Category: Monday Message

Winter is the perfect time for curious scientists to explore things, such as ice formations, snowflake patterns, or how penguins stay dry. Here’s one fun experiment that’s sure to keep your scientist wondering this wintertime.

Holiday Magic Milk

Items you will need:

• Shallow dish or plate
• Whole milk
• Holiday cookie cutter
• Food coloring
• Cotton swabs
• Dawn dish soap

Step 1: Fill a small, shallow dish with whole milk — just enough to cover the bottom.

Step 2: Place a holiday cookie cutter of your choice in the center of the dish.

Step 3: Place a few drops of holiday-colored food coloring inside or outside the cookie cutter.

Step 4: Dip a cotton swab in Dawn dish soap. Then dip the swab into the food coloring drops, and watch!

So What’s the Science?

The chemistry of the dish soap and the fat of the milk makes the mini explosions happen. While some of the dish soap will dissolve, it mainly seeks out the fat of the milk. The molecules of the dish soap dash around to find the fat globs in the milk. You can see the search for the fat in the movement of the color. If you keep adding more soap until the movement stops, this means all the fat globs have been found and attached.  

Some other fun winter science experiments to research and try are salt crystal formations, growing ice towers, candy cane slime or fizzy hot chocolate surprise.

Happy winter science time!

Did you know that in Iceland there is a tradition called “Jolabokaflod,” which in English translates roughly to “Christmas book flood”? After Icelanders receive a book, they cozy up with their favorite warm beverage and read through the night!

And in the Netherlands, Sinterklaas (the Dutch name for Saint Nicholas, the man recognized by his long white beard, red cape, and red miter) will leave treats like gingerbread men, marzipan, and chocolate letters inside a wooden shoe that the children leave by the chimney or back door.

For many families, holidays and traditions play an important role in shaping beliefs, experiences, and identity. As the holiday season approaches, it’s important to remember there are many holidays to explore. Here are some books and sites to help you learn about several of them:

• Always Together at Christmas by Sara Sargent, illustrated by Mark Chambers
• Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto, illustrated by Ed Martinez
• Celebrations Around the World by Katy Halford
• Together for Kwanzaa by Juwanda G. Ford, illustrated by Shelly Hehenberger
• We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Frane Lessac
• All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky
• The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper, illustrated by Carson Ellis
• Children’s Books about Traditions
• Traditions Around the World
• Holiday Books for Kids

Meet Boni Burns. This is Boni’s second year with iLEAD. Boni stays busy as an Education Specialist supporting learners at both iLEAD Lancaster and Empower Generations in the Antelope Valley. Boni’s career as an educator began after spending time in the classroom as a substitute between acting auditions. Boni was drawn to the amazing and imaginative learners she worked with in the moderate-severe classrooms. This passion led to Boni earning her teaching credential and accepting a full-time role. She has been in the classroom for the past 24 years. Boni was specifically drawn to iLEAD because of our schools’ focus on meeting learners where they are.

Behind every fabulous teacher, such as Boni herself, are great role models. Boni has two role models who have helped shape her as an educator. The first is her mentor teacher, Kathy. Boni had the opportunity to work with and learn from Kathy for four years at Antelope Valley High School. The second is Corean, Boni’s mother. Corean has spent 35 years as a dedicated educator at LAUSD. She taught Boni that anything is possible with hard work and determination!

A fun fact that most people may not know about Boni is that she loves stage acting. She plans to pursue acting again one day. Boni turns a bad day into a good day by using her acting talents. She will sing in the classroom and is often able to engage learners and get them to smile. If you’ve ever met Boni, you know she also has a contagious smile that helps anyone feel included.

Boni will be spending the winter break traveling to Texas to visit her son, daughter-in-law, and four grandchildren! We are thankful for Boni and the ways she supports her learners and coworkers here at iLEAD.

We all love eating out at restaurants and getting a break from the kitchen. However, cooking and baking are essential parts of life for the majority of the population. Yet many people go well into their young adulthood without learning to cook, leaving them to fend for themselves and to learn on their own.

Many young adults aren’t interested in cooking, but what if they could have been motivated at a younger age? Often children and young teens want to help in the kitchen but are pushed aside, which prohibits them from learning a valuable life skill.

This is more than just cooking; it’s about math too. Kids could be learning math through different types of measurements used in the kitchen on a daily basis. If they’re taught from a young age about cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, etc., it will help them better understand fractions later. This will give them an advantage in math classes.

Math in the kitchen is all-inclusive. It covers multiplication, division, subtraction, and addition, as well as time management. If you’ll take the time to let your learner help you in the kitchen, even if it’s just for 10 minutes of your day, you’re setting them up for success in life.

This winter break, try this simple sugar cookie recipe with your learners to get them practicing their math skills!

Ingredients
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Stir flour, baking soda, and baking powder together in a small bowl.
3. Beat sugar and butter together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in flour mixture. Roll dough into balls and place 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until edges are golden, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets briefly before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.