Science Time - Animal Cells

This week's science lessons have been about the animal cell and all of its organelles.  Honestly, it is all a stretch for me.  I am such a geologist.  Lets talk minerals, rocks, formations all day long.  I have been working through different organs with the kids (lungs, hearts, brain) recently.  I mentioned this to a biologist friend of mine and she asked, "well, did you start with the cell?"  No, no I hadn't.  So out came ALL the science books.  Praise the Lord for the library and for our collection of Usborne non-fiction kid books.  This scientist who stays far away from living things brought her knowledge back up to speed on the basic structure of our animal cell.  And then the work in teaching the kids began.  

This is the definition of homeschool right?  I once had a friend tell me that she could never homeschool because she doesn't know everything or can she be everything for her kids.  This has put me in a mental cramp for so long.  I so often find myself stretched when teaching art, spanish and other subjects that aren't my strong point.  But science, come on - I am a scientist, right.  Yet I found myself 4 days into "researching" the animal cell before I had the courage to bring it before the kids.  

Once in lesson mode things went great!!  We talked about living things, cells and so much more.  Together we made a zucchini cake and then created it into our cell model.  The membrane and cytoplasm were versions of green since I had already made green frosting last week in preparation for St. Patrick's day.  We used different bits of left over Halloween candy for our organelles.  When it came time to eat the cake we reviewed all of the organelles one more time and then the kids had to ask for what piece they wanted by organelle name instead of candy name.  Amazing how fast that can sink in faster when it is edible and you are worried your brother is going to eat the centrioles when that is really what you were wanting.  Today we will continue with a worksheet, a movie, and tomorrow we will go ahead and draw our own models in our science books.  Repetition is so good but I honestly don't expect the kids the remember all of the terms this time next year but you better believe they will remember when we made a cake into the shape of a cell!  Food, a wonderful way to make the mind remember.