July 27, 2026

Category: Earth Science

A Mind Wide Open, Beautiful Curiosity, CDE Standards Reference, Conservation, Culture Appreciation, Earth Science, Exploration, Geography, Global History, History, Imagination, Invention, Language, Lils

Out of Africa, Or….

It started with the Croods… and then we watched a variety of videos (noted below) that explored the origins of humans, potential adaptations and various “types” of human through the last 40,000 years, and even explored a couple existing societies that we have collectively determined are the closest representations we presently have of a previous […]

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A Mind Wide Open, CDE Standards Reference, Chemistry, Cosmology, Earth Science, Global History, History, How We Learn Best, Lils, Physics

Electrons – Continuing Elemental Exploration

 Always in Motion As you know, electrons are always moving. They spin very quickly around the nucleus of an atom. As the electrons zip around, they can move in any direction, as long as they stay in their shell. Any direction you can imagine — upwards, downwards, or sidewards — electrons can do it. Electrons […]

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The Table of Elements
A Mind Wide Open, CDE Standards Reference, Chemistry, Construction, Earth Science, History, How We Learn Best, Invention, Knowledge Base Expansion, Lils, Math Discoveries, Pattern Recognition, Physics, Questions from Lily's Brain, Science Discoveries, Simply Nature, Societal Studies

The Table of Elements

While we’ve discovered 118 elements in the physical world, there are 25 (or so) Minecraft elements. This is the beginning of our exploration.       Elements as Building Blocks The periodic table is organized like a big grid. Each element is placed in a specific location because of its atomic structure. As with any […]

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A Mind Wide Open, Beautiful Curiosity, Biology, Botany, CDE Standards Reference, Earth Science, Ecology, Exploration, Geography, How We Learn Best, Knowledge Base Expansion, Lils, Science Discoveries, Stewardship

10 Rainforest Creatures That Defy Imagination

Our exploration for this morning, before we jump into our latest Tinkercrate – Artbots.   While the rainforest only covers an estimated 6% of land, it serves as a home to over half of the species of plants and animals on earth. We read about many species that inhabit the rainforest everyday like gorillas, orangutans […]

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Tsankawi
A Mind Wide Open, Biology, Botany, Bugz & Her Explorations, CDE Standards Reference, Creative Solution Generation, Culture Appreciation, Earth Science, Economics, Exploration, Geography, History, How We Learn Best, Imagination, Invention, Knowledge Base Expansion, Language Development, Lils, Movement & Coordination, Pattern Recognition, Physical Development, Playing, Resources, Responsibility, Simply Nature, Societal Studies, Society & Culture

Tsankawi

And here was our afternoon… We talked about Africa, primarily Eastern Africa, and the region surrounding Kenya, where a friend Lily made last fall spends a fair portion of her time.     We also read: We’re exploring these topics, specifically on a global perspective. She’s learned that 100 cents = 1 dollar, and we’re […]

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A Mind Wide Open, Beautiful Curiosity, Biology, Botany, Earth Science, Geometry, How We Learn Best, Imagination, Invention, Knowledge Base Expansion, Lils, Pattern Recognition, Physics, Science Discoveries, Theoretical Physics

Our Unseen World

This is a new series we are watching on Netflix The Electromagnetic Spectrum The heat produced by the Sun travels from the Sun to the Earth via waves known as electromagnetic waves. These waves can vary greatly in their wavelength. Have you ever thrown a rock into a lake? What happens when you throw a […]

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A Mind Wide Open, Beautiful Curiosity, Botany, Chemistry, Construction, Creative Solution Generation, Earth Science, Economics: Global, Engineering, Geography, Global History, Government, History, Knowledge Base Expansion, Lils, Questions from Lily's Brain, Resources, Responsibility

She Asked… Oil

She asked about oil, where it comes from and how it gets processed so we can use it in cars, etc.. We have spent most of today exploring how crude oil has formed, how it is extracted, refined, and finally delivered for our consumption. We’ve also talked about fracking for natural gas, the uses of […]

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LED Robots
A Mind Wide Open, Beautiful Curiosity, CDE Standards Reference, Chemistry, Confidence, Construction, Creative Solution Generation, Developing Self, Earth Science, Electricity & Circuitry, Engineering, Fine Motor Skills, Imagination, Knowledge Base Expansion, Lils, Physics, Science Discoveries

LED Robots

Today we built two robots and gave them sight!  Lily worked on this project as her first project selection from her Tinkercrate and we had a great experience. She and I read through the directions, she assembled the components, and we set to work placing resistors, LED’s, and copper taping in a pattern on a printed […]

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A Mind Wide Open, CDE Standards Reference, Chemistry, Earth Science, Forming Complex Questions, Lils, Pattern Recognition, Physics, Playing

Plasma Lightsabers?

    A spin off the electricity/circuitry sessions for this week… Coming up next…. Lasers   Seeing light in a new way Scientists coax photons to bind into molecules for first time September 27, 2013 | Editor’s Pick By Peter Reuell, Harvard Staff Writer EmailTwitterFacebook Scientists from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology […]

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