Lemon Explosion! Easy At Home Chemistry

Chemistry is easy to find and identify in things at home, if you know what to look for!

Chemistry is basically just exploring the way things go together, and the way they are made up (atoms and molecules). Today we'll be exploring one of the most FUN and well known chemical reactions - what happens when you put acids and bases together.

As some of you may know, typically at the library we LOVE to make a mess - there's so much to learn and explore by being a bit more free! Today's activity doesn't have to be a big mess, though, but we encourage preparing for a little one.

What You Will Need

• Lemons

• Baking soda

• Food colouring

• Dish soap

• Tray or container (to catch the mess)

• Something to stir with

Tips for Parents

The curriculum connections for this experiment are actually pretty advanced (initially explored in grade 5, and really dug into starting in grade 10). So, our main focus today is going to be on experimenting itself.

It is SO important to ask inquiry based questions! Making predictions about what will happen, asking questions when things happen, and questioning how we can change or adjust things in the future are the best parts of experiments. Today, try to get your child to talk through their thought process as things happen.

Activity and Questions

Check out the pH scale above. Are you surprised by anything?

Look at our ingredients today - Lemons, have a pH of 2, and are very close the the most acidic end of the scale, where baking soda is a 9, pretty close to the most basic or alkaline end of the scale.

What other combinations do you think would cause interesting reactions? (Note: DO NOT TRY any of these combinations without doing some research first, as some reactions can produce dangerous byproducts)

Curriculum Connections

Grade 5: Understanding Matter and Energy - 3.5 describe chemical changes in matter as changes that are irreversible, 3.7 identify indicators of a chemical change

Additional Resources

If you want to know exactly what acids, bases, and the ph scale are all about: https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/water-acids-and-bases/acids-bases-and-ph/a/acids-bases-ph-and-bufffers

Please tag us on social media if you take any photos or videos!

The Reptile Club

Hooray! We're back with another virtual Raising Readers! I miss seeing you all each week and I really look forward to reading books and crafting with you all again!

Today I picked another Forest of Reading book so that you can continue to participate in the Forest of Reading. The Forest of Reading has moved online and voting will continue until June 1, 2020, for more information and details you can click here.

Below you will find a link to a video of the author Maureen Fergus reading "The Reptile Club". I think you will really enjoy listening to Maureen, she does a fabulous job! Once you have listened to the story I have included some discussion questions that you can share with others, or just think about yourself. If you want to learn more about reptiles I have also included some links to some great eBooks and websites. Finally, because I know this is your favourite part I have included instructions for a craft idea to go along with the story! Please enjoy today's reading and as always please share and thoughts or creations with us, we would love to hear from you!

The Reptile Club Read by Maureen Fergus

Discussion Questions:

1. What are your favourite things? Do you remember what Rory's favourite things were? (Mine are: sunny days, turtles and reading good books!)

2. If you were going to start your own club what would it be? What what your password and secret handshake be?

3. What is a reptile?

Here are the characteristics of a reptile:

• breath air

• they have bones

• muscles

• nervous system: made of the brain, spinal cord and nerves the nervous system controls actions

• they have special skin made of scales or bony plates or both

• reptiles are the same temperature as their environment.

Can you think of some animals that are reptiles?

4. What is your favourite reptile? Why is it your favourite? I already answered this question! My favourite reptile is the turtle, because I think they are cute.

Resources:

Reptile Club Activities by author Maureen Fergus

Reptile books available on Overdrive

World Book Student Website - Reptiles

DK Findout Website - What is a Reptile

National Geographic KIDS Website - Reptiles

Reptile Club Craft:

This week we are going to make our favourite reptiles. Egg cartons and toilet paper tubes are great for making snakes, turtles and crocodiles, but you can make anything you want! Be as creative as you can and use anything that you can find around your house. Here is a picture of Tanya the Turtle I made my turtle out of an egg carton but of course you can use anything you want!

Have fun!

Melissa

A Good Day for Ducks!

Hello Friends!

So excited to join you for another online Toddler Tales! Today is all about ducks, we are going to read "A Good Day For Ducks" by Jane Whittingham, illustrated by Noel Tuazon, published by Pajama Press. I also shared a new song about ducks eating in a pond with their tails in the air. Isn't it funny when ducks do that?

Before watching the video, you might want to get a scarf or kerchief for "popcorn kernels" and I have included a song sheet with words for all our songs so that you can sing along or enjoy after!

Afterwards, you might want to go for a walk in your neighbourhood and see if you can find some ducks, maybe they will be eating with their tails in the air and you can sing the new song! When you get home you might want to draw some pictures of ducks just like they do in the story.

Please share your duck fun with us, by email or on social media, we would love to see what you have been up to!