Thursday, February 19, 2009

"Homeschool Chemistry Class Found Dead on Kitchen Floor"

(Imagine finding that headline in your local newspaper!)


Today was Co-op. It was really fun. I performed my Apologetics speech (good score - yay) and then went on to do Chemistry, where I was poisoned by my well-meaning teacher and nearly died.


Let me explain.


We're studying the Chemistry of Solutions. One of our experiments involved us dissolving a compound into water to demonstrate exothermic reactions (the kind that give off heat when performed).


We read the entire experiment carefully before beginning. We even wore the safety goggles like they recommend (they recommend we wear safety goggles when we're dealing with salt, so we usually look at their goggles suggestion somewhat critically).

But this time we even did that!

Conclusion of Chemistry experiment: Drano+water= bad news.

We were supposed to mix lye (like Drano) and water to observe the difference in temperature. Well, they didn't mention that when you mix lye and water, it produces a toxic fume.

We're a small homeschool Chemistry class. We have five students (only four were here today), so we usually do our experiments at the kitchen sink (which is where it's recommended!)

My mom also teaches a history class for kids approximately 4-11 years old. They're a pretty small class too, so they meet in the living room.

Our only guy Chemistry student noticed the problem with the gases first. As soon as we started the experiment, he started to itch, so he dashed outside. Within a minute, I started to feel like I couldn't breath. I started coughing, but I couldn't get a decent breath. I tried pulling up my shirt over my mouth, but it didn't work. I ran outside.

Within two minutes, the history class started coughing. My mom thought it was kind of weird how they all started coughing at the same time (they couldn't smell it) but when she started coughing too, she realized our grievous error.

I have never cleared a house before today!

So, my whole class is kind of off right now. Three of the four of us have headaches, all of us are slightly dizzy and everyone, including our teacher, is exhausted.



I'm still coughing.


A list (because I'm visual):

Today is the first time I've ever:

1. been poisoned.

2. poisoned a class full of kids, including my own sister.

3. been mad at my Chemistry curriculum

4. made a toxic gas by accident

5. cleared a house because of said toxic gas

Well, that's all for now. I've misspelled SO many words because my brain is totally shot. I'll finish Part V of Purple Mold and post that sometime in the near future, unless of course I die of Drano inhalation, in which case, Kylie can write something creative about purple mold in my obituary.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

cough, cough, sputter, sputter!
;)

Judi said...

Oh..wow...that's really somethin..kinda funny actually..
By the way, I love the title..very nice..and...eye-catching..I love it.
-Judi

Shirin said...

Oy vey! They should probably put in "gas mask" next to the goggle recommendation, don't you think?

Sky Destrian said...

Hey Catey,

Ohh, sounds like an awesome speech! I would so love to do an entertaining speech instead of the informative one that I have to do for school which isn’t getting off the ground. :(

Yeah, I’m lovin’ the Elvish culture & language too… it is really so beautiful!

OH how cool! I love the LotR music and want it so bad… I need to see how much it costs, though. Did you get the soundtrack for an individual movie or all three?

Wow… never a dull moment at your house! I really do pity you, and I sincerely hope you don’t die. ;) I think I’d be too grief-stricken to write anything, much less an obituary about purple mold… and that’s hardly suiting for the occasion, anyway. Still, it made me laugh. You are so random sometimes! :lol:

Laurina Lalaith,
~Kylie

Sky Destrian said...

Well, Mom says I'd be good at debating, but I get horrible stage-fright... I can do something if I have to, but to quote The Silver Chair, "It doesn't come for the asking".

Yeah, dramatic speeches are really cool... I don't think I've ever seen one but I've heard about them. I love funny ones! I've seen two of those, and laughed so hard!

Oh, that's a good idea! I didn't think about them having the soundtrack on iTunes. hmmm....

Good.... seriously, I'd be soooo sad if the chemistry class has resulted in a dire way!

Somewhat unusual pattern of thinking = sometimes random, at least in my book. You can't have one without the other, in my opinion.

Now, I wish we could scientifically diagnose why you run into these circumstances... then we could come up with a cure. lol! At least it gives you something to write about, and me something to laugh about. Joking, joking...;)

~Kylie

Sky Destrian said...

I bet if I got into speaking and found that I enjoyed it, stage fright would be at least less of a problem. Seriously–you’ve NEVER been nervous at all?

I can’t stand depressing things (i.e. movies, books, poems) unless they have hope shown at the end. Nope, I have not read The Giver… Would you recommend it?

Oh, thanks — I was going to ask which tracks you thought were the best. I definitely wanted Concerning Hobbits… love that one and it’s um… buoyancy. Elvish music? Count me in! Wow… for 99 cents? I actually have money to get it then! ;)

Goodness, Catey, I’m sorry… You know, I really have had some weird experiences; I just haven’t blogged about them…yet.

Kylie

Colorado Girl said...

That's o.k. some girls in Shane's class actually blew something up on that experiment. So yours was minor.
Mrs. B

Sky Destrian said...

Catey,

Got your email... I'll respond soon.

Oh, okay - that makes more sense.

Okay, I will check with my mom on that.

I can't wait to look into iTunes!

Your life does sound interesting. ;) Well, let me see now... I have very interesting characters with their own (sometimes strongwilled) personalities that leap onto the pages of my book... and some of them leap off of the pages of the books that I am reading. Thank goodness Jared and Pippin (the original) haven't met yet!

I think this is the shortest comment I've written to you in a long while.

~Kylie

P.S. - Oh yes! Thank God you didn't explode something. LOL!