Ian has an interest in many of the things I take an interest in. He enjoys history, being outdoors and takes an interest in science. So, when his turn came up for the class science experiment, I eagerly volunteered to help him with it.
I want to stress help him with it. A parent should find out what interests their kids and then help them research those interests and nudge them in the right direction if they need it. I sincerely believe parents should not do the project and put their kid's name on it. Since Ian had to not only do the write up for his experiment but conduct his experiment in front of the class, I wanted it to be something he could do on his own. We tossed around a couple ideas like "does my soda lose bubbles faster when it's hot or when it's cold?" or "how do plants drink water?" Ian was leaning toward making some kind of explosion. I pointed out that while I could help him with that, it probably wouldn't be safe in school. We both decided on "is stuff in my house an acid, a base or neutral?" While there weren't any explosions, testing the pH of household items showed dramatic color and would be interesting to him to find out.
We ordered test tubes and universal indicator which we got pretty cheaply online (less than $15.00). I already owned safety goggles and so with Miles' and Liam's help, we tested everything in the house from milk to lemon juice. In the end, Ian chose four items to use for his experiment showcase: lemon juice, vinegar, plain tap water and kitchen cleaner. I was quite please at how much time he put into it, and the effort he made in his write-up.
He was very excited on the day of his experiment. My mom popped over to watch the younger kids and I went with Ian and helped set up his experiment. He came out with his class grinning and proceeded to explain his experiment in detail.
He told everyone about the universal indicator and how he can use it to identify whether the four items were acids, bases or neutral.
He explained how acids turn orange, yellow or red when you put indicator in the test tube and demonstrated the lemon juice was an acid.
He then asked what the other kids' hypothesis was on the other items he had brought and after he asked them, proceeded to show them whether they were right or wrong.
He did a great job putting the indicator into the test tubes of each solution and shaking it up for the class to see the change in color.
Green meant it was neutral, blue or purple meant it was basic.
It was a great day to be with my little man and to see him shine so well doing something he enjoyed.
Nice work Ian
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