Yeast Observation

Part of the study on Fungi, we also observed yeasts reproducing.

Materials Needed:
* 1 T. Baker's yeast
* 1 T. sugar
* 2 C. warm water
* Methylene blue
* compound microscope
* depression slide
* cover slip
* cup or glass
* medicine dropper

Procedure:
1) In a glass, mix yeast, sugar and warm water. Allow the mixture to sit for about 10 minutes. You are waiting for the yeast cells to grow and multiply.

2)Using the medicine dropper, place a drop of the yeast mixture into the well of a depression slide. Add 1 drop of methylene blue stain. Place a cover slip over the sample and place on the microscope stage.

3) Focus on low power. Then, move to high power. Identify a reproducing cell and the tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide given off by the cells.

Practicing the Use of the Microscope

 

In these succeeding activities, we familiarized ourselves with our newly-arrived compound microscope. We got excited with all the possibilities and discoveries we shall experience using it.

Our first activity was to learn how to prepare a wet-mount slide and observe that slide using the microscope.

Activity 1: 

* Cut a small letter "g" from the newspaper and place it at the center of the glass slide. Newspaper works best for this activity as it is fairly thin and allows light to pass through it for easier observation on the microscope.

Drawing what we saw: top - magnification @ 4/0.16x; below - magnification @ 10/0.25x

Activity 2:

We did the same for a piece of blue thread and Gia's hair.

Blue thread mounted on a slide

@ High magnification: 10/0.25x

Hair at low magnification: 4/0.16x

Hair at high magnification: 10/0.25x

Awesome first tries, right? Can't wait for the next experiments.

A Different kind of Birthday

Yes, a surprise birthday gift from my Mom. A ticket to Jonas Brothers concert in Manila!

A great excuse for Music Appreciation, being independent (yes, our Mom's were not with us---they were outside at the mall window shopping while waiting for us haha), and enjoying being a teenager.

My friend, Yeda, and I had a wonderful  and unforgettable night to remember. Really enjoyed singing and dancing with the Jonas Brothers.

Enzymes as catalysts

Experiment # 10: How enzymes work

Materials Needed:
* Two jars with lids
* diluted hydrochloric acid
* ground beef (raw)
* iodine
* crackers
* cornstarch
* dextrostik strips (to test for sugar)

Procedure:
1) In one jar, place diluted hydrochloric acid (muriatic acid) and a piece of ground beef.
2) In the second jar, put a piece of ground beef. Leave for 24 hours.
3) After 24-hours, compare the beef on both jars.
4) What is your explanation?

5) Chew a cracker for 30 seconds without swallowing.
6) Describe the change in flavor and explain the result.

7) Collect several teaspoons of saliva in a glass (saliva contains enzyme amylase).
8) Mix a paste of 1T. cornstarch and 1 c. of water.
9) Heat to boiling and cook for 10 min. Stir to prevent burning.
10) Put  1T. of the thick paste into each of  2 jars.
11) Add 1T. of saliva to one jar and 1T. of water to the other. Place in warm place for 1 hour.
12) Examine visually.
       * Describe any difference in appearance.
13) Perform the carbohydrate test on each for sugar.
      * Describe the result.
14) Perform  the carbohydrate test for starch on each.
      * Describe the result.

Findings

Photo above:
Clockwise: Jars of meat after 24 hrs; jars of meat before putting muriatic acid on one jar; water jar tested for starch; water jar tested for sugar; saliva jar tested for starch; saliva jar tested for sugar.

Findings:
* Beef with the acid rapidly decomposed.
* Jar with saliva and corstarch appears clearer than the jar with water. It has sugar but does not show starch.
*Jar with water and cornstarch has no sugar but has starch.
* That enzyme amylase in saliva turns starch in food to sugar while being chewed. That is why the crackers tasted sweeter.
* Digestion breaks down proteins into its component amino acids.

Organic Compound # 2

Experiment # 9 Testing for Protein

Materials Needed:
* Protein chemical indicator (see below for details)
* Flour
* cheesecloth
* bouillon
* Dextrostik strips  or Cinitest (to test sugar)
* Iodine (to test carbohydrates)
* a variety of food

Chemical Indicator : a mixture of household ammonia with a few drops of 3% copper sulfate solution

Procedure:
1) Add some chemical indicator mixture to milk. What color do you observed?

L-carbo test; R-protein (#4,5)

2) Dissolve a bouillon cube in hot water and test with protein chemical indicator. What did you observe?
3) Obtain a cup of flour and mix with water to form a stiff paste. Knead for about 10 minutes, put into a cheesecloth and continue kneading under water. Continue rinsing until the water becomes milky.
4) Test the water for carbohydrates. What were your results?
5) Test the water for protein. What were your results?
6) Test a portion of the residue in the cheesecloth for carbohydrate. What were your results?
7) Test the residue for protein. What were your results?
8) Discuss results in steps 4, 5, 6 and 7.
9) Try various foods to see if they contain protein.
10) Write a summary of your results of this experiment.

Top: R- meat tested for protein; Below: L-residue tested, R- fruits tested

Findings:
* Soluble starch from flour paste dissolves in water
* Insoluble residue left in the cheesecloth is protein
* Meat has protein
* Fruits tested do not have protein

Chemical Reaction #2

Experiment # 7: Energy + Chemical Reaction

This activity will show how energy added to a chemical reaction increases the rate at which products are formed.

Materials Needed:
* 3 large test tubes
* 3 small test tubes
* 3 water baths
* yeast
* sugar (Karo syrup)
* ice
* heat source

Procedure:
1. Put a small amount of yeast into a glass jar. Add 1/3 cup of warm water. Stir until dissolved.
2. Fill the small test tubes with the scant solution of yeast and a small amount of sugar.
3. Invert the large test tubes over the smaller ones; then invert again so smaller ones are mouth down inside the larger ones.
4. If an air space occurs in a smaller test tube, measure its height and record.
5. Place one test tube in an ice bath, leave the second set at room temperature, and the third in a warm water bath.
6. Record the height of the gas columns for each tube at the start and for every 15minutes interval for 1 hour.

Note: The yeast cells are undergoing cellular metabolism,producing carbon dioxide, being collected int he small inverted test tubes.

@ 0 minutes

@60 minutes, L-R: room; cold;warm

Question:
* Which tube did the yeast produce the most gas?
* What is the effect of temperature (Energy) on the chemical reaction taking place?

Findings:
* Warm set produced more gas (CO2)
* We therefore conclude that, when subjected to high temperature, there was rapid rate of reaction.

Chemical Reaction #1

Experiment #6 : Chemical Reactions

An experiment to illustrate that chemical reactions are a part of our daily life.

Materials Needed

Materials needed:
* Household yeast
* Beaker or jar
* sugar
* warm water
* limewater

Procedure:
* Empty enough amount of yeast  into a glass jar.
* Add 1tbsp sugar and 1/3 cup of warm water.
* Stir until smooth. Let the mixture stand for 45 minutes and examine:

    1) What do you observe at the surface?
    2) Describe the smell.
    3) Test the gas produced  by transferring some of the solution to some limewater. If CO2 is present, the water will become milky.

as soon as water was added

15-min after

after 45 minutes

added to limewater

Findings:

* Sugar serves as a nutrient to the yeast to produce its energy.
* Product of this Chemical reaction is carbon dioxide and water.

Electrolysis Experiment

Experiment #5: Electrolysis

Lifted from Lifepac Science (Grade 10):

"Compounds are made up of elements bound together to form completely unique substances. This experiment will attempt to verify that water (H2O) is made up of hydrogen and oxygen..."

Electrolysis

Materials Needed:
* 2 Test tubes

* 6-volt or 9-volt dry cell batteries
* 2 electrodes or tin foil
* 250ml beaker
* wooden splints
* wire with alligator clips on both ends
* candle
* 1M sodium sulfate solution (dissolve 14.2 grams sodium sulfate in distilled water and dilute to 100ml)
* piece of cardboard
* stirring rod
* ruler
* matches

Procedure:
* If you can not find a ready electrolysis gadget, cut holes in cardboard just large enough for the tubes to be held snugly.

* Fill test tubes with 1M sodium sulfate solution along with the 250ml beaker. Try to eliminate any trapped air in the test tubes, and fill the beaker to about 3/4 full. Invert the tubes to the solution in the beaker, keeping the open ends of the tubes submerged.
* Connect the battery (+ to -, - to +) to the other end of the wire. Connect the other end of the wire to tin foil or electrodes. Make sure the ends of the wires are secured in the open ends of the test tubes.
* Watch to make sure gas bubbles begin to form on the ends of each of the electrodes in the test tubes.
* When the tubes have significant amount of of gas collected, measure the height of the level of gas in each of the test tubes and record it.
* Slowly lift the tubes up. Be careful when handling the tubes to not let the gas escape. Place your thumb or finger over the mouth of each tube. Which of the tube holds the oxygen? Which one holds the hydrogen?
* Light the candle and use it to ignite one of the wooden splints. Blow out the splint and insert the smoldering end of the split into the tube wit the smaller amount of gas. Record results.
* Light another wooden splint and hold it at the mouth of the 2nd tube. What do you see/hear?

Findings:
* Electrolysis separates H2O (water) to Hydrogen and Oxygen
* The tube with smaller amount of gas is Oxygen
* The tube with the biggest amount of gas is Hydrogen
* Hydrogen "pops" or explodes (depending on the amount of gas) when exposed to heat


Note: we were able to find an electrolysis gadget and used it instead of improvising.

Working Long Weekend Day 1 : Atomic Model

A full-packed day we had. . . reading. . . activities. . . and tests. . .


Bible was about Abraham and Isaac. 

Language Arts was about finishing off spelling noun plurals and suffixes lesson . 

Science, on the other hand, was about atoms and molecules. H₂O . . . CO₂ . . . protons, neutrons, electrons, atomic numbers. . .

A clever way of making an atomic model. . . pins & pin cushion

!

 . . . and accidentally, an advance study on food preparation for TLE and our extra Homeroom lesson.

All because Gia got hungry =)

Tomorrow is yet again, another learning day for us. . .

 Just in case some of you still have doubts about homeschooling, or has misconceptions about it, let me share this very appropriate image. . .

Enjoy the long weekend everyone!

On the right track. . .

Sharing with you an article from Philippine Star yesterday:

Homeschooling produces achievers

And I quote: 

Think of people like Christopher Paolini, best-selling author of the fantasy series Eragon. Or Tim Tebow, star quarterback in the US National Football League (NFL) and the first college sophomore to win the Heisman trophy at the age of 20, and American Idol Season 11 finalist and diva-in-the-making Jessica Sanchez. All of them are homeschooled individuals who have excelled in their respective fields apart from getting the necessary academic knowledge.


Though being an achiever is not our main purpose, this article just reinforces our decision to take the road less travelled. . .

“The inherent advantage of homeschooling is the one-on-one teaching provided by the parent.” - DepEd Assistant Secretary Tonisito Umali

 “It is not education that will give our children worth, it is we the parents.” - Bo Sanchez

Another benefit that homeschooling provides is a relaxed, nurturing learning environment that is more attuned to the student’s personality. Whereas schools tend to cater to the “class average,” homeschooling can be tailored to the needs and wants of the individual learner. With this, parents are able to focus on their child’s unique gifts and develop them to their full potential.

...and may I say, AMEN to this!

And let me end by sharing this cartoon strip. . .

Everyone is a genius. . .Indeed!

And yes, I believe so. Every child, every person, has his/her own genius abilities. And, it is the job of the parents and the mentors to identify, hone and develop them.

Isaac Newton is not a better genius than Leonardo da Vinci. Nor is Albert Einstein a better one than Stephen Hawking.

 

 And if someone thinks he/she is stupid, blame the people who have influence on this person for letting him/her believe so.

Everybody is a genius.

The 1st day of school. . .

So far so good. . . We started on time.

Gia was so excited to start school, we did not have a hard time waking her up. No pouting and dragging of feet. Wow!

Now for the lessons? After a brief orientation, Gia immersed herself with the lessons. She was relaxed as she tackled them. Taking notes, reading and studying the assigned vocabulary. Not a bad day indeed!

By 2pm, she was already at the CCP for warm up class before proceeding to Quirino Grandstand for their run-through for tomorrow's Philippine Independence program. It was a long day for us but it was a good start! Thank you Lord!

Our schedule. . . .our House Rules . . .

Okay, so we are new to this. I do not know if this will be workable. But we shall be following this schedule starting tomorrow.

Of course, we shall be adjusting everything as we go along. . .

On the other hand, the following will be our basic House Rules. Thanks to fellow bloggers for the tips and information. I shall be sharing more of it here as we go along.

Goodluck to us!

The Road less traveled

...yes, we are choosing the road less traveled. Where it will lead us and how it will turn out will be all dependent on us... and by God's grace!

Homeschooling is foreign to most Filipinos. When I opened the idea, we were swamped by so many questions:

* Is it allowed here?
* Why? is she failing? 
* How about socialization skills? Baka maging anti-social or worst, loner.
* What kind of education will she get?
* etc, etc

Let me try to answer as best as I can...

Is it allowed here?

Yes.  Apparently, there are several schools offering distance educations for several years now. In fact, the University of the Philippines already has Open University for college students! Surprise!

Homeschools in the Philippines

Why? Is she failing?

To borrow a popular local lingo:

"Pagnag ho-homeschool, bagsak na agad? Di ba pwedeng talented muna?" or better yet "genius muna" and our traditional school can not support his/her needs?

Apparently,  comments like these are born out of ignorance.  So let me enlighten the uninformed...

There are so many reasons why families homeschool. Most Filipino families do so because: (not in any particular order)

* They find the Philippine curriculum inadequate
* One-on-one education is far better than generalized education
* They want to take charge of their kids education and values formation
* Child with special health concerns
* Kids with special needs (sadly, our traditional school do not and could not support them)
* Kids with special talents (i.e. sports, arts)
* Families that travel a lot

Of course, DEPED also has a special program for children of the less privileged who wants to finish college. But I will not delve into that anymore.

How about socialization skills?

The most feared "effect" by the uninformed.

And this is not true. In fact, as per observation, most of those who are homeschooled can carry a conversation with an adult, like an adult.

Most homeschoolers are part of a support group. Where group activities can be conducted for a chance for kids to meet fellow homeschoolers and do activities together.

And if your kid is into other activities i.e. sports, music, art, dance, theater, etc., being anti-social will be far from being true.

In the case of Gia, she is going into homeschool at 13years old. Has been to a traditional school where she had a lot of socialization. And, she is into ballet, where she has to interact with her teachers and fellow ballet students.

So this is the least of my fears...

What kind of education will she get?

A lot and far better based on what I observed and what I have seen and read.

What and how the child learns will be dependent on how good and patient the parent-teacher or tutor will be. Of course, the curriculum adopted is an important factor too.

Most of the homeschools here in the Philippines are DEPED accredited. If you prefer to use your own curriculum, there are some schools that lets you do so as long as it satisfies DEPED's guidelines.

And, the most important part is, they will not be limited to the classroom in their learning! The world becomes their classroom!

Lifepac uses a lot of experiments, field trips to neighborhood parks, places, and activities outside of the classroom.  Making learning a lot of FUN!

With that, let me share Robert Frost's popular Poem:

 Looking forward to a school year of so much learning for both Gia and myself!

Why we did --- a fast tracked decision

Homeschooling in the Philippines is relatively young. Mostly done by missionary families based here. It was only in the past 10 years or so that Homeschooling has gained popularity for so many reasons.

No, we decided to homeschool not because it is the "in" thing now, but for reasons I think will be best for my daughter, Gia.

The Journey

Ever since Gia decided to pursue her love for ballet at the age of 9, when she decided to audition as a scholar of Ballet Philippines CCP Dance School for the season, I have already entertained the thought of homeschooling as a possible and viable alternative for her to get quality education while she continues to pursue her love for dance, when the time comes that it will be impossible for her to balance both.

Fast forward to summer vacation of 2011--- during our trip to the US, I believed it was God's will for us to meet some of my friends' and classmates' families who turned out to be mostly homeschooling. I was impressed by how the kids turned out. They were smart, confident, can carry a conversation with adults and talented too. The wealth of their knowledge was short of amazing!

Events and observations I had of the way the traditional school where Gia went for 1st year high school that year,  has fast tracked my decision to take the road less traveled. It suddenly dawned on me that I was paying so much for my daughter's education, but I still end up teaching her and/or getting her a tutor and she ends up stressed everytime.  How costly can education be in the Philippines?

Add to that the realization that most traditional schools in the Philippines still do not recognize the fact that not everyone wants to be a doctor or,  that some students want to be artist doctors. In short, multiple intelligence is still foreign to the Philippine curriculum.

The Decision

It was in December of 2011 that we, Gia and I, decided to explore more the world of homeschooling. After a not so pleasant and very disappointing experience with her previous school. 

When I opened the idea to Gia, she was immediately enthusiastic. I discussed with her the pros and cons. But she was willing to make it a go. Thus started my serious research on homeschooling in the Philippines.

The WHYs:

*  Flexibility in time

   Juggling school and pursuing your talent/s is not possible in a traditional school especially if you want to be good in both (by good I mean, able to still continue her ballet schedule/classes, yet not sacrificing her studies).

   Gia ended up stressed everytime. The demands of school and the extensive ballet training she has just did not give her enough time to juggle both.

   Her school do not recognize artistic pursuits of their students, unless,  that particular activity is sanctioned by the school.  How lame is that?

* Quality of education and teaching method is not worth the money I pay

   No, I am no expert. But as a mother, and as her tutor, I can not help but observe how they are being educated. A bit disappointing for a supposed "one of the best" schools.

  But this I know a bit, you do not include in an exam, topics you have not tackled yet. Nor give it as a reading assignment before the exam. I understand if they are in college, but high school? 1st year high school?

*  Develop an upright and moral child

   The last, but definitely, not the least.  In fact, the most important reason of them all.

  Again, I am no expert here. But whatever good or bad experiences I may have gone through in life will be a far better lesson I can share and impart to Gia . With the help of the Bible, the awesome curriculum we have adopted, and God's grace, I pray that I will be able to raise an upright and moral child.

The Choices:

Wow! I did not know that there are so many different ways to homeschooling. As I researched, I considered, rejected, reconsidered various options for us.

These are the resources I initially checked:

Homeschooling and Open Universities in the Philippines

Home Philippines

From here, I was able to check the links and check the schools' credentials and curricula.

In the end, we zeroed in on two options:

1) Homestudy  - via Colegio de San Juan de Letran's Homestudy program

    Initially what we considered. It requires the student to report to school 2x a week to take validating tests per module and/or for reinforcement sessions.

    This is ideal for those who do not want to do a drastic withdrawal from the traditional way of schooling. The student has more time, but what is important, as with homeschooling, is the discipline of the student to study on his/her own and finish the module at the designated time.  Here, students still get to school, can join the regular school's other activities i.e. field trips, parties, etc. if they so desire.

    Pros: flexible time, traditional curriculum, still able to join usual school activities

    Cons:  relies more on reading the modules, not so sure if module includes supplemental learning activities, almost the same cost as traditional schools (costs includes the same miscellaneous expenses I do not see any use of)

2) Homeschooling - via Harvest Christian School International 's Distance Education program

    But finally decided on this program. Although the school is based in Cebu, we do not have to go to Cebu often. What made us decide on this is the combination program they offer.

    Gia will be learning US-based curriculum program for Bible, Language Arts, Science, Math and electives and Philippine-based curriculum for History, MAPEH, TLE, Filipino and Computer.

    As I researched more on the Lifepac curriculum, I was convinced this is the best for Gia. And validations from my friends in the US and Gia's enthusiasm when I showed her the scopes of the subjects,  finally made us decide on it.

    Pros: flexible time, dynamic curriculum, includes supplemental learning activities that are practical and fun, cost is relatively cheaper, easy to follow

    Cons: I have yet to discover as we go along. I will share as we go along the Pros and Cons we discover.

So as we begin our school year on Monday, June 11, Gia and I are determined to rock homeschooling! By God's grace, we know we can...!

The books have arrived!

...this is getting more exciting!...and more challenging!

The Lifepac books have arrived and so have the local books!  Now, I have to go through each and do the lesson plan before we start the school year...

Thank you to fellow homeschool bloggers, I will be using Homeschool Tracker to do just that.  Assignments, readings, activities, field trips can be included. I will  be using the downloadable free version for lesson planning as HCSI will be providing me with their own grade sheet program.

...this is it! let's rock the homeschool world!