Volcano Week

Welcome to Summer!  We started our summer themes with a BANG this year learning about Volcanoes!  I cheated and  signed up for the Magic School Bus kits that send you a package of experiments each month for a year, hence the unusual choice in theme for our family.  But we had a blast!  I didn't take many pictures (have to get back in the habit) but you can use your imagination.

Monday we started reading our chapter book Vacation Under the Volcano by Mary Pope Osborne.  Then we talked about the layers of the earth and made a Earth Layer Quesadilla.  Tortilla=crust, Peanut Butter=mantle, Jam=inner core, Strawberry=outer core.  This was literally a last minute "craft" because the girls were hungry and this was an easy way to steer them away from junk with distraction.  They picked the layers so it kept them happy.  We also watched a real Volcano movie which kept them moderately happy.

Tuesday we talked about the parts of a volcano and made a paper mache volcano.  Then we made "Volcano Cookies", another split second snack decision. They are really Nutella No Bake cookies that I tried to make healthy and they just turned out gooey.  They tasted okay and served their purpose but man, what a waste of Nutella!

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar (I used Splenda--don't)
½ cup butter (I used coconut oil--don't)
½ cup cocoa
½ cup skim milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup Nutella (what a waste!)
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix together oatmeal & Nutella.
Heat sugar, butter, milk and cocoa in a large pot and heat to a boil. Boil for one minute (not 45 seconds, not 75 seconds, exactly one minute). Remove from heat and add vanilla.
Pour mixture over your oatmeal and mix well. Drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper. Store in an airtight container.

Wednesday we had friends come over, we read The Magic School Bus book and we painted the volcano.

Thursday we talked about pumice and then dropped it in water to see if it would float and compared it to a rock.

Friday we tried different experiments to see which measurements were needed to make the perfect explosion and then we did it!  It was pretty cool, I have to admit.

Then we watercolor painted volcanos.

Other Books we read:

Journey to the volcano palace by Abbott, Tony

Thea Stilton and the legend of the fire flowers by Stilton, Thea

Volcano! By Prager, Ellen

Volcanoes on Earth by Kalman, Bobbie

The magic school bus blows its top : a book about volcanoes by Herman, Gail