there's no pressure. so just breathe.

today was the last day of the weather module in our homeschool class at the zoo.  the kids passed around a tornado tube, they made a huge pinwheel and a barometer, and they created hurricane waves.

it was a successful day.  except.  the hurricane waves demonstration went something like this.  put water in a pan. blow water with straw.  watch water splash everywhere.   see lil's mom grab her away from the project and violently sprinkle hand sanitizer everywhere like it was holy water.

creating the barometer went a little bit more smoothly.  to make your own barometer, you'll need:

- a half pint mason jar (without lid)

- balloon

- scissors

- rubberband 

- glue and glue dots

- toothpick

- index card

1.  cut the neck off of the balloon.

2.  stretch it over the top of the mason jar and secure with a rubberband.

3.  glue toothpick onto the top of the balloon (towards the middle).

4.  draw a line in the middle of the index card.  write "high" on the top, "low" on the bottom.

5.  attach the card to the jar with the middle line adjacent to the rim of the jar.

once the glue on the top of the balloon is dry, you have a working barometer.  the toothpick will indicate pressure. as pressure pushes down on the balloon, the toothpick will rise and point to high.  etc etc and vice versa.

ps.  did you know that hurricanes don't form on the equator because there is no spinning wind there?  and hurricanes that form in the northern hemisphere spin counterclockwise while those in the southern hemisphere spin clockwise.   

balloons are scary because of the popping and the spit.

i'm terrified of balloons.  i blame the lutherans.  sort of.  when i was a mere six or seven, my dear mother enrolled me in vacation bible school at a local lutheran church.  for our activity, they thought it'd be good clean fun to have relay races that went like this:  run to the chair with the balloon on it.  sit on it.  pop it.  and repeat to the other side.

longest - week - of - my - life.  also.  i'm probably a southern baptist for this reason.  that and the potlucks.

yesterday's first zoo school lesson focused on thunder and lightning.  in order to demonstrate thunder, the kids blew up balloons.  and then they popped them.  i cried and shuddered in the corner.  

for the lightning experiment, we attempted to produce static electricity.  however.  because we live in florida, the humidity didn't allow us any success.  praise jesus.  because i have  a story from my childhood about that, too.  yada yada yada.  i blame clint and steven.  but just in case you want to give it a shot, you'll need to gather:

- foil pie pan

- styrofoam plate

- piece of fleece

- pencil with new eraser

- thumbtack 

1.  poke the thumbtack through the bottom middle of the foil pan so that it points up.  

2.  stick the eraser on the tack.

3.  place the styrofoam plate upside down next to the foil pan.

4.  rub the fleece on the plate several times then quickly drop the fleece into the foil pan.

5.  pick the pencil up (without touching the foil pan).

6.  touch the foil pan with your other hand.  you should feel the shock.

if this is done in a really dark room, you should actually be able to see the static electricity.  

ps.  some happy things we learned were:  you know how sometimes there's a double rainbow?  well in the primary rainbow, the colors start with red at the top.  and in the other arc, the colors are reversed.  and.  to even see a rainbow at all depends on your position.  you have to be in between the rain and the sun. once you're there, look towards the rain.  and.  the lower the sun, the bigger the arc.  

so the whole raining men thing could maybe actually happen?

homeschool class at the zoo was entertaining on wednesday.  we learned about weird precipitation and how (because of water spouts) it rained frogs (france, 1833).   and that the largest snowflake ever was about fifteen inches wide (montana, 1887).  and also how once a turtle was found in a hail stone (mississippi, 1894).  this would be a perfect opportunity to insert a joke.  but let's just laugh at the actual facts instead.

in continuing with this month's weather module, the kids made "snow".  i'm not sure what it really was but it started out as tiny beads and then puffed up to a soft fluffy consistency once water was added.  lil and her friend caleb really liked playing in the mix.  they even convinced themselves that the snow was cold.  i just kept making sure it stayed white.

after the snow was cleaned up, the kids made rain gauges and water cycle models (in a bag).   the rain gauge was a simple kit that only required attaching the water tube to the measurement backing.  the water cycle model in a bag - while simple - was a little more involved.

to make a water cycle model in a bag, you'll need to gather:

- soil

- water

- wild flower seeds

- gallon baggie

- sharpies (optional)

1.  mix the soil, water (enough to make the soil just slightly wet), and wild flower seeds in a bowl.  you'll need enough to fill the baggie up to about an inch from the bottom.

2.  decorate the baggie with sharpies. 

3.  add your soil.

4.  tape the bag to a sunny window and watch the evaporation, condensation, transportation, and precipitation. give or take.

5.  you'll want to add a little bit of water every other day if the soil gets too dry.

6.  once your seed begins to sprout, take it out and plant it.  yay!

when we got home from zoo school, lil immediately staked her rain gauge into the ground.  it was cloudy all day so we didn't tape up her baggie to a window.  instead.  i just put it on the stovetop and turned on the hot exhaust lights.  then i was like.  oh no.   i can't make dinner because it'll affect our project.  we ordered out to panera. kachow!  can't complain 'bout no dinner when your child is a science winner.

i almost grabbed the bottle to rinse my hands. and feet. and hands again.

our local zoo offers monthly modules (composed of four meetings) for homeschoolers.  this is lil's second year participating in the science classes.  and today was day one after the summer break.  

lil's friend caleb joined her for the first time this morning.  he was thrilled.  or really annoyed.  but actually.  i'm gonna go with confused about the fresh zoo smell.

this month's topic is the weather.  the kids made thermometers with water bottles.  to make one of these bad boys, you'll need to gather:

- plastic bottle

- water

- isopropyl alcohol (we used 70%)

- food coloring

- straw 

- modeling clay

1.  fill about a quarter of the bottle with equal parts water and alcohol.

2.  add a couple drops of food coloring.

3.  insert the straw.   do not let the straw touch the bottom of the bottle.

4.  take the modeling clay and form a seal around the straw and bottle mouth.

5.  gently hold your hands around the bottom of the bottle.  avoid squeezing it. 

6.  as your hands warm the bottle, the solution will expand and rise up the straw.

also.  if you leave your bottle thermometer in a hot car, you'll have a wet and food color dye filled cup holder.  and the modeling clay will be mushy.  and the kids will beg to play with it.  and you'll let them because you're an awesome mom.  and as they stretch and pull the mushy clay, you'll gag.  and it'll take all the strength left in you not to drink what's left in that bottle thermometer.  

man.  zoo school is so awesome.