formal shots - the beach

Family Pictures - Johnson Style - Baseball field=home

We FINALLY got our calendars to work with Hannah's and off we went. Two locations, two "changes" of clothes and some amazing pictures later! This was our first stop at a little league field not far from our house. we couldn't get into the field without breaking in so these are outside the actual field. I was hoping for a recreation of the proposal picture (Keith kneeling on third base is a pretty good shot) but these came out pretty fabulous!


Hannah scaled the fence and took some shots through the chain link, they came out really cool!

Here's us teaching Mikayla the toss the bat, one hand over the other to see who goes first trick. that was a new one. I win by the way. ;)

this one is going next to my bed. I love it.

One last daisy of the year and I'll have to say that this pic is the money shot.

Insta Snow experiement at Mikayla's 8th Bday

Steve Spangler you have done me proud!

I purchased a container of the insta snow and it was such a hit! We started by gathering all the kids around Matthew and I talked to them about what a polymer was (teach Kim!) we talked about the inside of a diaper, how it works and then we got to show off the insta snow!

I put a small amount of the powder in Matthews hand and started pouring the water. It was so fun to see the kids explode with squeals and then RUN to go do their own!

This one is a winner!

Matthew taking one for the team! can you believe how much water goes into that!

I love Caroline's face in the pic, seriously made the party for me! they loved it.

Keith helping his table with their "snow"

dry ice rocks!

First photo of the party and the one I'm going to blow up and frame! The first kids showing us their excitement with the dry ice in the punch! This one got an amazing reaction didn't it!

Josiah, Mikayla and Bekah

It's almost party time!!!!

last of the shopping and set up tonight (made tissue poms at 6am this morning, now that's dedication!) and then.... party time.

Wish me luck, I'm playing science teacher Kim tomorrow. A role at one time in my life that I thought would be my daily adventure! let's see if I really did have it! ;)

I'm so excited to teach 20 kids about polymers in a real way and what the real world application is! so fun!

Thanks SO much to Steve Spangler who has made science fun for me again, it's been amazing to see my kiddo get excited about our world and why and how things work!

Also lauging that the science experiments that I picked out over a month ago are PERFECT for this hot week, making ice cream and insta snow. it's like Christmas in August!

party timeline and script. what do you think?

Party timeline and script.... CHECK!

I'm feeling good, feeling organized! this is going to be a great party and... we're in an air conditioned room for the party! WOHOO!

Mikayla's party is in full swing, I've pre portioned all the experiements, everything is boxed and ready to go to the cabana, I've lined up tables and help and I'm SO excited! this is going to be quite an event!

I have bracelets (like what you get for passing the swim test at camp) in different colors to show who is in which group, I have signs for the tables and all the paper stuff ready.

Here's the lineup of what's going on!

PARTY TIMELINE

As children enter give bracelets, with table numbers

Ice cream on each table to shake while waiting for all the kids to show up

Take one shaken ice cream apart to take tastes, then move buckets into the kitchen

Insta snow experiment with partners

Play time (with the snow on their plastic plate)

Put snow into their zip lock bags (sharpie to write name on their bag), Wash hands in kitchen by table number

Ice cream and singing (still on debates on this, looking for an easy thing to do since we’ll be taking tastes of homemade ice cream??thoughts?? Mikayla wanted ice cream with nerds on them but she’s not totally sold on it, I want something EASY!!!)

Presents

Wipe down tables and reset for next experiment (quick wipe and bring out next bucket)

Slime experiment

Send home with bag of goodies

Each table to have favor bags with experiments in separate tubs

Ice cream experiment

Jugs, ice, ziplock bag, milk mixture, rock salt
The science of it all…
Fill the coffee can or large plastic jar half full with crushed ice.
Add about 6 tablespoons of salt to the ice. Seal the container and mix for a few minutes by rolling the container back and forth on the floor. Hey, you might even have to wear gloves! Why? Measure the temperature of the mixture with a thermometer. The salt and ice mixture gets down to about 14 degrees F (-10 degrees C)!
Use the quart size zipper-lock bag to mix the following ingredients:
1/2 cup of half & half cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Seal tightly, allowing as little air to remain in the bag as possible. Too much air left inside may force the bag open during shaking.
Place the bag inside the coffee can with the ice mixture and seal and place the lid on tightly. Here comes the fun part... find someone who will roll the can back and forth on the floor with you. Only the people who help get to enjoy the ice cream! Roll it everywhere... on the floor, over the bed, under the table, on top of Uncle Bill... just keep rolling it. Five to eight minutes is adequate time for the mixture to freeze into ice cream. You might need to check on your ice cream concoction after 5 minutes to see if it's frozen. If not, keep rolling.
Remove the bag from the can and rinse it well with water. You don’t want any salt water accidentally getting into your ice cream.
Use your spoon to eat the ice cream right out of the bag!
How does it work?
What does the salt do? Just like we use salt on icy roads in the winter, salt mixed with ice in this case also causes the ice to melt. When salt comes into contact with ice, the freezing point of the ice is lowered.
The lowering of the freezing point depends on the amount of salt added. The more salt added, the lower the temperature will be before the salt- water solution freezes. For example, water will normally freeze at 32 degrees F. A 10% salt solution freezes at 20 degrees F, and a 20% solution freezes at 2 degrees F.
When salt is added to the ice, some of the ice melts because the freezing point is lowered. Always remember that heat must be absorbed by the ice for it to melt. The heat that causes the melting comes from the surroundings (the warmer cream mixture). By lowering the temperature at which ice is frozen, you were able to create an environment in which the cream mixture could freeze at a temperature below 32 degrees F into ice cream.

Insta Snow experiment

Premeasured snow
Premeasured water
Plastic plate
Ziploc bag with name

Does anyone know what this is (Diaper)
What does it hold, how does it work? (pour bottle of water in it)
These are both excellent examples of a polymer!
The science of it all:
put the premeasured powder in your hands (over your plate)
Have your partner pour the premeasured water into your hands (over your plate)
Quickly pour all of the water into the cup with the Insta-Snow powder. Don’t take your eyes off the erupting snow!
Go ahead... put your fingers in the fluffy fake snow. It looks so real that special effects artists are now using it in movies. If you let the snow sit out, the water will evaporate and the once fluffy snow will turn back into the dry powder. That’s right... it’s reusable!!!
How does it work?
Insta-Snow® is actually derived from the superabsorbent polymer found in baby diapers. The only difference (and it’s a big one) is that the Insta-Snow polymer not only absorbs water but the long chains of molecules swell to an enormous size. The polymer soaks up water using the process of osmosis (water molecules pass through a barrier from one side to the other). When water comes in contact with the polymer, it moves from outside the polymer to the inside and causes it to swell. The polymer chains have an elastic quality, but they can stretch only so far and hold just so much water.
The Insta-Snow reaction is a great example of a physical reaction - a reaction where the substance itself does not change. When an ice cube melts, a physical reaction takes place where the solid ice turns into a liquid, but the substance (water) never changes - it's still water! However, in a chemical reaction, a new substance is formed and energy is either given off or absorbed.
If you think of the Insta-Snow powder is millions of tiny sponges, it's easy to see that neither the Insta-Snow powder or the water was changed. If you allow the water to evaporate, the Insta-Snow powder dries out and returns to it's previous state, ready to be used again.
How long does the hydrated snow last?
The snow will start to dehydrate after a few days due to evaporation. Just spray the top of the snow with water and fluff the snow with your fingers to give it a fresh, fluffy look. You can also let the snow completely dry out to use it again. The dry form of Insta-Snow powder will last forever!
Why does the snow feel cold to the touch?
Since the snow is almost entirely made up of water, and the water is bound to evaporate. The process of evaporation produces a constant cooling effect. That's why it's so much fun to touch!
Will the snow ever turn back into water? No, the fake snow will not melt since it is not really ice. However, the water can be released from the superabsorbent polymer by adding salt. The addition of salt destroys the water absorbing properties of Insta-Snow® forever.
Does Insta-Snow have to be on a special surface?
No, Insta-Snow can be used on almost any surface except untreated wood. Keep the snow off of any surface that might be damaged by water. Surfaces that are ideal include tile, plastic and glass. Insta-Snow will not stain fabric, but normal care should be taken when applying this water-based material.
Can Insta-Snow be thrown away in the trash?
Insta-Snow is very easy to clean up and can be disposed of in the trash. Just brush the surface clean or use a vacuum to pick up the snow. Eventually the hydrated snow will turn back into the dry powder and can be easily swept or vacuumed. Insta-Snow powder is a non-hazardous, non-toxic, environmentally safe polymer.

Slime Experiment

Test tube (baby soda bottle)
Premeasured ingredients
Plastic plate
Talk about the baby soda bottle, show what it can do, give them the website to check out more experiments www.stevespangler.com

The science party... the experiments

I got smart. and decided to do the projects a little differently, no stations, just all of us working on a project together, combined effort!

1. Make snow:

We will be working with a polymer called Insta Snow, each kid will get some to do the experiment together as a group. we'll discuss what a polymer is and uses for absorbant polymers (inside baby diapers, cleaning up oil spills, etc)

2. Make Slime:

Each child will get to make some to take home, with play time at the party

3. Make Ice Cream

We will work as a group to make a container of ice cream (by tossing it around together) it takes about 15 minutes so this one is what we'll end with.

Then we'll have our ice cream bar.

Ice cream bar will have home made ice cream and toppings (green slime, nerds candy, etc)

then cake and gifts and if we have time we'll watch some experiments on you tube from Steve Spangler.

Sound good? any ideas? should we plan for a game?

Introducing the coolest webpage/person ever... Steve Spangler!

I have stumbled onto the coolest place in the world. All because Mikayla loved a science experiment on the Ellen show. This guy made exploding foam and it's all I heard about for a while. Well, in researching cool experiments for her party I found Steve Spangler. I'd like to introduce you to him...

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/

his store

http://www.stevespangler.com/

his really cool blog!

and what we've been watching non stop?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG4nS5wrZmc

and his motto that I love!

Don't try this at home... Try it at a friend's home!

Birthday Favors / takeaways

Ok, the science party is in full swing!

next topic: Gift bags, favors, takeaways.

I always kill myself on this because I want it to be memorable! Last year we had the giant pixie stick wands and this year with the experiements they will already be taking home the following:

Instant Snow (powder polymer that absorbes water to look like snow and can be kept and reused for a LONG time)

Slime in a full little container

Pop rocks

a glow bracelet

and fun slime soap (green apple scented) in a test tube

Sound like enough? or should I make a cute bookmark or have a pencil made with the birthday party stuff on it? thoughts?

It's official... I'm planning the coolest birthday ever!

Mikayla and I were in deep discussions Saturday... Very very important matter we were discussing??

What would you like for your birthday party missy!

We've done a Luau (4), baseball (5), Hannah Montana(6), and Fairy Festival(7) so what can top it all for our 8th birthday???

We brainstormed in the car and talked about crafts, ocean (disecting a fish was the topic, I saved you from that one), and suddenly she remembered a very cool science experiement we saw on tv and the idea was born!

We're having a Science party! but not just any science party, everything will center around chemical reactions! boring right?

nope.

I've brainstormed with a few of you already but am putting this out there for help. I plan on having 3 -4 stations with a different experiement on each, the kids will rotate, we'll have cake and then we'll take them outside to do this:

Here's my current ideas for the stations:

1. make silly putty

2. make slime

3. make ice cream in individual ziplocks

I have some ideas for the treat bags too (poprocks are a must) and punch is taken care of (dry ice is AWESOME) but would love ideas, decor, a learning scavenger hunt? ways to teach at the stations, etc.

ALL HELP WELCOME!