The homeschool group did some kitchen science experiments today... using red cabbage water as a pH indicator; making milk plastic; exploding snaplock bags, inflating balloons with bicarb and vinegar; popcorn lava lamps; and making sherbet.
I think the boys enjoyed the sherbet making the best! Shmoo and Loo were in one group and Beanie was in another. Beanie found it all a bit overwhelming so The OH had to do a lot of it for him but in the end he could be persuaded to help with holding and pouring (even if he did wash his hands a lot in between). I even managed to convince him touch his milk plastic.
Every time we've been to Otto's Grotto lately we've come across big, black, hairy caterpillars congregating under the gum trees. I'd had a couple of quick looks online but hadn't been able to identify them. Until today, when I added 'gum tree' to my 'black caterpillar' search and came across a picture of steelblue sawfly larvae ('spitfire' grubs). They're not caterpillars at all but larvae of the sawfly (related to wasps). Fascinating little critters. Apparently when threatened they secrete a substance made from the oil of the eucalyptus leaves that they consume. And they communicate with each other by tapping their tails.
No comments :
Post a Comment
"Everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid."