Today we measured lung capacity for our science project.
Biology for Every Kid by Janice VanCleave has instructions for building a complicated contraption involving a milk jug, aquarium tubing, and a dishpan.
I found these
lung volume kits to be much easier. Yes, they are more expensive, but when I'm working with a $4500 budget through the school district, I don't need to worry too much about finding cheap supplies around the house.
Inside the box is a long, plastic bag with liter markings. You take a deep breath...
...and blow! Wow, Shane, I didn't know your lungs had such a high capacity! It's amazing your lungs even fit inside your body!!!
They had a lot of fun finding out how much air they could hold in their lungs and how long they could hold their breath for.
Last week we tested their blood type with
these kits, but I was so busy worrying about poking my babies' fingers that I didn't take any pictures. Their science guide had them building blood with water, cornstarch, flour sugar, and red food coloring. They were supposed to mix it all up and watch it settle. This was supposed to prove that blood parts can be separated. All it proved to me was that flour, sugar, etc could separate, not blood. Instead we found out something
useful: Ian and Shane have A negative blood (just like Mark) and Evie has O positive (just like me). This led to an interesting discussion about blood type being determined by genetics.
Next up...digestive system! OOoooo, what kind of fun things can I think up for THAT?
