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by Cindy 3 Comments

Cranberry Science

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A little cranberry science is a great way to celebrate the holiday season. Grab a few books and a package of cranberries and have fun!

Cranberry science with literature connections from Our Journey Westward

This post contains affiliate links.

Cranberry Science

I love using literature to kick-off lessons.  These science lessons about cranberries were inspired by all three of the books below, as well as Karmamatopoeia’s It’s Cran-Tastic post.

Cranberry Thanksgiving (Cranberryport)Night TreeCranberry Christmas (Cranberryport)

 

Exploring Cranberries: Hands-On Science

Exploring cranberries - a science study from Our Journey Westward

I always try to encourage my 1st grader to explore new things on his own terms before I make too many directed suggestions.  Some of the discoveries he made on his own were the differences in cranberries of various ripeness, how colorful the juices are and all the wonder to be found inside.

Exploring cranberries - a literature linked science study from Our Journey Westward

Eli loves microscopes (and always has.)  I let him make a slide of the cranberry flesh and he drew a picture of what he saw.

Exploring cranberries - a literature linked science study from Our Journey Westward

After watching a video about harvesting cranberries, he experimented to see if cranberries really do float.  Then, he decided to make foil boats and had fun designing and redesigning to see which boat would hold the most cranberries.

Exploring cranberries - a literature linked science study from Our Journey Westward

After seeing the red juice on the paper towel during his discovery time (above), I suggested we make some dye.  We boiled some cranberries and painted with the juice.  Then, we did a little experiment with capillary action using the dye and a paper towel strip.  Eli even experimented creating his own cranberry juice.  After several tries, he added the perfect amount of sugar.

Exploring cranberries - a literature linked science study from Our Journey Westward

As a 1st grader, Eli hasn’t learned the scientific reasoning behind acids and bases yet.  However, he loves playing around with things that fizz.  So, we talked just briefly about how acids and bases react together, but acids and acids don’t.  We put cranberry juice (from our boiled cranberries) in four little glasses.  I asked him to guess whether each of the following were acids or bases: orange juice, baking soda, vinegar, and baking powder.  Then, one at a time, he added one of the substances and watched for a reaction.  Fun!!

Cranberry activities for a literature-based Thanksgiving or Christmas study

To use up the rest of the cranberries, we made yummy chains to put on the trees in the yard for the birds.  What a fun day of learning with cranberry science!

Enjoy winter schooling!

Looking for more fun science ideas to keep you busy this winter? Don’t miss these fun winter-themed nature and/or unit studies!

Winter NaturExplorers Bundle
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Last Updated: April 14, 2020 Filed Under: Creative Homeschooling, Elementary, Holidays, Science & Nature Tagged With: Christmas science, cranberry books, delight-directed, interest-based learning, kitchen science, learning with cranberries, literature activities, Thanksgiving science

Previous Post: « The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey and Activity Ideas
Next Post: Candy Math: Double Mints »

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  1. Adrienne Bolton (@TheMommyMess) says

    October 29, 2014 at 2:02 pm

    I just got a bunch of cranberries in my produce box yesterday!

  2. Cindy says

    October 29, 2014 at 2:41 pm

    Yay, Adrienne! Have fun!!

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  1. Hands-On Homeschool Fun for Thanksgiving: art, science, games, and more! - Humility and Doxology says:
    October 5, 2020 at 5:44 pm

    […] Cranberry Science from Our Journey Westward […]

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Happy birthday to my favorite girl in the world! L Happy birthday to my favorite girl in the world! Love you, @mahaylawest_1! 🥰
The breath of God produces ice,⠀ and the broad The breath of God produces ice,⠀
and the broad waters become frozen.⠀
He loads the clouds with moisture;⠀
he scatters his lightning through them.⠀
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over the face of the whole earth⠀
to do whatever he commands them.⠀
He brings the clouds to punish people,⠀
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Listen to this, Job;⠀
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When my boys were little, I loved reading these “letters from God” to them as blessings to start the day.
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Winter homeschooling can be tough in normal years. Winter homeschooling can be tough in normal years. It’s cold, the days are dark, and everyone’s cooped up together 24/7. That’s a recipe for the winter blahs to march right into your house and wreak havoc on attitudes and motivation.⠀
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It might seem trite to post a winter picture book It might seem trite to post a winter picture book list right now, but I’m a big believer in keeping things as normal as possible in my home when things aren’t so normal otherwise.⠀
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We celebrated a 14th birthday over Christmas break We celebrated a 14th birthday over Christmas break! 🎉🎁🎂🏀🥰
I love being auntie to a sweet baby again! 😍 I love being auntie to a sweet baby again! 😍

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