Fun, Cool Mom...

So, I was fun, cool mom today.  I let my younger boys run with an idea of making a "boat" after they found a piece of plywood in the woods.  They were looking for wood for a fort but changed goals mid way through when they found a square piece of wood.  

I went along with it.  Blossom and I sat in the garage and watched as they went through the process of figuring out how to make this piece of wood float while they sat on it.  They didn't quiet agree so the Scientist started working on his own "boat."

I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Boat experiment #1

 

Experiment #2

Yep, that's cold!

So, being fun, cool mom has it's draw backs.  It's not fun to clean up water filled boots, soaking wet clothes, and water on the floors.  And there is no time to make dinner after all of this fun. 

So, Josh enters the house at 5:30, looks around and says....."Let's go out for dinner." 
YES!  Now I'm having fun.

Science Kits...

 I've been a fan of Exploration Education Science kits for 5 years.   This year the Architect is doing the advanced physical science curriculum.  It took over two weeks to build this glider so that he could experiment with it but it was well worth the effort.   It's sturdy and even survived a couple nights of pouring rain stuck on the roof of our shed. 

He's had a great time flying it over and over again. 

Biology - Experiement #1

The Professor is taking high school Biology this year.  He was pretty excited about it.  Then he found out he doesn't dissect anything until lesson six.  He's doing fine though.

 I have to make sure he has access to experiment supplies, like a pond.  It took me a few days to find a great pond.  It just happened to be right next to Grandma Patty's house.  

 At the moment I'm totally bummed we had to give back a super nice microscope when we left the parent partnership program.  I saw one at Value Village the other day for $25.00 and I'm contemplating going back and seeing if it's still there and the condition it's in.  But the thought of taking everyone into a store dripping with less than tasteful Halloween costumes makes me think twice.

  
We need a microscope to view slides of the pond water he collected. He collected four samples and stored them for a week in different jars with different protein.

I was so thankful for the sun that came out and made it a really nice outing.  The water level was low so the boys walked way out into the pond.  And of course I hollered at them to come back.  Tis just my nature.

I love how they turn back into inquisitive, exploring boys when they get into nature.

MINDPORT Museum...

    Oh what a treasure this place is!

It's been a few years since we've gone to the little MINDPORT museum in downtown Bellingham.  Long enough that my youngest didn't remember having gone before.  At $2.00 per person, this is my #1 pick for places to take your child in Bellingham.

This a is a place of science, engineering, art, beauty, music and thinking.  The exhibits are so beautifully hand crafted.

Each boy went off and found something to inspire them and make them think while they played.

 My two younger boys played the little pipe organ.  They played the songs from their piano recital that was last week.  The gentleman working at the museum was so impressed he gave them each a free pass to come back to the museum.  That was awesome.  I told them they had earned their way today and that all that piano practice was valuable time spent.

The Scientist's  favorite exhibit was the tornado maker.  We'll be headed back there fairly soon to use those great passes and have more fun.

Guys And Guts @ WCC...

The Professor and I spent the day at Whatcom Community College with the Guys and Guts program.  This program aims to introduce middle school students to programs at WCC.  The one for Girls is called Girls Go Tech and is happening next month on April 19th. 
Our program introduced the Technical Associative Degrees and jobs available in the healthcare profession.  We learned about Medical Assisting, Physical Therapist Assistant and Nursing.

The kids were able to experience 5 different labs up close and hands on.
The Professor started off with a hand wash station and blood draw.  (Actually it was Kool-aid.)

Who's ready for a blood draw?  (Not me.  My arms ached just watching.)

 They checked out the robotic patients on the  nursing floor.  The boys were cracking up because...

the nursing student behind the glass wall was making the robotic patient blink, wink and make vomiting sounds.  It was creepy, but oh so cool for those kids.

 In the biology lab the kids checked out real hearts, lungs, skeletons and more.

It was a full day from 9-3 on the campus and I'm totally chalking this up to a mini health unit of schooling for the Professor. 

Educational Opportunities...

Wow, have you heard of this?  The Northwest Career & Technical Academy.

Josh and I took the Professor to an open house and informational night at Meridian High School.  The Professor has been interested in Renewable Energy for the past couple years and I've been wondering how we were going to help him explore that field.  

This Academy has a local, one year,  program in Sustainable Engineering which also covers renewable energy.  It's open to any student entering 9th - 12th grade in Whatcom or Skagit county. (I think that's what they said.)  I know they said they have a lot of homeschoolers.

Anyways, the big plus is that it's free!   The tough part is that it's a 2 1/2 hour class, 5 days a week for a school year. 

 This small scale solar and wind power unit was like eye candy.

We are still 14 months away from even applying to the program so there's plenty of time to think about it.  We had fun looking around and the Professor enjoyed the hands on aspect.  Especially the 3-D printers.  

 This printer prints in a powder encasement.

 When it's done the powder must be blown off.

 The black band on his wrist is another item printed from a different 3-D printer in the CAD room.

 You have to know that this kid was absolutely loving this!

Josh was also impressed.

The program will have a representative at the WHA workshops during the lunch break if you're local and you want to find out more.