Pickerel Lake Park

Pickerel Lake Park 

http://www.kentcountyparks.org/pickerellake/index.php

Hello Friends!  Here are some pictures from a nature reserve in Michigan!

We saw lots of tree's downed by beaver, and TWO beaver dams.

Lots of snails...some came home with us

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Apologia General Science Module 9 Experiments...In Process 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 9.5

Apologia General Science 
Module 9 Experiments- 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 9.5...In Process
Still completing these experiments, will update in a few days

Experiment 9.1 
Building a Model of DNA

Dd did this experiment on her own, and it was easy for her to follow the directions and connect the piping and the colored plastic beads to make a MODEL of DNA

The only supplies needed were the long pipe cleaners, four different color beads and strong scissors.

Experiment 9.2 
Finding Food in Plants

This experiment has two separate parts, one test with a potato and one with a pale green leaf (we used a piece of lettuce).  Dd didn't take any pictures while doing the potato test, but I took a photo AFTER she had completed the lettuce test.

**I should state that we used our "kit" from Christianbook that included iodine, which was oddly clear?!!  Luckily I also have Lugul's Iodine; which ours was it's normal reddish color.  The clear iodine didn't seem to work as well.  If you also use the kit that sells alongside, you might think about getting or using your own iodine. 

Potato experiment: Worked

Iodine is often used to see if there is starch in something, if so, it turns the starch blue.  The potato is made of starch, so the white insides turned blue.

I'm assuming Dd put a drop of each kind of iodine on the slice of potato.

You can see the slice of potato on the cutting board, it turned almost black!

Leaf experiment: Didn't Work

She soaked a lettuce leaf in alcohol, to break down the leaf and also pulled out a chlorophyll.  After soaking we added iodine and the leaf was *suppose* to turn blue, but didn't.  I am *guessing* it was because Dd didn't use the iodine that was red, but used the clear iodine that came in our kit.  I did take pictures of the lettuce after the iodine was applied.

I added some of our reddish iodine, to see if it would turn blue, but perhaps the pores were already full of the clear iodine?

Experiment 9.3

A Simple Biosphere: Undetermined Success

First seedling - May 3rd

Our first attempt at a biosphere died...perhaps the seeding was too frail for the increased sunlight.  I did have high hopes.  We planted a new plant in the cap and so far it is growing and doing alright.

The plant will continue to survive because there was carbon dioxide in the jar when we closed the lid.  The seedling will use the sun to make energy, and also the water in the jar, and the carbon dioxide in the air to produce glucose and oxygen.

Second seedling - May 9th

Second seedling -May 13th 
The seedling doesn't look as good as it did on Monday, not sure...we will keep an eye on it and take another photo in a few days.

Experiment 9.4
Sensing and Responding to Change
(uncompleted so far)


Experiment 9.5
Fruit Fly Reproduction
(Our first banana in a large jar attracted no fruit flies; but managed to get moldy.  A second, older, blacker banana has been put into the jar and we are awaiting the results.
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