Make Your Own Homemade Slides for Microscopes

Last year, one of our friends from the local college let us have an older microscope, per policy, on "long-term-loan." It has 10x and 40x objectives and I really would love it, if we could add a more powerful one (not sure that's possible) because as of yet, we've not been able to view anything 'wiggling'. (Maybe we're looking in the wrong place!) ...But we have seen some pretty cool stuff!

I think our favorites are hair- animal hair. The goat hair was neat in that the grey was distinctively different from the black. The cat hair was awesome, in that it looked like it had vertical chambers. Weird! And cool!

But- slides were an issue- so- we made some!

We used simple index cards, cutting a 'window' out of the center and using clear tape to make a 'glass' and to hold our samples in place.We left the 'windows' kinda big so more light would show through.

You could also use thin cardboard, like cereal boxes are made from.

We collected all sorts of little things to look at!

Here are some of the interesting things that we looked at;
-goat hair
-cat hair
-human hair
-local honey
-storebought honey
-water that's been standing in a bucket outside
-broccoli
-yeast
-strawberry leaves
-banana
-lint
-dust
-leaves (from trees, plants, etc- old dry leaves were really cool)
-chives
-dried dill
-pencil shavings
-straw
-corn husk
-beetle
-gnat (this was cool because it had WAVY hairs on it's legs)
-coffee grounds
-salt (at 10x these looked like ice cubes)
-black pepper
-mustard seeds
-onion skin
-bathroom paper
-cypress clipping (this was cool too, in that, we've always known this tree to kind of 'stick to us' but under the microscope, we were able to see why- tiny hooks on it's edges!)

Any of you girls found neat things to view under your scopes?
Would love to hear from any of you who have them on tips to make the most use of them!

Job 5:9  Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number

How to Tell When Your Boy is Ready for the Navy, in Pictures:

Kemmie applies the duct tape

Kayanna expresses her vision

Kellan and Kyler are not sure the plan will work

Time for deployment!

It's now or never boys!

SAIL!

"Living the dream!"- Krestan

"I got this!"- Krestan, again

And this, my friends, is how you know your little boy, is ready for ship life!

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Acts 27:24 ... God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

Learn and Teach Guitar for Free

One of the first things you need to learn to do is tune the guitar. 

I find this to be the hardest part but with practice (and youtube), you can learn this within no time.
(It doesn't have to be perfect in the beginning.)

Here's a good tuner to work with online.
 When you hear it played correctly, over and over, you learn when it doesn't sound quite right.

Remember, always loosen the string and tighten gradually to tune.

You're less likely to pop your strings!

 

Tuners like these are nice too. Amazon has them for about $12, local they're about $20, and you might find them at the best price on ebay. 

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Now- the next thing- chords!

This site has small videos and how-to charts that are really elementary. 

He also has sound clips which I've found very helpful. 

He plays the chord, you play the chord. If it doesn't sound right- you goofed or you're out of tune. :)

The second page on that link will show you your basic chords. You can play a lot of hymns and sing-songs with those basic chords. 

You can also buy books or print out tons of charts.
We have some hanging on the walls and the kids all have them in their guitar notebooks.
(Been playing a while and need really odd chord demos? This site lets you type in exactly what you need.)

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 Next- let's move on to strumming patterns.
When I was a teen and trying to learn the guitar, this is the area that I could have really benefited from IF ONLY we would have had the internet then! :)
If you want to learn to read strumming patterns, this gnarly guy here shows a nice little diagram on this video but these strumming patterns aren't necessarily the easiest or most common, especially for beginners.
Here is a video of very basic strumming patterns and this fellow goes slow enough for all beginners to easily follow along.
Here's another good site for some printable material and a video to show how you how to put the strumming patterns together with a few chords.

Here are basic ones my kids learned first:
-down, down-up, up, down-up (Like the song Sanctuary)
-down, down-up, down-up (Amazing Grace)
-down, up, down, up (I'll Fly Away, Nothing But the Blood)
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We buy bulk picks and keep them in a jar on the piano.

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Above was strumming, now, let's talk tab (tablature) or picking. 

This site is one that my daughter finds to be very practical. (She's 12.)

Dd says to remember that the thin string is actually the 1st string and that the thickest string is actually the 6th.

Here's a video that shows another method.

His series of videos are good.

Here are some guitar scales that are very good picking practice.

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The above picture is a capo.

Capos are very important for some songs. They raise the pitch. 

They are required to play many songs, especially modern music. 

From ebay and Amazon, they are usually less than $5. Local, about $20.

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Find free songs and music.

Our favorite site to use to find music is Ultimate Guitar.

You can find everything from Amazing Grace to Shout to the Lord there.

You can also find pop, country, bluegrass, folk, etc.

One thing about the site is, once you type in your song title, you can choose from several variations, tab and chords, and some more complicated. My favorite thing about the site is that once the song is pulled up, where it shows the chords (by letter) above the lyrics, you can highlight there and it will show you how to play the chord but not only that, if you put your mouse over the chord box, it will actually play the chord.

It should also be noted that you can type in 'how to play' any song on youtube and find very detailed videos from beginner to pro.

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I also highly recommend this VERY frugal book. They are forty cents on Amazon, plus shipping
-and worth much more.

 

This teaches all the basics, various styles of guitar, parts of the guitar, history, and more. 

It would certainly be enough to be used for a credit for school.

You could have younger students just skip to the basics of the book to get them playing sooner, but everything discussed above and more is in it.

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Finding guitars-

My youngest learned to play on a cheap $30 guitar from ebay (including shipping!). It was new, hard to stay in tune, but it played.

We have several other cheap guitars that we had to make adjustments on the necks to make them playable for the children. They had been around here for years. Nothing fancy, but they work.

Locals, I highly recommend working with Crossroads in aiding with finding used guitars.

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Lastly, you don't have to know how to play the guitar to learn and have your children learn.

It can be a fun experience for your whole family.

You may have to enforce practice at first, but once one or two songs are learned, kids often take flight!
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Psa 150:4  Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
Isa 38:20  The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.
Hab 3:19  The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

For Your Entertainment...

... bad lighted videos of some of my kiddies playing guitar:

Our House: Random Acts of Kindness Week and Kid's Appreciation Day

This week at our house, I decided to do something exciting before we "officially" start back on a full load of school stuff. (We school all year, but do more reading in the summer than most other things.)

 It has been SO hot and humid outside that I didn't want to do another Field Day. (Maybe later.)

I really wanted to accomplish two things. One was, to encourage them to be nicer and more thoughtful towards one another. The other was, to show them that I appreciated every one of them for all the help they give me on a daily basis.

I started by declaring this week to be Random Acts of Kindness week.

For every kind and random act they do, I mark down a star beside their name in a notebook.

On Friday evening, we will have a celebration of all the kind acts done by each other this week.

 John 13:35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

(The funniest random act so far was when one of the boys grabbed dd's hand and said, "I'll be right here holding your hand if you get scared!"-while we were just sitting around the dinner table.)

We will also have a party for Kid's Appreciation Day!

Yes, this is my own made up holiday.

They will be off all school work. 

It will be similar to our Mock Christmas(*see bottom of this post) in that I'm going to fix a BIG dinner with turkey, dressing, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, pies, and cupcakes- and more!

We'll eat all weekend on these foods and play games and work puzzles- and celebrate the kids for ALL that they do to make life special and the help they are to their mom and dad every day of the year!

They will also get a few small presents. The boys will get a comb, dd a spray bottle.($1.50)

They will also get a pair of flip-flops ($6), toothbrushes that have been put up for a while, candy, and a couple of puzzles found in a fifty cent bin some time back at Walmart. ($2)

On Friday evening I also plan to let them play in a sprinkler that was found at the dump. It was semi-broken but still sprays.We don't usually "waste water" so this will be a big treat for them.

I also wrapped all the little presents in leftover Christmas wrapping paper - which is stirring the younger children just as much as it does at Christmas!

The final thing I will do will be to write each of them a personal letter, thanking them for their specific contributions to our home. (This is done in words, on birthdays too.)

Remember: Making memories is more important than stuff! Bringing excitement and encouragement into your home doesn't have to cost anything- just make a bigger deal about it! :)

Psa 127:4-5  As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them:

Weird Science: GI Joe and The Dead Sea

In plain water, our GI Joe sinks straight down when dropped in the water.

With half a cup of salt added to our water, GI Joe sinks, but much slower.

With 1 cup of salt added to our water, GI Joe will float, keeping his weapon above the water, mind you!

Explanation: Salt water is denser, or heavier. Fewer water molecules are displaced, or forced out of position.

Weird Science:

3 projects: 

 Supplies needed: 

-string, 

-small and big spoon 

-the juice of half a lemon 

-Q-tips for each child and a plain piece of paper for each child 

-hair dryer or lamp several 

-dull and/or discolored pennies 

First experiment: 

"National Treasure" 

Dip the Qtip in lemon juice and write out a message on the piece of paper. (The darker/wetter, the easier it will work.) Allow it to dry. Once it is completely dry, use lamp or hair dryer to heat the paper. (Don't lay the paper on the bulb kiddies and don't let long hair be pulled into the back of the hair dryer!;-) This may take a couple of tries in order to get the paper warm enough to work. 

Conclusion: Lemons contain compounds of carbon. When you heat them, they breakdown and produce carbon. Carbon is black and you can see dark outlines around the lemon 'ink'. 

Second experiment: 

"CopperTone" 

Using the leftover lemon juice from experiment 1,(or vinegar) drop the pennies in and allow them to stay submerged in the juice for 5 to 10 minutes. Take out the coins, give a little rub, nice and shiny! 

Conclusion: The acid in the lemon breaks down the oxide caused by oxygen and a clean coin is born! 

 Third experiment: 

"Come On and Ring Those Bells" 

Tie the string to a spoon handle. Slide the string to the end of the spoon where the 'bowl' of the spoon is pointed down and hanging in the middle of the string. Take the ends of the string and put them in your ears and swing the spoon to hit it against a table or solid object. You can hear a low hum like a bell ringing, different than the clank you can hear if you are just standing there. 

Conclusion: String carries sound waves better than air. 

(If you are near a table, you can put your ear to the table and tap very softly. It sounds almost like it's coming through a microphone. Wood carries sound waves better than air!) 

***

This post is linked to Frugal Fridays.

Cash for Old Electronics:

Do you have old electronics that you would like to sell that may not even be working? My kids found this site and sent something in and we got a check for the item today! 

They even email you the UPS label (free), all you have to do is print, package, and drop it to a UPS! 

(In our town that's pretty easy since they have drop boxes around just like the old style post office drop-boxes.)

It's easy to create an account and keep track of where the package is on:

Guzo.com

This post is linked to:
Frugal Fridays

Easy Ways to Make Learning Fun

As a parent, we want our children to have a thirst for knowledge. Even after the kids have been at school all day, we want to create an environment at home that promotes learning and teaches valuable skills. However, it can be a challenge because children become bored easily. Fortunately, there are easy ways that parents can make learning fun.
Integrate The Internet
Many websites have online learning games tailored to children of various ages. Many websites feature games geared toward preschoolers and include your children’s favorite cartoon characters. Many of these games help children learn letters, numbers, colors, shapes, matching and animals. These websites also offer many kindergarten and first grade games that help children learn lowercase and uppercase letters, as well as basic math skills. At the same time, your child will learn basic computer skills, which are essential nowadays.
Real World Applications
Another way to make learning fun is to use real-world applications. Trying to teach your child how to do fractions can be challenging with just pencil and paper, so use something your child can relate to: dessert. Use cakes and pies to show what quarters and halves are. You can also use measuring cups or have your child measure wood or other objects with a tape measure.
Explore the World Around You
You can also take trips or do activities relating to what your child is learning at school. If they are learning about dinosaurs, you can take them to a museum in your area. If they are studying butterflies or insects, you can purchase a butterfly habitat or ant farm and have your child grow and raise their own. They will not only learn more about these animals, but they will learn responsibility as well.
Find out what interests your child. If they enjoy animals, take them to visit the zoo. You can teach them about the different types of animals, their habitat and what they eat. If they enjoy the beach, you can take your children to a local beach and have them do some research about things such as how waves are formed, what makes ocean water salty and what types of creatures inhabit the ocean.
Know your child’s limits. A young child can only focus on one subject for so long. Limit each learning session to 15 minutes and then move on to something else. If you try to do too much, your child will feel overwhelmed. If they seem to be losing interest, take a break and do something fun for a while.

Contribution made by Nancy Evans

Today, We Learned About Frogs:

First, as I said on Facebook , I promise no yucky stuff. I didn't even take pictures once we started with the dissection process. Promise! ;) 

These and the crayfish were given to us and we were very grateful for the opportunity to look inside God's creatures to see how marvelously they were fashioned by Him. 

We've taken this week to learn about them, their systems, and things unique to their species. I think the most impressive part is God's design and how their systems work so perfectly together. 

Here's some sites we used to study first: one, two(great 'virtual' if you don't want to do the real thing but need this for Biology!), three (good to print out and map out to take outside-as this was NOT going on my kitchen table!), four, and a reasonable video if you want a real glimpse beforehand.

Kyler thinks his froggie looks like a toy.

They are packed in plastic bags with an alcohol solution. We had a surgical kit that was given to us once at the ER. Knew that would come in handy!

I made everyone wear a shirt or jacket that they could immediately take off and throw in the wash, rubber gloves, also covered the table with another board before starting, and bleached all equipment afterwords. 

And just in case you didn't read the FB post, later in the day we went down to the creek, caught 2 bass, gutted them, and cooked them on a stick over a fire and ate them. (Sorry, no recipe for that one :)
And yes, you may call me Bearette Grylls now! :)

We Learned About Crayfish Today

Today we not only learned about crayfish, we also got to dissect some. No, it's not gross. It's really not much different than looking at cooked fish or chicken- really! 

We used several sites for information. One, two, and three. We also watched a couple of videos too.

crayfish/crawdad

these 2 really think they're funny

Kyler is letting me know he's ready!

The Greenleaf Orchid Dollhouse

Usually after Christmas we spend about a week playing games, working puzzles, watching videos and the like but this year we had a new project!
By the Lord's grace, I was able to purchase one of these right at Christmas for about $18. We had so much fun with this!

*****

(Note- Hobby Lobby is running weekly 40% off coupons STILL but you must print from the internet before you go!)
***** 

 I hope you enjoy the video and if you have some young-ens around, I think they'll enjoy this cute little song!

*A special thanks to Brandy, ThePrudentHomemaker.com for the beautiful dollhouse printables!

Homemade Puppet Theater-

Attention: Mom's Frugal now on Youtube
 www.youtube.com/momsfrugal

My kiddies are going to LOVE this!

I was able to have Lowe's hold me a box, for free. It's a HUGE refrigerator box and I cut a cute little door in the back.
The fabric had been given to me years ago by my neighbor. I purchased some border paste to glue down the striped fabric for about $4.  Other than that- FREE!
I used yarn to string up all the curtains by poking holes in the side and tying.

I bought this set of puppets with my Swagbucks, although they were at a cheaper price. (I'm guessing the price is up right now so they can give quick shipping.)

                                                                  
This post is linked to SomewhatSimple, The Diaper Diaries, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Thrifty101, Delightful Order, Frugal Fridays.

Making Barbie Clothes...

One day last week, DD and I spent some time watching youtube videos and making Barbie clothes. (The pink dress and floral skirt.) I have much more to make, by her request, and several ideas for gifts flowing through my overcrowded mind(fancy gown). She also has brought me an army man that needs a shirt. Gulp! Guess he's been drafted to be Barbie's new Ken!

(Hope she doesn't ask for shoes!)

There are a few printable patterns here and here to sew and several to knit on the first.

And speaking of dolls- wait til you see what Brandy's been up to!

Another New Page-

I've got LOTS more I want to share, but I had enough to be useful, so I went ahead and published the new FrugallyFreeHomeSchool page at the top. I pray you'll find lots of helpful resources on the links to free home school materials.
Blessings!

Color Me Thanksgiving...links for kids

girl and boy pilgrim

family at Thanksgiving table

Mayflower

word search

Turkey

maze

the cook with the turkey

farmer and cornucopia

cornucopia

another maze

harvest

pilgrim girl maze

Pilgrims in Prayer -beautiful

Mayflower ship

fall fun and turkey

Pilgrim bears with Bible verse

Pilgrim and Indian

big pumpkin

boy and girl Indian

kids at the table

Pilgrim and cornucopia

Mr. and Mrs. Pilgrim

word search

You could also print these out and staple together for that special time of anxiety when everyone is wating on the turkey!

****Sonshine has links to Thanksgiving Unit Studies HERE!*****
originally posted 10/18/08

Birthday Club from ToysRUs

Is your child under ten?
If so, you can sign them up for the free Bday club with Toys R Us!
They can get a free card and gift and a birthday call from Geoffery.

This Week's Memory Work:

In Evil Long I Took Delight

By John Newton

---

In evil long I took delight,
Unawed by shame or fear,
Till a new object struck my sight,
And stopp'd my wild career:

I saw One hanging on a Tree
In agonies and blood,
Who fix'd His languid eyes on me.
As near His Cross I stood.

Sure never till my latest breath,
Can I forget that look:
It seem'd to charge me with His death,
Though not a word He spoke:

My conscience felt and own'd the guilt,
And plunged me in despair:
I saw my sins His Blood had spilt,
And help'd to nail Him there.

Alas! I knew not what I did!
But now my tears are vain:
Where shall my trembling soul be hid?
For I the Lord have slain!

--A second look He gave, which said,
"I freely all forgive;
This blood is for thy ransom paid;
I die that thou may'st live."

Thus, while His death my sin displays
In all its blackest hue,
Such is the mystery of grace,
It seals my pardon too.

With pleasing grief, and mournful joy,
My spirit now is fill'd,
That I should such a life destroy,
Yet live by Him I kill'd!

Will Memorize for Sugar...

My children were given a nice box of their favorite candy a few weeks ago. I decided to make the best of it!

The rule- you can have the candy anytime you want IF you memorize something :-)

The fun for me has been to find the things I want them to memorize!

I started with things they had memorized before but had to study over, like the Lord's Prayer and Psalm 23.

From there we've added more Scripture, songs and hymns, and poetry.

I try to pick several things a week and lay them out on the school table and they can study it in their spare time.

Here's one site I'm digging through for Poetry and here's another specifically for children.

This is my favorite for hymns and here is Ambleside's homeschool list of hymns.

The kids' choices this week are My Jesus, I Love Thee and God of Mercy, God of Grace.

Here are two from the last few weeks that I thought you might like:

My Books
By: Author Unknown

I love my books
They are the homes
of queens and fairies,
Knights and gnomes.

Each time I read I make a call
On some quaint person large or small,
Who welcomes me with hearty hand
And leads me through his wonderland.

Each book is like
A city street
Along whose winding
Way I meet
New friends and old who laugh and sing
And take me off adventuring!

************

A Student's Prayer

Now I lay me down to study.
I pray today I won’t go nutty.
If I should fail to learn this junk.
I pray today I will not flunk.
But if I do, don’t pity me at all,
Just lay down my bones in study hall.
Tell my teachers I did my best
Then pile my books upon my chest.
Now I lay me down to rest,
I pray I’ll pass tomorrow’s test.
If I should die before I wake,
That’s one less tst I’ll have to take.

by a suffering student.

Homemade Playdoh-

Mix in a large pot;
1 cup of salt
2 cups plain flour
4t cream of tartar


Stir in;
2 T oil
2 cups water
food coloring (or a pack of kool-aid) *opt

Mix well and heat, on medium-low. Mixture will start to stick on the bottom so use a large spoon to scrape.

Continue scraping until the entire mixture is no longer runny. Turn out onto waxed paper, knead several times to blend all flour lumps well.

***Allow to cool before you let your children stick their hands in it. It will be hot for several minutes.