Our Unlikely Confederation of Spangler and Dr Who

In our little homeschool yesterday my children got to choose a science activity. We have what was once ‘a science drawer’ that has now grown to three drawers and a bin full of science activities and bits that can be combined, with a little imagination and ingenuity, to create an infinite array of science-related projects. When my kids were younger I laid selections out for them to choose from, the overall pile being far too massive for youngsters to sift through without going cross-eyed with possibilities. But now my kids are old enough to handle the ever-growing possibilities and choose for themselves. Anyone who has twins themselves will not be surprised that mine naturally will chose completely different activities.

So my son decided to make polymer bouncing balls, a Steve Spangler activity my son enhanced by inventing a dunking contraption that enabled him to lower the polymer-filled mold into water without wetting his hands in combination with the most obnoxious kitchen timer we own to time the reaction. Overall the activity fit his personality to a tee: opportunity for both mess and tinkering.

My daughter, still trying to shape every homeschool lesson to relate to her current obsession with Dr. Who and his wonderful fictional world, decided to create a periodic table in Gallifreyan. This works out to be absolutely beautiful, but very time consuming and so after completing about one third of the table she decided to save it for another science day.

This is a day that provides a balance for my kids. The day we spend together doing “Science Fun” every other week really is just that – Fun with Science. It is a time for my kids to remember to play and explore and creatively adapt the sometimes dry and always intense learning of other days. My kids enjoy every day, but this was definitely a fun one.