Why Citric Acid?

This week: a series of blog posts by Legoboy himself. :) 

Legoboy recently did a research project. 'Project' is a term used somewhat loosely in Montessori - in this case, he had a question, he looked up information and he reported his results. For the project portion, he is reporting his results here:


Legoboy:

Question: Why does citric acid and white vinegar clean off more than baking soda and any kind of vinegar?

Observation: Our toilet, faucets and drains have been building up calcium deposits and Mama uses borax, washing soda, baking soda and vinegar in combinations. I think they look clean but she says they're not. The toilet did have a lot of black and gray in it.

Last week, Mama soaked the toilet in citric acid (she uses it to make dishwasher soap) and white vinegar and closed it up tight. We went out to lunch and I had to use the bathroom at the restaurant because she said I couldn't use the bathroom at home until that evening.

When we opened the toilet, chunks of calcium were floating in the water. I had a choice to clean up my room or scrub the toilet. I am happy I had a choice, because the toilet was gross to look at. A few minutes later Mama asked me to come see the toilet. It was white! She showed me that as she flushed the toilet while cleaning it, chunks were falling off under the rim. I saw them. She wasn't even scrubbing. I thought maybe I should have cleaned the toilet instead of my room. She was done first. I told her it was all the particles in the air inside the toilet that pulled the calcium.

The next day, I could only use the kitchen sink because she cleaned the bathtub and the bathroom sink. This time I helped to sprinkle the citric acid, spray with vinegar and sprinkle some more citric acid. But it didn't work. I had used our bottle that has apple cider vinegar and Mama said that only white vinegar works. I filled my other spray bottle with white vinegar and just sprayed all the citric acid. It worked! Everything is sparkling now!

On Saturday morning, we set up the kitchen sink the same. I remembered to take pictures. They are in this blog post. When we came home from visiting with Aunt Sarah (my godmother) at her bridal shower, we took turns wiping down the kitchen sinks and I took more pictures that are also here.

I asked my mama why the baking soda and vinegar we usually use didn't get the crusty stuff off, or even the brown spots around the bathroom faucet that aren't there anymore because of the citric acid. She told me I could use the internet to find out.

Answer: Citric Acid comes from citrus fruits and likes to grip onto gunk, then the white vinegar rinses it away. Baking soda is a base not an acid and it reacts with the vinegar to bubble up and pull some gunk off - it likes to blow things apart. I don't understand the ph stuff but Mama says I will soon. White vinegar is also an acid with a ph of 2.4. Apple cider vinegar isn't the same ph (4.25-5) so is almost neutral. So calcium particles break apart easier in two acids, not something neutral and not a  base. I thought acids burned my skin. They do when I eat a clementine and the juice gets into a cut. Ouch!

Mama cleaned it with baking soda and vinegar first
to make sure it was clean the usual way

States of Matter: Coconut and Other Oils - Extended Uses

For those of you doing the Story of God With No Hands - here is another follow-up/extension (could be first year, second year, or ANY year) ----

My son asked about the melting points of oils - we make soap with various oils and fats, so this was something he had experience with. Some are solid at room temp and need to be heated; some are liquid already, but go solid in the fridge; and others stay liquid even in the fridge but not in the freezer....

The components of his first oil solid/liquid experiment:

some of them...
taken before we invested in the
big bucket of coconut oil

• olive oil
• coconut oil
• sunflower oil
• safflower oil
• soybean oil (typical generic "vegetable oil" found in grocery stores; my opinion is reserved)
• canola oil
• peanut oil
• lard
• tallow
• suet
• blubber
• duck fat
• (these last ones - it is amazing what you can get when you call up the butcher at the local grocery store and ask for buckets and fat!)

I won't reveal his results, but I will say that he created a graph for each one; then created a second graph with the solidifying temps in order from lowest to highest. While graphing doesn't seem "explicit" in the AMI elementary Montessori albums, it is there for the economic geography, and should come in naturally in all sorts of extensions and follow-ups! (if it doesn't, introduce a place where it CAN be added ;) ). 

Fundamental Human Needs - the Twilight Zone

Rabbit trails.... and my dark side ;)

We have found Montessori in The Twilight Zone!

Legoboy and I play a browser-based history game and since it is still in development, as we complete each stage, we have to wait for the next "age" to be added... But the game-makers want us to keep playing, so they have these quest rotations that, once you've hit the "end" several times and had to wait, become very routine and familiar. Repetitive. Because while you're waiting for the next age to be added, you get the same 7 quests, over. and over. and over. and over.

What keeps them from being boring is that I call them The Twilight Zone quests. Especially the one with the jester having nightmares - it really fits the theme!

So I was chanting that theme today and Legoboy finally asked what this Twilight Zone thing is about. First we looked up the theme song and a few tidbits on YouTube, but he didn't "get" it - that it's downright creepy because it's JUST. SO. REAL! He didn't believe me. Typical child - he has to experience it to believe it. Do NOT take Mother's word for it - Mother's Day or not. (yes, today is Mother's Day as I type this).

We found a few description pages about the series - specifically listing the themes addressed by the series and sharing that even people who didn't like the show have episodes that just stick with them. Because of all those issues addressed....

I have a few that stuck! That's what happens when you are in college full-time, on winter break with an 8 month old nursing baby, staying at your mother's fiance's house for the Christmas break, it's New Year's Eve, no-one is home and there is a Twilight Zone marathon. Oh, and for all intents and purposes, you're snowed in. In the middle of NOWHERE (no cell phone signal - egads!) with the nearest available neighbor who knows how far away. Yep. I watched all. night. long. I think I watched every single one. A few times through. Yikes.

I couldn't get to sleep after the first one ;)


Flash-forward 8 1/2 years.

I just had to let him watch an episode. The first episode of season 1 is so perfect! It addresses the issue of loneliness - isolation - the fundamental need of people. And in a manner that is not inappropriate for upper elementary children. I know a few episodes I won't let him watch yet (ahem - a doll; a little girl (he actually saw a 30 second blip on YouTube and requested NOT to see the one with the little girl); the airplane creature - which episode is the alien one? that one was fun!). ;)

"You see, we can feed the stomach with concentrates. We can supply microfilm for reading, recreation - even movies of a sort. We can pump oxygen in and waste material out. But there's one thing we can't simulate that's a very basic need. Man's hunger for companionship. The barrier of loneliness - that's one thing we haven't licked yet. 

~Air Force General Where is Everybody? 1959

Our minds are so great, that all of human history and knowledge, even 60 years after the creation of this episode, have made limited progress in understanding the depth of the human psyche.

Yet look at how much Montessori observed and acted upon... that NO current research has debunked or contradicted or even mildly called into question... not one thing! Careful observation, seeking to rid oneself of all bias - and she provided us with SO MUCH.

I feel so humble in passing this work on to others.

And The Twilight Zone only emphasizes the point.

;)


Legoboy had our first conversation about psychology where we knew that is what we were discussing and we even used the word. His response:
That IS creepy.

Not just the show we watched, which he admitted about 5 minutes before the end was finally making him think hard, but the fact that there is SO MUCH to the human mind that can be illuminated or exploited depending on the hands of the person holding it. He's off pondering as I type....

Biology - Coconut Oil

Stemming from our biology studies - botany in particular, Legoboy has fallen in love with coconut oil. Well, maybe not that extreme, but he sure does have an appreciation for it!

For someone who doesn't like coconut, fresh or dry, he was really hesitant to try the oil - so was I because I don't like coconut flavor either! The "expeller-pressed" version of the organic coconut oil does it for both of us. We have even purchased fresh coconut and done the whole "milk" thing and fresh coconut from the shell... didn't cut it. I am so happy there is a healthy, organic option without the flavor!

Note: I am not into "miracle" foods; instead I am interested (and cultivating in my son an interest) in eating wholesome variety of natural foods to maintain health; and use those same foods in different proportions for other needs: health ailments, body cleansing, household cleansing. We don't need man-made chemicals or processed "food" to live in the modern age! We just need hygiene and we can return to many of our ancient roots in a much more life-fulfilling manner! 


Uses for coconut oil as listed by Legoboy, with my explanations:

• 2nd coolest use for coconut oil: weather gauge. Check the glass jar we store small quantities in for quick access; if it is solid, wear warmer clothes; if it is liquid, wear lighter-weight clothing; if it is solid on bottom and liquid on top, better layer! ;) 
• cooking (we use refined, so there is NO coconut flavor) - used for sauteeing, stir-frying, baking (in place of other vegetable oils) - Legoboy notes that Mama makes really good eggs on hashbrowns, but the use of coconut oil instead of olive oil makes them even better!
• moisturizing dry spots - he used to have eczema and still has occasional dry spots in the same locations. (note: over-use of coconut oil is actually drying)
• soap-making - it makes VERY HARD bars of soap with decent lather and moisturizing. I make the soap and he serves as guard with the buckets of water and vinegar in case of lye spillage. Once the soap is done, he grates it to mix with other soaps (olive oil is the other top seller for our family business; 100% olive oil; 100% coconut; varying blends of those two; sometimes we'll do lard or other vegetable oils for customers; Legoboy wants me to note that our laundry soap for our personal use is made from odds and ends of left-over bars or the scrapings from the molds); we could make the blends from the start, but it is easier on both of us to do batches of one-fat/oil and re-mix. 
• deodorant - for those who want a rub-on deodorant like store-bought (mix 1 part each of cornstarch, baking soda and coconut oil; fill an old deodorant container)
• mix with smoothies for a smooth texture
• chapstick
• taken internally as well as rubbed just inside the nose can improve allergy symptoms (we're testing this one!)
• Additional uses at Wellness Mama
• Additional uses at Tropical Traditions
• in gallon size, it is not only affordable per ounce, but a little boy gets to use the really heavy metal tool to open the lid! Next time they have free shipping we are ordering the 5 gallon bucket - we go through it SO fast with all that just we do with it! 

1 gallon from Tropical Traditions -
sign up for their newsletter and be ready to order
when Free Shipping comes along.
WELL worth the wait!

Legos!

He has the screen-name Legoboy for a reason ;)

A series of images of some of his recent work - that yes, I let count as school work if he can tie it into his other studies ;)

Riders of Rohan

Battling Ram and Siege Tower

Multiplication Checkerboard

Colosseum 

Fundamental Needs Cards - Heat (and cooling!)

Fundamental Needs Cards - Defense

Lord of the Rings - Fellowship of the Ring

Incomplete Nineveh (needs towers yet)

Riders of Rohan

(movable) Siege tower - attacking the castle

(meant to be) Incomplete Tower of Babel