Category: School

A not so dangerous….

We did experiments before and this one is not quite so dangerous (;  .  But it is a lot of fun!

Andrea and I went to Science Sleuths.  We had lots of fun!  We did lots of fun things. We were studying senses.  We used all of them.

One of them was that we had a juice taste test.  With nose plugged, I guessed grape, apple, blackberry and apple (they had two of the same ones).  With nose unplugged, I got grape, orange, blackberry and apple.  It should have went grape, orange, apple and apple!

Then we had a piece of paper that had a 1 inch by 1 inch square in the middle.  We looked through it Focused on something, like someone’s nose.  Looked through the hole and brought it closer to your eyes.  The one that peeks through it is your dominate eye.  The first time I did it I got left.  The second and third time I got right.  I’m thinking my dominate eye is my right eye.

We touched bobby pins to our cheeks, our forehead, our lips, the back of our neck one shoulder, one elbow the back of a hand, a palm a knee and a shin.  We counted how many tips we felt and it was a rating of one or two how sensitive our skin was in those places.

Testing AudreyWhen we got home we did this experiment.  We  put blue food coloring through a hole on a piece of paper.  Then we counted how many white dots were in the blue area.  If you counted them you could figure out which category you are.  The categories are non taster (15 spots or under), average Painting dotstaster (16 to 34 spots) and super-taster (35 spots or more.)

Counting dotsI am a non taster.  Everybody else were non-taster that we tried this experiment on.  We thought Audrey would be a super taster because she doesn’t like grapefruit and super-tasters are more sensitive to sour than average and non tasters.

Blue tongueIt probably means that Daddy is a non taster too, because everyone else in this house is.  We followed all the directions, unless I missed something.

A word of warning:  Do not paint on yourself except for your tongue–it disappears quickly there.  Do not paint on the bathroom sink or Momma’s washcloths, or the table, or your  clothes.  If you do, your in trouble!

Gettysburg Address

President Lincoln and his sonToday is the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address.   Abraham Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address to dedicate one of the places where the Confederate and Union armies fought.

They were fighting over slavery.   One side wanted to keep slaves and the other side did not.   It was the biggest battles of the Civil war. There were a LOT of casualties 🙁 .

I learned the Gettysburg Address.   Adrian learned part of it and so did the girls! I recorded lots of times, but only three of them worked.   Daddy edited it and here is the final result!

Here it is in an MP3 file so you can listen to it.

My Version of the Gettysburg Address

 

Chrysalises Galore!

Holding a caterpillar

Beginning moltingYesterday, six caterpillars made their chrysalises!  Today, just one did.  We onlyMolting still have one caterpillar left!

My friend, Thomas and mom and sister Sarah, came over to watch them make their chrysalises.  We played outside, played inside and watched them make their chrysalises.

We learned a few things;

  • Caterpillars act like an accordion before they make their chrysalises
  • When they molt before turning into chrysalises they look like they have a really bigCaterpillars Hanging brain
  • It looks like their skin splits as they molt
  • It is only a matter of minutes to molt and change into chrysalises
  • They take different amounts of time to molt
  • The newest ones will probably “hatch” Thursday or Friday.
  • Eating and Faster may emerge on Sunday–ohhhh 🙁
  • Our last one is roaming
  • They can form their chrysalis wherever; some are on leaves, some on coffee filters and some on the glass! Our chrysalises

We have questions

  • Do you know if they are attached to the side, will they survive?
  • Will they turn into caterpillars in the same order as they formed chrysalises?
  • Will I be able to raise Luna Moths next year?
  • Do you think it would be fun to raise Monarchs?

Today is Sarah’s Birthday.  She is eleven!  Happy Birthday Sarah!

Another one!

Upside downCreating chrysalisStill workingChrysalis is almost doneChrysalis is Done!

We have another pupulating caterpillar!  We have three total.  Faster is not eating anymore, he made his chrysalis (or as Audrey used to call it, crystals!) today.How he did it was he shed his skin and his new skin was greenish.  Then, I don’t know what happened, maybe his skin dried and he shriveled up and got shorter and fatter!  When it dried it made his chrysalis?

Eating on left, Faster on rightHe went faster than the other ones.  Maybe it happened because of his name.   He was attached last night at 5:45 and then Momma saw him in a half “j” before bed.  He was finished by 10:30 this morning!

Just for fun we are predicting what each butterfly will be.  I think the first one will be male, the second (Eating) a girl and Faster a boy.  Adrian thinks they are all boys.  Andrea thinks Eating is a boy and the rest girls.  Daddy thinks two girls and one boy.  Audrey thinks two girls and one boy.  Momma thinks they are all girls.  I hope not!  Because I want them to mate and lay eggs!Done molting.

Here is a picture of another caterpillar molting!

More Monarch Day Care

  • Cage; “Eating” ready to pupulate.  He is big and he is looking for a place to make his chrysalis.  He has been roaming all over the place, especially up, up, up.   Daddy says that “Eating” acts like a dog getting ready to have her puppies.

“Eating” on roof of cage We taped up a quarter of a coffee filter.  We are hoping he will build his chrysalis up on it so that we can move it and not leave it in there.  It won’t be so dangerous for the other one to eat the leaf that he is on.  As always, “Eating” is still eating.  But this time he is eating the coffee filter and tape!Faster trying to catch up!

“Faster” should have been named “Eating” because he is still eating.  He is even eating the stem!  No wonder they demolish the whole plant.  Measured him, he is about 5 cm!

Momma said she could hear them eating last night when everyone was in bed!

Eat one leaf in one day!

  • Blue lid container; spritzed the leaf, both are 8 mm.
  • Peanut butter container;  “Mess” is 15 mm and “Sea” is 2 cm (20 mm)
  • “The Hatchery”; “Milk” is 17 mm and “Weed” is 16 mm.
  • Nursery; Castor and Polex are both 20 mm.
  • Aquarium; still in chrysalis.  I feel like an expectant father waiting for my new butterfly.

Life Cycle of a “Dragon”

Yesterday we went to Science Sleuths and we studied about metamorphosis.  For our craft we had to design a life cycle of something real or pretend.  I made a life cycle of a dragon.

It is not true because dragons are big lizards.  Lizards are reptiles.  Reptiles do not change too much.  They start off as eggs (mostly; some snakes lay live baby snakes) and then when they hatch, they are miniatures of the adult.

Metamorphosis is like a butterfly; egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis), and adult. Or a grasshopper which is egg, miniature of the adult, shedding skin, shedding skin, then adult.

Dragon eggNow for the pretend life cycle of a dragon.

First the adult lays  eggs in the snow.  When the egg hatches, it is an interesting lookingLarva with Fire Shooting Eyes larva because it because it looks like a person with three legs and fire spitting out of his or her eyes.   The larva is called a Thinga majigy. Then they have the pupa stage, which looks like a butterfly chrysalis.  It is black, green and yellow.  Then out hatches the adult.  Rather twisted and weird looking at the time.Pupa

There’s two kinds.   One is red and does not live where there is snow.  It is a lot stronger and has three horns.  They fly to a snowy mountain to lay their eggs.  They never see their eggs again.  The young learn everything on their own.

The blue ones are not quite as strong.  They are faster and thinner though.  They live in the snow.   They often see their eggs because they are usually laid right outside their caves.   All their larva is blue.  The Blue Dragons are more populous.Adults guarding treasure

The fire spitting out of their eyes show how strong they are going to be.  The females fight over the strongest male dragons because they want to mate with them.  Plus he is the most impressive.

Both colors turn green as they get older.  Their life span is 600-700 years.  🙂

I read a book called Dinosaurs of Eden by Ken Ham. I liked the book because it explains that evolutions wasn’t true. The Bible is true!

The dinosaurs were created on the sixth day. Not millions and millions of years ago, but about 6,000 years ago. People lived with the dinosaurs, because they were created by God on the 6th day.

It says that the country of Wales has a dragon picture on its flag.

Tamystropheus looks like a snake but most of the body is thicker. It looks like it has a beak. Theres a story about a peasant farmer who killed on of these dinosaurs in the middle ages. That time they do not think it was true. After awhile, they started to believe that it was true.

Dragons probably were what we call dinosaurs today.

More Monarch Day Care

Sunday we gave the Blue Lid caterpillar a new leaf.  His old leaf was practically gone.

Monday, 18 August 2008,  we transferred the chrysalis to an aquarium.  We used a 10% bleach solution and cleaned it well first.   We need to find him something to climb up on so he can dry properly when he  emerges. We also spritzed him with water so he won’t dry out.

Can you see through this?Monday evening, we noticed that we could see through his chrysalis a little bit.  It means he is almost a butterfly.  Just before he emerges you can see him inside!

Blue lid container; Put caterpillar into cage, we did not measure because he had molted earlier and wasn’t looking too good.  Added two new caterpillars from milkweed collected from across the street.  They were hiding up top so we did not see them at first!  Our new babies are tiny!

Peanut butter container;  We have two caterpillars in here still.  Both are about 11 cm.   Added new leaves because they finished the old ones.

“The Hatchery”; Two babies; both are 1 cm (10 mm) long.

“The Cage”; Cleaned out with 10% bleach solution and lots of water!  Put in large Molted face; Audrey discoveredcaterpillar from Blue lidded container and the large one from the Nursery so they have a large area to continue growing.  Both happily munching now.

Nursery; Cleaned and added new leaf.  Caterpillars 11 and 12 mm long.

It is so fun, but a lot of work to do this, especially keeping the cages clean.  Looking in field for milkweedI would not do it by myself!  I need to invent self cleaning cages!

Tuesday, 19 August 2008.

Got milkweed plant for the cage and leaves for the container.

Blue lid container; caterpillars both very little action.  Did not measure.

Peanut butter container;  15 mm caterpillar is “Mess” and 16 mm caterpillar is “Sea”

Meet Faster the caterpillar“The Hatchery”; Named 12 mm caterpillar “Milk” and 10 mm caterpiller “Weed”

“The Cage”; Changed milkweed because it was practically gone.  Named 34 mm caterpillar “Faster” and bigger one “Eating”

Nursery; Named 12 mm caterpillar “Castor” and 15 mm one “Polex”.

I have to draw a place for them.  Then we are going to build one.  I will put in a place for them to hang.  I need one place for each of “ages” or sizes.

I have learned that caterpillars eat and eat and eat and eat and eat and eat and…

Monarch Day Care

Caution signChrysalis

The cageToday, 15 August we cleaned and gave fresh leaves to all the caterpillars.

Cage; Still need to clean out.  Chrysalis hanging quietly.  We want to put the chrysalis somewhere else and then take pictures of it.  Not sure where we are putting it yet–hopefully in a cage!  After we clean cage, we will put the biggest caterpillar in it.

🙂

Blue Lid Container

Caterpillar in Blue Lid

Blue lid container; Did you know when caterpillars are scared they curl up into a ball?  Caterpillar about 2 cm long.

😉

Peanut butter container; Moldy food. :(  Put caterpillar in nursery.  He is on the lid without moving; think he may be molting.  Molting means shedding skin.  He does it because he grows out of his skin.The Hatchery
🙂

The Hatchery”; Two babies; 5 cm and 6 cm long.  Last of our babies.

8)

Butterfly Rearing ContainerButterfly rearing container; Lots of tiny frass!  Did not clean; self contained container.  We are not going to use this kind of container again, because we can’t measure or see caterpillars easily all the time.  It is good because we don’t have to clean out frass and the leaves stay fresher longer.One of Nursery caterpillars

😉

Opened nurseryNursery; Added “Peanut Butter” Caterpillar.  Both of the other babies are 5 cm long.

I hope that you are enjoying my caterpillar series!

Caterpillar News break

Our big caterpillar is in his chrysalis.  This morning he was hanging in a j-shape on a milk weed.  He glued himself on.

Then he started making his chrysalis this afternoon.  From what all I saw, he was partly done and shaking.  It looked like a green bag with golden dots on the bottom.  It went from the bottom of him to the top of him.  It looked like he was getting into the bag by jumping in.  The top half you could still see his stripes!

We could not take pictures of him working because we could not get the camera to focus through his cage.  Momma said we did not want to knock him off.  I think he looks like a Christmas tree ornament.  Momma says he is Newly made chrysalissmaller than she thought he would be.

Next we will wait until tonight to move him somewhere.  Where do we put him?  I don’t know!  He will stay there about 2 weeks until it is time to get out!

I like taking care of my caterpillars but it is hard work.  It would be easier if they were in a different kind of cage, I don’t know what kind.

Now I just have to be patient for when he hatches.

Monarch Day Care continued

Upside down caterpillar

Newly hatched caterpillars

Today (12 August) we found three newly hatched caterpillars!  They are about 2 mm long.  Two of them were still eating their egg cases.  We put two of them in the butterfly rearing container.  One egg looks like it is going to be hatching soon.

🙂

  • Cage; Still EATING MACHINE!  Cleaned out frass.  It is green!  “Looks like bunny scat”,  Audrey says.   Trouble measuring, estimated 5 cm (2 inches).
  • Blue lid container; the caterpillar is still 9 mm.
  • Peanut butter container; gave fresh leaf.  Caterpillar is 11 mm. “Little poop is cutie because it’s just baby caterpillar”, Audrey again!
  • “The Hatchery”; down to 2 white eggs and we are questioning if the dark one is an egg or not.
  • Butterfly rearing container; still has one egg.  Added 2 newly hatched caterpillars from the Hatchery.
  • New Nursery!; Moved one caterpillar egg and one caterpillar from the Hatchery.

CaterpillarThank you Audrey for volunteering to help Momma measure the caterpillars and clean and feed them! 🙂
We will keep you updated.