WEEK 10: A World on Fire

The industrial revolution exploded all throughout the world at the end of the 1800s as new powers emerged and old ones crumbled. And the week provided a plethora of explosions to watch in Science class too. Check out the info below!

Scroll down to see the supplemental readings for the week, galleries of our latest photos, and our current memory verse.

Listen!

Some SEEDS kids hear a German fairy tale written at the end of the 1800s. Many of these stories paralleled the events happening in Europe at the time.

GARDEN - Pre-K and K

In Garden, we have been enjoying practicing the letters of the alphabet. The kids are learning to write them and most importantly, the sound of each letter. We encourage you to do the same at home since that is the beginning of the reading journey for our Garden children. Make it a game to name letters, practice their sounds, and think of words or songs that make those sounds. So far, we have covered the sounds of the letters “Aa” through “Ff”. Since “Ff” is for “frog,” the kids drew awesome frogs this week as we also remembered the plagues of Egypt and God’s goodness. They also practiced the letter “Ff” using stickers, how fun! The kids are also rocking the months of the year in English and Spanish! Have them sing for you “The months of the year” song and keep practicing the song of “The days of the week.“

In activity time, the children enjoyed playing in the kitchen and served delicious food to Mrs. Vivi and Miss Nicole. They also loved playing with pompoms and dividing them by colors using big tweezers. Another fun part of our week was watching the Oak kids’ science experiments. It sure was smokey at The Well. Later on, the children drew about their experience watching the fun experiments.

For worship, we studied how the Hebrews crossed the Red Sea as God opened the waters for them in a miraculous amazing way. The Pharaoh, his men and their horses did not make it through. God had saved His people and delivered them at last just as He promised. Mrs. Vivi taught us a new song and we used the tambourine to dance and praise, just as the Hebrews must have done after being delivered. We then started studying the story of Moses and the 10 commandments.

Thank you Lord for your protection and direction.

SEEDS - Grades 1-6

Science

What a fantastic week! We tested substances with litmus paper (an indicator) to determine if they were acids, bases, or neutral. We lit a homemade smoke bomb on fire and made a 2 liter bottle of soda explode by adding mentos…all 14 of them to one bottle!

After explaining the key attributes of acids and bases, I quizzed the students on the facts below. You can check in with them to see how many they remember.

I am an Acid:

I am sour.
I can conduct electricity.
I ruin metal by rusting and corroding.
I donate hydrogen ions (hydrogen atoms that have lost their electrons).
Examples—vinegar, lemon, milk, the hydrochloric acid in our stomachs.

I am a Base:

I am chalky and bitter.
I am slippery when wet.
I break down fats and oils.
I accept hydrogen ions.
Examples—soap, ammonia, baking soda, antacids, and deodorant.

On Friday we delineated between chemical and physical reactions. The smoke bomb is an example of a chemical reaction in which the reactants combine to create new products that are actually different on an atomic level. The demonstration with soda and mentos is an example of a physical reaction in which the product is still the same on a molecular level. The atoms did not combine to create a different substance. They simply were rearranged—the carbon dioxide molecules reacted with the pores in the mentos, expanded quickly and rushed out of the bottle.
We finished out the lesson by discussing how chemical and physical reactions are exothermic if they release heat (like a candle burning) and endothermic if they absorb heat (like ice melting or food cooking).

History

One of our parents asked for all the songs together, so here is a review of the PR songs we have covered so far for your review. We are beginning to learn about the municipalities in the middle of the island and the kids will receive a take home sheet to practice with this week.

OAKS - 7+

A Young Person’s Guide to Knowing God and connected Bible readings

P 97 - The Knock on the Door (John 14:15-23)
P 101 The Friend who Remembered (2 Corinthians 5:14-21)

Science

This week’s topics and experiments were very much anticipated by the students since we began our Chemistry unit. On Wednesday, we discussed the difference between acids and bases and used litmus paper strips to test various substances. We finished the class by prepping a smoke bomb that would serve to demonstrate a chemical reaction on Friday. They were so giddy to come back at the end of the week and try it out! Before we started our experiments we talked about chemical reactions, physical reactions, reactants, and the catalysts to those reactions. We also learned that both chemical and physical reactions can be endothermic (that they absorb heat) or exothermic (that they release heat). Once we got outside we invited the Garden students to come enjoy our work as well. Check out the videos because the amount of smoke produced as the evidence of the chemical reaction was impressive!

Studio

In Studio, the students began their week by finishing their drawings of one of the presidents of the United States that they have learned about so far. On Friday, they got their opportunity to practice KIRIGAMI just like the Seeds students had done the week before. They were able to make a more complex design and were impressed with their own ability to craft these. Now that all the students have made them, we have hung them up from the ceiling of the rooms to decorate our spaces. At least these rooms will have a bit of snow in Puerto Rico this winter!