However, one subject has maintained its luster for Kiddo. That subject
is science. He’s head over heels for it, and for good reason: I’ve managed to
make it fun.
Okay, so maybe it has not so much to do with me making it fun. The kits
I bought are fun. We started off the summer with magnets and have moved on to
rockets. Crystal making is in the future, as is soap making. Yes, the soap
project is more for me than him. It has two-fold advantages; first off, pretty
smelling soap. Second of all, it may convince my little unwashed beast that baths
are a good thing.
Now that we’re well into our projects, it has come to my attention that
soap making should have been our first venture. Heaven knows it would have come
in handy many times over. Not so much because our science endeavors mean Kiddo
is making a mess ... no, it’s actually his clumsy twit of a mother who is
guilty of that.
First of all, magnets. This kit provided us two weeks of
experimentation that included metal screws and paper clips ending up
everywhere. My bright idea. “Look! The magnets magnetize other things. Look at
the tower we can make with all this stuff.” The lesson was a success, but it
meant small metallic objects have migrated all over the house. The vacuum
cleaner is not pleased. It clanks quite loudly these days because it has found
our work before we have.
You can see the attraction, right?
We also ended up with a flood in the kitchen. Demonstrating how magnets
work underwater is thrilling and fun to my son. Mopping up the spills is a
headache for me. Oh well, at least the floor was clean for an hour.
Then came shooting off a rocket in the back yard. Mom the Klutz strikes
again. I simply cannot pour baking soda and vinegar neatly. At least Kiddo was delighted
with our rocket’s drunken and less than spectacular flights. I think the
greatest altitude we achieved was about ten feet. Note the kit's claim that it could soar up to 50. Ha! Not in my hands it won't. It's lucky it made it to the backyard without me falling and bashing it between me and the ground. My bodily coverage
in ‘rocket fuel’ was much more impressive than the rocket's flight: I was coated in baking soda and vinegar from head to
toe. Sign me up, NASA.
Yes, I am a rocket scientist...but apparently, not a very good one.
A child’s laughter lasts but just a few minutes. Yet the cleanup from
making him laugh so hard lasts what feels like a lifetime. Science rocks, but
it’s not for the fainthearted...or those who think vinegar reeks.
