Unit Study: Patience

The next Unit Study we did was on Patience.  First we learned about Photosynthesis, and the Oxygen-Carbon Dioxide Cycle of Plants.  

For their exam, the extra credit question was to write the chemical reaction for Photosynthesis.  Jacob got it exactly correct.  Apparently, he takes after his father, who has always been good at that sort of thing (He also understood it and could explain it all perfectly).

We looked at a leaf under a microscope (the one we got for Christmas) and were able to see the different parts of the leaf up close.  We also wrote papers on plant protection and how plants use different methods to attract or keep away bugs.  We watched a documentary on Neflix (also available on YouTube) called "What Plants Talk About" and it was VERY interesting.  It talks about how plants help each other to survive and how plants actually can talk to each other in ways.  There is a forest where the forest is so dense that the sun never reaches the ground, so in order for seedlings to grow, the "mother" plants share their glucose so that their seedlings can actually grow.  The whole system works together to help each other flourish.

Next, we discussed a section on cooking and talked about yeast.  We made bread and pretzels.  

Naturally, Meagan made hers with flair!  If you don't know what this is, don't feel bad.  It's the cutie mark for Rainbow Dash, one of the ponies from My Little Pony.

The pretzels were cheesy garlic and the bread was honey bread.  The pretzels were made with the supervision and assistance of a master chef (One of Sarah's best friends), but the bread was made with Meagan teaching Jacob since Sarah had already taught Meagan.  This gave her a chance to be the "teacher" for a change.

We also did an experiment where we captured the Carbon Dioxide gas that is emitted from yeast as it reacts with sugar and used it to inflate a balloon.

Then we started talking about molds, fungus, and bacteria.  We have a friend who has Celiac's disease.  We discussed how any kind of gluten reacts differently in her body than in that of a healthy human body.  We talked about Alexander Fleming and the discovery of penicillin.  We talked about the different kinds of microorganisms.  First we talked about bacteria and how it is essential in our bodies. They help break down food, release nutrients, and recycle dead plants and animals into useful chemical compounds for living plants and animals.  Without them, we would not be able to effectively digest food.  One of the things that I learned (and Josh too) is that E. Coli can already be found in the human intestinal tract.  The danger is not in the bacteria but in the location.  It is only a problem when it leaves the intestines and enters another part of the body (for instance, the stomach or blood).  Bacteria form the majority of the biomass found on earth, which means that the total mass of all the bacteria found on earth is greater than the total mass of any other single species.  Next, we talked about fungi (yeast falls under this category).  Next, we talked about protozoans.  They live in water.  They can produce their own food (which makes them a plant) or they can consume other food sources (which makes them an animal).  Jacob describes this as being a "planimal".  Last, we talked about algae (of which seaweed is one type).

We were going to go into human development, but we started going to a new co-op (see the post on that HERE) and picked up where they were.  Because of that, these unit study style posts are going to shift in their format/frequency/content a little bit.  Change, though, is often a good thing, and we're hoping that this is no exception.

- Sarah