Curiosity and Science Sunday

I have a friend who has been working with Spencer on some academic things. There was a moment when I needed to describe Spencer's academic needs to his school and I asked for her opinion. She said, "Spencer always has an experiment going on in his head." I thought about this and what she meant and it's true. He's always thinking about something... how it works, what he could do with it, or perhaps what would happen if... He only pauses from these thoughts to play with friends.

The other day, he was playing outside and later that evening I went out to get something and found these cups all lined up on the deck. At first glance, they look like they are full of water.

Then I found this container inside the house on the kitchen table, empty.

If you can't see it clearly, it says, "Miracle Bubbles." I asked him about it and he simply said, "I just wanted to see." See what? What would happen? How much was in the bottle? I don't know, but the experiment seemed to be complete. The answers to the questions are: There was enough bubble solution to fill 9 cups about 3/4 full and if you leave them out all day, likely you will have bugs and spiders that investigate and eventually get stuck and die in the solution.

Due to Spencer's curiosity and our never-ending struggle to harness his energy for good, we have decided to implement Science Sunday. We don't do it every Sunday, but on Sunday afternoons when we are spending time with the family and we don't have other obligations (naps?) we think of an experiment we can do with the kids. This was Dave's brillant idea and I wish I had thought of it! Our first experiment was a couple of weeks ago, we made oobleck. Definition from Wikipedia: a substance that is used as a science aid to teach children about liquids and solids. This oobleck is created from cornstarch or potato flour and water in a ratio between 2:1 and 3:2. Though initially it acts like a viscous liquid, applying pressure quickly will make it appear to be a solid for a short time. The oobleck also behaves unlike conventional solids or liquid when thrown in the air, molded, heated, or vibrated.

They had a blast!! I love Science Sundays!