Growing Crystals

In this Science project, we just added some salt to water and watched the change over a month.
Salt is a type of Crystal.  The same type of reaction occurs with other types of crystals if you use crystal powder made up of ground up crystal. When we added the salt to the water, it made what scientists call a "solution".  This starts a process called "nucleation" which means the process where a small number of molecules become arranged in a pattern of a crystal.

It is amazing how the crystals kept on growing and even went up the side of the jar and down the outside.  It almost seemed like they were alive and trying to escape from the jar, but what really happens is the molecules continue to re-organize themselves into a crystal which appears to grow.  Scientists also call this "Self-organization".

How Butterflies Come To Be

Butterflies are a beautiful creature, but did you know they start off as caterpillars.  Seeing a caterpillar transform into a butterfly is really cool and interesting.  Let me tell you about it.

We started with a container of 12 new caterpillars that my mom got.  Watch this video to see the caterpillars.



After 6 days of having the Caterpillars they went to the top of their container and started to spin a cocoon around themselves.  Sometimes a cocoon also is called a Chrysalis.  

This video shows the caterpillars making cocoons in time-lapse photography.

After all the caterpillars were in their cocoon we moved them into the Butterfly Habitat.

The caterpillars were in the cocoon for about 7 days.  During that time they turned into butterflies through a process called metamorphosis.  Metamorphosis is an example of the miracle of life where these caterpillars transform into beautiful butterflies.  The following video shows the butterflies coming out of the cocoon in time-lapse photography.


The butterflies that came out are beautiful.  These butterflies are called Painted Ladies.  We put a small container of sugar water in the Habitat for the new butterflies to eat.
In this video I explained what I learned.

Finally, it was time to release our pet butterflies.

Bake Cinnamon Buns on the Campfire

Last week we went camping with our friends, Brad and Karen, on the beach in Grenada.  It was a great time and I learned a lot.  Karen taught me how to bake Cinnamon buns on the campfire.  Here is how:

1. First, we cut large oranges in half and scooped out the insides so that we had bowl shaped orange peelings to bake the buns in.
2. Then we made the dough for the buns and rolled it up into the shape of cinnamon buns.  We put the raw buns inside the orange peelings.
3. Then we wrapped each dough filled orange peeling with tin foil and put it in the campfire for 10 minutes.
4. Then we took it out of the fire, removed the tin foil, and added icing 
5. Then I tasted tested to make sure it was good enough for the rest of the family. :)

They were great.  We all loved it.  Thanks Karen for teaching me how to bake on a campfire.

Fort Edmonton

Today we visited Fort Edmonton with my friends: Abby, Lola, Dayo, Jamin, Kailey, and Matthew.  We learned about the history of Edmonton from when people first moved here until they began building a city.
 

Our first stop was to the Fort that the settlers first established in the 1800's. 

 

 

 

 After touring the fort we went to 1885 STREET.  This is where it showed how people lived in 1885.  They had their own houses, but still didn't have power.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then the last section of our tour was the 1905 STREET.  In 1905, they had power and even had a type of train that runs with power.  They had more businesses in bigger buildings.  This is when Edmonton started to become a city.

 

 

 

 

 

We even watched a movie about Edmonton in the old theater.

 

And we danced like they did in the 1920s

 

Our visit to Fort Edmonton was a lot of fun.

Here is a video about some of the other things we learned:

My Pet Tadpoles

Tadpoles kind of look like fish, but they are actually baby frogs.  Tadpoles grow in a unusual
way.  At one point in their life they will become frogs, after they grow legs, and loose their tails and gills.

Here is a video of the tadpoles we found in the water in the ditch.

I think it is pretty awesome that tadpoles turn into frogs.  

Making Cookies for Aunty's Anniversary!

Today we are making cookies for a special 25th Anniversary party for my Aunty Cindy.

We made heart shaped cookies with the number 25 and hearts stamped in them.

My video below shows how we did it.

How to Make Perogies

This week I learned how to make Perogies.

My Great-Grandmother was a Ukrainian - that is where Perogies come from.  She taught my Grandmother, and my Grandmother taught my mom.  Now my mom taught me how to make Perogies - it's a family tradition!

First we make a lot of Mashed potatoes with cheese.

Then we make a dough, rolled out nice and flat and cut in to squares.

Then we take each square, flatten it and stretch it a bit and put a spoonful of mashed potatoes in the middle.  Then take opposite corners and fold them over the potatoes and squeeze the edges together so they stick together.

Then we add flower so they don't stick together and put them together in a pan until they are ready to boil.

The final step is to boil them in a big pot.  This cooks them.

Then eat them with a little butter and bacon.  I love bacon and I love Perogies, so this is one of my favorite meals.

Mmmm, delicious.

Please watch my Video where I explain this in more detail: