Rock Candy (a.k.a A Lesson in Saturation)

 

This morning my eight year old asked if he could make rock candy.  I said, "sure, let's get out the chemistry book and see how it's made."  If you know me, you know I cannot let such a terrific learning opportunity slip by without sneaking in every bit of knowledge possible.  At first, only Drew was participating, but it wasn't long before Sophie wanted to join in on the fun.

The book we used was Christian Kids Explore Chemistry, by Robert and Elizabeth Ridlon. 

I acquired this book second-hand a few years ago but like so many other good intentions, it sat on the shelf just waiting to be used.  I searched the index for the section on saturation and voila!  The lesson included directions on creating a saturated sugar solution.  

To make the lesson even more valuable, I suggested that we use two jars, one with hot water, one with tap water.  

We added the sugar a few teaspoons at a time and recorded  on a small dry-erase board just how many teaspoons it took to reach saturation.  You can tell when saturation has been reached when the sugar crystals no longer dissolve.  Instead, they swirl around and settle on the bottom of the jar once stirring is ceased.  I plan to have them do a little math as well to see how many teaspoons makes a tablespoon so they know how many tablespoons were used, how many tablespoons makes a cup of sugar and did we use a whole cup?

Several interesting observations were made by the children during the sugar adding.  First, our wooden spoons began to float!  

That was unexpected and we will be doing more research to figure out why that happened. ( If you know why, don't tell, that ruins the fun of learning why for ourselves.)  Next, they realized that the water level was rising in the jars.  I expected this but it was fun to let them discover it on their own.  Finally, when we reached saturation, they wanted to add food coloring.  When added to the solution, the drop of coloring floated on the surface!  We had to stir to make it mix.  When we dropped food coloring in plain tap water, it began to mix on its own.   Another unexpected event that will be fun to research.

The hot water took much more sugar to become saturated. We can expand the lesson to explore why that happens.

We covered the jars with cheese cloth to allow the evaporation to begin but keep flies and other undesirables out of the jar.  Soon we will suspend a string into each jar so the crystals will have something to cling to.  

When we woke up this morning, we expected to be headed to a pool party.  The weather prevented that plan but  we made the best of it by sneaking in a fun experiment.  Who says elementary kids can't learn chemistry?

Scallop Season is Coming!

Bay scallops are bivalve molluscs that can be found on Florida's west coast.  They are usually found living in 4-8 feet of water and are bottom dwellers.   Previously harvested and sold commercially, they are now only available for recreational harvesting during a specific, regulated season.  A Florida salt-water fishing license is required for those over 15 years of age.  Open harvest season for bay scallops along Florida's Gulf Coast runs July 1-September 10. 

As a family, we enjoy harvesting and eating scallops.  Last year, we had a great time on Florida's Forgotten Coast, near Carrabelle, FL, in search of these fascinating and delicious molluscs.  My children floated for hours participating in this shallow-water treasure hunt. 

As we prepared for this year's trip, my ever-present thirst for knowledge reared its head and I began searching for information on the life cycle, migration habits, anatomy and any other information on scallops I could find, including recipes.  A unit study on vacation you ask?  Why not?

This is what we look for while gently gliding through the water with our snorkel, mask, fins and of course a mesh bag to stash the critters.

Maybe you've only seen a scallop sauteed in butter and garlic or perhaps battered and fried? Upon initial inspection, the bay scallop doesn't really appear fascinating while resting in its natural habitat.  But, wait!  

The scallop has eyes, brilliant neon blue eyes, lining the edge of both shells.  This picture does not do justice to the gorgeous color blue.   And how about those other little things (I WILL find out the proper name before my unit study ends)?  Makes it look like a venus flytrap!

When eating a scallop, the edible portion is just a tiny party of the whole scallop. It's actually the adductor muscle that opens and closes the shells.  (There are two shells, hence the name bi-valve mollusc.)   I intend to learn, right along with my children, about all the other parts that we discard when we clean these delicacies in preparation for dinner.

Ever seen a scallop swim?  Here is a great video showing the amazing maneuvers these molluscs can make.

   Below are the links I'm using as resources. We have some marine biology texts at home that we will also use.  Why not plan your own family trip to harvest scallops? 

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has a page on the anatomy and life cycle here.
Wikipedia Entry