and provided at home with no other option available, there is no way to avoid eating what you are given. Of course those parents who have come from regular schools and eaten mystery meat in their cafeteria meals would not consider this to be a disadvantage at all.

Organized lines

Some terms may also be unfamiliar for them, such as “line up single file.” The instruction bellowed out in public school will see students shuffling into place, but a homeschool student may not be aware of what is expected. Of course it is a simple enough thing to be taught.

Filling the standardized test paper bubbles

Most homeschool students work on hand made worksheets or print out that are instantly corrected by the parent. They do not have to fill in the bubbles on a test sheet like regular school. So the first time they learn how to fill the bubbles is when they take a compulsory standardized test.

These are small instances where the regular school students have a more homogeneous experience as compared to homeschool students who tend to have very individualistic experiences.

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Homeschool Budget Tips

Tuesday January 6, 2015

When you homeschool your children you have to provide the basic schooling infrastructure at home. Whether it’s the physical classroom, furniture, books and stationery or the intangible effort that the homeschooling parent must put in, the task of managing a homeschool can be quite exhausting. It can also be financially draining. Here are some things that you can do to ease the financial burden.
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Don’t buy what you can make

This is a basic lesson in thrift. From lesson plans to curriculum, educational toys to worksheets for the children to practice, follow this rule to save money. If you can make it at home, don’t get store bought stuff. At times you can get the children to help you make the classroom materials as a craft project. That way you don’t have to make everything yourself and the children can be a part of a larger project.

Learn to take advantage of all the free stuff available

Libraries, museums, free giveaways online, are just a few ways for you to get free stuff. You can exchange materials with other homeschooling families, or just go online for videos, educational websites and more. Trading off with other homeschool students for material that both families can use is also a great way to save money. Perhaps each family can buy certain reference books which they can exchange later in the school year.

Look out for offers and discounts

Homeschool groups can get special offers and discounts when they put their orders together. Many home school cooperatives exist and you can easily find one which operates in your town and join it. Then you will get regular updates about educational material that may be purchased at a discount. This is a great way to get books and classroom materials cheaper than in the open market.

If you put together a few thrifty measures you can end up saving a lot of money from your homeschool budget. It is up to you to decide how you want to use your hard earned money so ensure that you get all you can for your dollar.

Article Inspiration: About Homeschooling
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Travel as a Teaching Tool

Tuesday December 30, 2014

The family vacation, a trip to a new town, a visit to grandma, or any other form of travel can be easily converted into a teaching tool for your children. While it is a good way for homeschooling parents to add supplementary lessons, travel can be used just as effectively by parents of children who attend regular school. Here are the things that you can teach them.
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Map Reading for Geography

There is a destination and there is a departure point. Have them understand how the travel will unfold on the map. You can describe the physical terrain of the map including rivers and mountains that may be crossed. It will help them to understand the geological features that they will pass.

Route Mapping for Geometry

Teach them to plot the easiest route from place A to place B. They will use the principles of geometry to find the shortest route between the two spots. Also tell them why sometimes the shortest route may not be the best one to take. Traffic, scenery and physical condition of the road may be such factors influencing this decision.

Calculating ETA for Arithmetic

Instead of letting them ask, “Are we there yet?” involve them in calculating just how long it would take the car to reach the destination. Here you can explain the concept of speed of the vehicles, miles covered per hour, total distance that needs to be traveled and then teach them how to make the calculation for the estimated time of arrival.

Museum visits for History

Once you get to the place you can hit popular tourist spots which explain the culture of the region. A local museum would be a good way to explain the history of the town and region to the children. Preserved artifacts actually used by people of a bygone era will help them understand history much better.

Wildlife park for Geology

Pick up the rocks and stones in the wildlife park when you trek through it (make sure you’re in an area where it’s acceptable to do this first). Once you come home you can wash up the dirt and see what kinds of stones you have collected. Sedimentation and related concepts can be explained.

So as you can tell, taking a trip out of town can become a great teaching tool if you just organize the material, and your approach, accordingly.
Article Inspiration: About Homeschooling
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Instead of Textbooks…

Tuesday December 16, 2014

When you think of school, do you think of the textbooks used in each subject? Textbooks are a great way for teaching a large number of students standard information. That is why they are so popular in regular schools. However they are not the only teaching tool that a homeschool teacher can use. The homeschool classroom is a place where textbooks can be easily substituted with other instructional tools.
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Science Kits

Instead of just teaching students the theory of a scientific principle, allow them to put it to use first. Application of science is important to understand and the lesson in the textbook will be more easily understood when students have figured out how the principle works in real life. Building a simple circuit to light a bulb, a short wave radio, or even a solar cooker can teach more about electronics, wavelengths, and solar power than a textbook ever could. Science kits help to ignite and instill a true appreciation of the real-life process behind the textbook.

Math Manipulatives

Math manipulatives are any small objects that can be used to explain concepts of addition and subtraction to children. These can be any number of similar items. You don’t have to buy anything special, just use things around the house like buttons, marbles, even cornflakes or chips. Teaching basic mathematics concepts is a blast this way, as your student learns math operations way before encountering them in a formal textbook. Then it will be old hat figuring out what needs to be done in the textbook.

Board Games

Playing Monopoly, Scrabble and Chess can be a great workout for the homeschool student’s brain. Monopoly helps them learn how to handle money and make the most of their assets, both valuable adult skills. Scrabble can help with learning spelling and picking up new vocabulary, which qualify as language arts. Chess can teach students how to plan and make use of strategy to best an opponent. There are other board games available that can also be highly educational in nature. Look out for them the next time you go shopping for toys.

Article Inspiration: About Homeschooling
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How Much Praise is Enough?

Tuesday December 9, 2014

As a parent there is a fine line between praise and just words said just to placate the child. If that parent is also the homeschool teacher there has to be a fine line between praising the child and merely mouthing the words. How much praise is enough and can you over do it?

Let’s take a look.
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Why do you praise your child?

The primary reason for praise from the parent is not just appreciation of a particular behavior but a positive push to reinforce it. When you tell your child that he did a job well you are giving him your approval. This will make the child feel good and in the future he will seek this approval by repeating what he has done.

When do you praise your child?

Ideally you should praise your young child while he is doing the job or immediately after her has finished the task. That way he knows precisely what action is being appreciated. The older child can be told a bit later as well, but praise is most effective when delivered at the time of action completion.

How can you go wrong?

Some parents get carried away in their enthusiasm to get their child to do things right. They begin praising all kinds of basic behavior. This reduces the efficacy of praise as an incentive to strive to do better. Praise is earned for doing something out of the norm: something that takes more effort and concentration to do than every day mundane activities.

Give genuine praise without going over the top

Children have a built-in fakeness alarm. If you are not being genuine in your praise they can detect it in an instant. So don’t praise them for something routine, and don’t praise them when you don’t mean it. Try to give feedback for their actions, especially those which you know took them some effort to complete.

As the parent you know best how to deal with your child, as each child will need a different amount of reinforcement. Some are okay with being told they did a good job once, however others many want to hear how well they did a few times before they are satisfied.
Article Inspiration: About Homeschooling
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Equipping Your Homeschool Science Lab

Tuesday December 2, 2014

Equipping a homeschool laboratory does not have to cost a whole lot of money. There are a number of things that you can use from around the house. However, you will have to invest in some things that will give the feel of a proper science lab to your homeschool students. Here we discuss the different types of equipment you will need to keep on hand to conduct your homeschool science experiments.

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Safety First

No matter what the experiment, the homeschool student must always exercise safety by using safety equipment. This would include protecting the eyes with goggles and hands with gloves.You could use an oversized thick t-shirt as a lab coat and make sure that when using chemicals the children wear closed toe shoes.

Stuff to Work With

You will need all kinds of containers and measuring tools to conduct your experiments. Clear plastic cups, empty soda bottles, zip lock bags, and transparent cups made of glass, all can be used as containers for more reactive substances. Peanut butter jars, mayonnaise jars, and coffee cans are also good for storage. Plastic forks, spoons and knives are good to transfer stuff during experiments. Drinking straws and toothpicks can also make useful tools. Eye droppers and children’s medicine syrup dosage cups are good to measure out precise amounts.

Common Chemicals Found at Home

Most experiments require some chemical agent and you don’t have to buy them as a large number of these chemicals can be found at home. Consider stocking extra baking soda, vinegar, corn starch,salt, food coloring, lemon juice, pineapple juice, gelatin,red cabbage, soda, Mentos, Wintergreen Lifesavers, fizzing antacid tablets, laundry bluing, borax detergent, white glue, baby oil, dish soap, rubbing alcohol, flour, yeast, sugar, glow sticks and flour to conduct some super science experiments .

More Stuff to Save

There are other things around the house that you can save and add to the homeschool science lab such as rubber balls, yo-yos, coins, glass marbles, Slinkys, drinking dipping bird toys, bubble soap, latex balloons, helium balloons and a whole lot more. Save electronic tidbits as well. LED bulbs,batteries of all kinds, solar panels, laser pointer, black light bulb, small DC (battery-powered) motors, electrical wires, nails, paper clips, magnets, iron filings and electrical tape can all be a part of your stock.

Article Inspiration: About Homeschooling
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Homeschool Science Lab Essentials

Tuesday November 25, 2014

There are a number of things that you can use from around the house when you set out to equip your homeschool science lab. A considerable number of items were listed in the previous blog post related to stocking up stuff for this purpose. You can scavenge old parts of the toys and appliances you have around the house to aid this purpose. Any old gadgets that are now now working can also be taken apart and their parts used in science experiments.
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Use what you have and then add some more

The digital still/video camera you own can also be put to good use in various science experiments to study the changes that occur as the experiment proceeds through various stages. However not everything you need will be obtained from stuff lying around the home. There will be certain items that you will have to buy. Some such items will include magnifying glasses, microscope (digital and standard are available), binoculars, telescope, polarized lenses and clear plastic tape.

Enforce Safety Rules as Prevention is Better Than Cure

Then there are other special things that children must never use without an adult present. These would include candles, matchsticks, using the microwave, the hob, the OTG (oven toaster grill), dry ice, chemical hand warmers, chemical cold packs and any acid that you may have bought for conducting experiments. These are just an indicative list of things that must be used only with adult supervision. You can add other items to the list and let your homeschool science students understand these rules before you begin any experiment involving these things.

What Experiments Should You Perform?

Now that you have stocked up your homeschool science lab the next relevant question is what do you do with all the stuff. Which science experiments should you begin with? That will depend on what you are teaching your homeschool science students in class. What lesson are you currently studying? Can you find an easy to perform experiment based on the principles in that lesson? Then by all means use the experiment to reinforce what has been taught in class.

You don’t have to stick to school curriculum based experiments once you start. You can move on to any interesting experiments that you feel your children will enjoy and learn from.

Article Inspiration: About Homeschooling
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Fun Homeschool Science Activities

Tuesday November 18, 2014

Science is always easier to learn when you can practice it hands on. As a homeschooling family you would have no doubt had some experience with conducting scientific experiments based on what your child’s lessons include. This has to have benefited the homeschool science student greatly, but it is still school work.

Have you ever done something fun which involves using a science principle with your homeschool students? Something that you did just for a lark? Here are a few suggestions for you to have some homeschool science based fun!
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Create Your Own Miniature Water Park

If your children enjoyed the rides at a water park you visited in the summer, you can have them put their heads together to come up with similar rides on a small scale at home. You can plonk a plastic sheet down on the floor and give them containers and connectors of all sizes and shapes to experiment with. Start with transporting water through a series of pipes and tubes from one end of the sheet to the other. Move on to advanced water rides that your children’s toys can take! Allow them to get as innovative and creative as they like.

Add Additional Recording Activities

Once your water channel is set you can have fun recording how long it takes a liter of water to complete the circuit. Have your homschool science students check if half a liter of water takes the same amount of time to complete the circuit. Add water till the entire ride is saturated and then measure how much water the water channel can hold when full to the brim. Ask the children to come up with their own measurement activities.

Create a Fountain or a Waterfall

Flowing water is of great visual interest to children. Have them create landscapes where they make waterfalls or teach them how to create a fountain with an empty plastic soda bottle. Just punch some holes into the bottle with a hot metal skewer and add water. Now the fountain can be turned on or off by merely replacing the cap. Ask them to come up with other ways to make water flow in the landscape you have created.

Article Inspiration: About Homeschooling
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Single parents handling the home school science curriculum

Tuesday November 11, 2014

If you have chosen to follow the homeschooling path as a single parent, you will need to be very well organized. Particularly when it comes to handling the home school science curriculum with your child. Whatever the circumstances why you have chosen to home school, they should not interfere with you giving your child the best possible experience in the study room. [am4show have=’p8;p9;p11;p38;’ guest_error=’Guest error message’ user_error=’User error message’ ]

Follow the plan

By following a pre-fixed home school science curriculum you can save yourself considerable headaches. Get a copy of the syllabus and what all you need to cover it in advance. Now study it yourself before you decide to teach anything to your child. As you make your teaching plan more crystallized you will be able to foresee what all material you will need on a specific day.That way when you actually get down to covering the home school science curriculum with your child you will be able to ensure that the materials required to teach that particular lesson are available to you.

Get a support group

Naturally it is easier to follow any activity if you have a support group. It is easy enough to find and join an activity club which is interested in science related activities. Some clubs meet weekly while others may have a more relaxed monthly meet. You will need to decide how much time you can spare to join a club. Can you spare two hours every week? Or will you be happier just committing to a once a month meeting and then pick one which is best suited to your needs.

Find a reliable substitute

No matter how hard you try you can not be with your child all the time. There will be some times when you have to go away leaving them behind. It may be for a duration as short as a couple or hours and may be for as long as a couple of days. So you need to find someone reliable who can take over in your absence. Having grandparents step in at such a time is a great idea. If they do not live close by or in the same town you will need to find and familiarize the substitute adult to your child.

Article Inspiration: About Homeschooling [/am4show]

eScience Overview Exercises

Sunday May 1, 2011

Let’s see how much you’ve picked up with these experiments and the reading – answer as best as you can. (No peeking at the answers until you’re done!) Just relax and see what jumps to mind when you read the question. You can also print these out and jot down your answers in your science notebook.

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1. What would happen if you belched in Antarctica? (By the way, the freezing temperature of CO₂ is -109^oF and Antarctica can get below -140^oF) (a) the carbon dioxide in the burp would freeze into a solid (b) the carbon dioxide in the burp would sublimate (c) nothing special (d) the oxygen and carbon dioxide will form will liquefy into carbon trioxide (e) are you serious?

2. When you cap a lit candle in a glass jar, what happens? (a) the flame eventually goes out because fire eats air and the flame runs out of oxygen which is required for combustion (b) nothing special (c) the flame gets brighter and lasts longer (d) an explosion takes place that shatters the jar

3. What is the difference between a light bulb and a laser beam? (a) the laser is a focused beam, while the bulb is a scattered beam (b) the laser is a scattered beam and the bulb is a focused beam (c) lasers emit photons and bulbs emit only electrons (d) this is why I dropped out of science (e) they’re both breakable and not allowed anywhere near my kids

4. Which one generates light by electrifying a gas? (a) incandescent bulb (b) neon sign (c) fluorescent bulb (d) car headlight

5. What happens when you scuff across the carpet in socks on a dry day? (a) you can zap your kids (b) you store up an electric charge in your body (c) you store up extra neutrons in your body (d) the same thing that happens to blankets in the dryer

6. What is an atom made up of? (a) photons, electrons, and positrons (b) neutrinos, positrons, and bosons (c) protons, neutrons, and electrons (d) gluons, muons, and gravitons (e) what on earth is a ‘boson’?

7. Which are the three primary colors of light? (a) red (b) blue (c) green (d) yellow (e) pink

8. If you inflate a balloon (don’t tie the end), which direction does the air in the balloon and the balloon itself travel? (a) both the same way (b) in opposite directions (c) nothing happens (d) inside-out

9. What happens if a tank of oxygen leaks and fills an entire room, and you walk in and strike a match? (a) nothing (b) BOOM!!! (c) the match will burn brighter (d) I don’t even want to know

10. When you combine baking soda and vinegar together, what happens? (a) bubbles foam up (b) it belches (c) carbon dioxide gas is released (d) it produces a chemical reaction that can propel a rocket skyward

11. If you blow up a balloon and stick it in the freezer, what happens? (a) it gets bigger (b) it gets smaller (c) nothing (d) it glows

12. Where is the higher pressure in a balloon? (a) on the inside (b) on the outside (c) both are the same (d) none of the above

13. When you wire up a circuit and it does not work, you should (a) check for good metal-to-metal connections between wires (b) see if the batteries are in the right way (c) replace the entire thing (d) reverse the wires powering your electrical component

14. What does it mean when batteries get hot to the touch? (a) they are working well (b) they are about to explode (c) you are running the electricity back into the battery and this heats up the battery (d) they are about to leak acid everywhere

15. Higher pressure does which? (a) pushes (b) pulls (c) decreases temperature (d) causes winds, storms, and airplanes to fly (e) meows

16. What happens when you put a large chocolate bar in the microwave without a turntable? (a) it melts only in certain spots (b) it freezes (c) you can measure the speed of light (d) the chocolate bar emits radiation

17. Which of the following are examples of light? (a) radio (b) TV remote controls (c) ultrasounds (d) microwaves (e) sunburns

18. The electricity from an electrical outlet is the same kind as (a) lightning (b) the shock you get from scuffing along the carpet (c) the electrons that flows in a circuit (d) the electricity from a battery (e) the light show from wool socks fresh from the dryer

19. What happens when you combine a red beam of light with a green beam of light? (a) you see polka-dots (b) you get yellow light (c) you get cyan light (d) you get that muddy-looking color just like when you mix all the paints together (e) nothing – they stay the same

20. If an apple is the size of the earth, then the atoms inside the apple are the size of: (a) Manhattan (b) a grain of sand (c) the size of the original apple (d) Alaska (e) zooplankton

21. What are the five states of matter? (a) solid, liquid, gas, plasma, and BEC (b) earth, wind, fire, water, and wood (c) oxygen, fuel, spark, ice and heat (d) ice, water, bubbles, steam, and vapor

22. Which of the following are seriously dangerous chemicals? (a) dihydrogen monoxide (b) sodium chloride (c) sodium tetraborate (d) sodium bicarbonate (e) all of these (f) none of these

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Answers to eScience Overview Exercises

Sunday May 1, 2011

Let’s see how you did! If you didn’t get a few of these, don’t let it stress you out – it just means you need to play with more experiments in this area. We’re all works in progress, and we have our entire lifetime to puzzle together the mysteries of the universe!

Simply click here for printable questions and answers.

Answers:
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a
a
a
b, c
a, b, d
c
a, b, c
b
c
a-d
b
a
a-d
c
a
a, c
a, b, d, e
a-e
b
c
a
f

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