Mama/Tyler Fun Day: Not-So-Great Expectations

It's essential to keep realistic expectations when dealing with a toddler.  For instance, the first time we took Tyler to an aquarium (post here), we got frustrated that we had paid over $20 for Tyler to be fascinated with our backpack straps and completely ignore the fish.  Live and learn.  Thankfully, I remembered this when we got to the Dinosaur Trail at the science museum.

"Tyler, go stand by that dinosaur.  Now, look excited.  Oh, did you find a stick?  That's cool."

"Ok, now say 'cheese.'  Oh, you're writing in the dirt with your stick?  Do you see the dinosaur?  Nope, just writing on the ground.  That's cool."

"Ooh, Tyler, look at that one!  Tyler?  Oh, a tiny patch of snow, huh?  That's... cool."

"Oh, so you DO see the dinosaur!" #Mamawins

"Ooh, look at that spiky one!  Tyler go stand by it so I can take your picture."

"Yeah, I do see the snow.  The dirty, old snow.  That's cool, too, I guess."

"Yay, so glad you're touching all on the dirty snow right before we go eat lunch.  That's fun."

*sigh*  At least he had fun.  You know, with the sticks and snow.  That night, he told Jason the dinosaurs were his favorite part.  Good to know!

Mama/Tyler Fun Day: Durham Science Museum

All things considered, Tyler has been handling the whole "family of four" thing fairly well, but it's obvious he misses having our undivided attention.  So with Holly in school last week, I decided to have a Mama/Tyler Fun Day on Friday.  Just him and me all day together.  I'm gonna need some extra caffeine to keep up with this guy!

We had a mellow-ish morning, sending Daddy and Holly on their way, putting together his planets puzzle for the millionth time, and watching some Daniel Tiger (his new favorite).

Then, we went to the Durham Science Museum.  I've been in the Triangle for over ten years now.  Why have I never been to this museum?  Oh yeah, because it's $16 for adults, and I'm a cheapskate.  Totally regret it now, because that place is AWESOME!

I went in with no agenda for the day.  We got there a little after they opened at 10, and I knew he'd only be good until about lunch time, so I had no lofty goals of "seeing everything" or trying to keep him at an exhibit for more than his toddler-length attention span could handle.  We were there a little over two hours, and there was at least another two hours' worth of things we didn't get around to.  Can't wait to go back!

He was immediately ecstatic (started by jumping up and down on a bench while I put our coats away in my bag), and that continued for most of the morning.

One of his favorite things inside was a wind tunnel with a little parachute man that would fly up through the tube and float back down to you.  I'm pretty sure we'd STILL be there playing with that if I hadn't eventually ushered him away.

I didn't manage to get a good parachute-and-Tyler picture, but here's what the parachute looked like:

... and here are some of his expressions of pure delight watching it:

We went inside of a "space shuttle" and I counted down from 10 to blast off.  His response: "Mama, we're not moving."  Oops, I guess I forgot to mention to him that we were doing a make-believe blast off!

He did, however, have a blast (see what I did there?) playing with the "mission control" outside the shuttle.  His phone conversation: "Hello?  Yes, no.  Ok, good-bye."

"Mama, planets!"

They had a great play area for kids 6 and under.  I didn't get a lot of pictures in there since I was parenting and keeping him alive and stuff, but here is one in front of a rock wall (he didn't climb, but he liked telling me about all the shapes and animals he saw).

It was getting late, and he was getting tired (he actually told me this, so I knew we were on borrowed time at that point!).  Skip ahead to finding the Dinosaur Trail outside (more about this in a later post).

After the Dinosaur Trail, Tyler was hungry and tired.  I decided to temporarily forget that museum food would be both overpriced and mediocre (it was) and eat there.  From there, we headed back to the car, and I'm pretty sure little man was out for the count before we even left the parking lot!  What a great time, though!

This post is already pretty long, so I'll share about the rest of the day in another post (or two).

Science Bash/Baby Shower

The Science Department has two big get-togethers a year, one at Christmas and one to celebrate the end of the school year.  This year, the end-of-year bash was at my department chair Tina's house.  They also celebrated Lilhimself by throwing us a shower.

This shower was on June 9th, one day after I pulled my abdominal muscle.  I hobbled my way into Tina's house, and she had her glider waiting for me.  Everyone treated me like royalty (or like a cripple, not sure which!) that day, offering to get me food, throw away my trash, etc.  Though I was in a lot of pain that day, I felt totally spoiled and had a great time!

They went above and beyond with the presents!  Tina said it was to ensure I come back next year after maternity leave.  Jason was on photographer duty...

Bouncy/vibrate-y monkey chair

Monkey and monster outfits

Bobby pillow

Music-playing giraffe

As the party was coming to an end, I wanted a picture of the science department.  They sat me on the couch, and everyone was supposed to gather around me.  Instead, everyone's (well, most everyone's) kids were put around me.  Definitely my favorite pictures of the day!

You can tell I got really tickled!

I did manage to get a Science picture as well.  There were better ones, but Blinky McGee Megan messed them up.  Here was the best one:

Top row (l-r): Christie (biology), Chip (environmental science), Ryan (Earth sci), Kelley (forensics), Tina (anatomy), Jordyn and Jennie (bio)
Bottom row (l-r): Gabe (chemistry) and Ella, me, Carrie (Tina's daughter), and Naomi (bio)

It Was the Best Day...

I really hate insurance commercials (seriously, how many spokespeople/animals does Geico need?), but I like the song from this Progressive ad:

"It Was the Best Day"

That song popped in my head on Friday because I was having a really great day.  It had started out really hectic.  I had left work on Thursday with about 15 things still on my to-do list.  Not great.  One of those things was to grade my Earth Science tests.

God bless the scantron machine.  You know, where students bubble in their answers?  Seriously, zzhoomp zzhoomp zzhoomp through the scantron machine, and next thing you know, you have 30 graded tests.  So I guess I'm not opposed to ALL technology.  Anyway, my Earth kids rocked the house with their test!  I'm talking some students were scoring 20 points higher than all their other tests!  Woohoo!

It was great motivation Friday since it was a review day before their midterm this week.  Plus, they really enjoyed "Earth Science Pictionary" and got nearly every clue right!  Where have these geniuses been hiding?

In Physical Science, we learned about one of my favorite topics all semester -- Light and Color.  It combines science (light absorption/reflection), art (mixing pigments), and psychology (perception of color), all things I really love.  Plus, as the granddaughter, cousin, friend, and wife of colorblind guys, I feel quite well-versed in a subject that most students find really interesting.

Colorblind people do not see the number above.  Do you?

Then, we had one of my favorite labs of the semester. Did you know that if you look under a microscope at magazine pictures and newspaper comic strips, you can see the three primary pigment colors -- yellow, cyan, and magenta?  My students now do!  How about when you put a cell phone under a microscope?  Well looky there, the three primary light colors -- red, green, and blue!  

As if that wasn't enough excitement, I then let them mix together yellow, cyan, and magenta paints so they can see how all other colors are combinations of the three.

To top off my day, a student and I had an in-depth conversation about color perception (Is the color I call red the same as what you see as red?) and then she said, "You know, Physical Science is the first science class I've ever really liked.  I used to hate science until this class."

It was the BEST day!

Making a Difference

I'm taking a short break from overwhelming y'all with pregnancy stories to give you some insight into my life. As a teacher, it's my goal that students will begin to see science in their daily lives, not just as facts and figures to study for the test.  Yesterday, I got my wish.  A student came in and said he came across a picture, and was so excited because he knew what it meant.

So glad to know I'm making a difference...

Space, the Final Frontier...

In case I didn't geek you out enough yesterday...

A fellow science teacher showed me this poster.  How cool is it?!?  Really puts things into perspective, doesn't it?

Elated, then Heartbroken

A few days before Christmas, Jason shared this picture with me:

Oh my goodness, they're awesome!  I started making my list -- I want Marie Curie (duh), Mendeleev (how can the world's biggest fan NOT have an action figure of the Father of the Periodic Table?), and Blethe (whom I've never heard of, but with that hair, I.must.have.him).

Then, Jason found the website where it came from (here if you want to read more about them), and some of the most heart-breaking words "This image in fan art... and I will not be pursuing making these figures into a reality."  Whaaaaaaaat?!?  You dangle this collection of awesomeness in front of me only to snatch it away and tell me it will never come to fruition???



Anyway, it's still awesome, and I still wanted to share it.  For real, the interview is funny (for instance, he explains why Bill Nye the Science Guy isn't a character).  Check it out if you're a science nerd.  Or if you know a science nerd. :)

Let the Eye-Rolling Begin

Q: What's a scientist's favorite tree?





A: A chemist-tree!

Do Dinosaurs Taste Like Chicken?

My parents came to town last week and stayed with my aunt and cousin.  Naturally, I went to hang out with them, too.

Thursday:  I was worried about finishing a rush order for letters, so my aunt Carol (who we call "Roofy" for some unknown reason) suggested that she and Mom could help me paint.  I definitely took them up on the offer!

We set up three stations, where they worked on the dots and circle letters, while I knocked out the letters with animals on them.  I have to say, I like free labor!  I did feed them homemade cheesesteaks, so I consider that a fair trade.

Friday: We visited the Museum of Natural Sciences downtown.  I'm pretty familiar with the museum, so it was nice going with people who hadn't been in a long time or were visiting it for the first time.  It made everything seem new and fresh.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures.

Mama and Roofy checking out the fish

Adam wanted to see what was in the bat cave...

Apparently, so did Mom, who accidentally stepped in my way when I was taking the picture!

Does this one mess with your mind at all?

Roofy comparing her foot to a dinosaur's footprint

Blue poison dart frog

One of the coolest things I've seen in a while at the museum -- a snake shedding its skin.  We sat there and watched it for about five minutes!

The museum-goers: My cousin Adam, my aunt Carol, my mom Sandra, and my dad Grady

Me and the folks

We had a great afternoon at the museum -- so much that we never did make it to the history museum across from the science museum.  Oh well, I guess that means they'll have to visit again soon!

As for today's title, my aunt has a chicken-themed kitchen and loves all things chicken.  She squealed a bit when she saw this sign at the museum that said "Dinosaurs tasted like chicken.  How do we know?" promoting the new wings (pun unintended) of the science museum in 2012.  I guess we'll have to wait until then to find out.  Hmm, another other visit?