Sounds like a science project...

Science class went great Friday morning. Not that I could do it every day, but it was a welcome break from The Office. Two classes of fifth graders and several erosion demonstrations later I was done for the day. How I look forward to science days! One class really picked up on the sink hole example; they had watched a video and a few shining stars spit out all they knew about caves before the experiment began. I love working with the kids, and there are always some priceless comments as you never know what they are going to say. One girl ran up to me and said, "I like your cardigan. I don't know what that is, but she just said it was a cardigan. And I like it!" They are always so complimentary {likely because they are excited about a new face in the classroom}. And one boy helped me clean up the water table filled with wet sand and water--BIG help!! But I do think he had Vday on the brain....as he was shaped the clay for his cave he blurted out, "Whhhhhyyyy! I always make a heart. I don't try....even my sweet potato chip was a heart." Too cute!

And then I was done....we cleaned up the messes from our experiments...and I had to convince 40 children why it was not a good idea to keep the clay that had been sitting in water, vinegar and sugar. Oh joy! I left GBE with a few good laughs, a few hugs and a water table for Vaughn in the back of the LR.....until next month.

Sci Fi, Do or Die....

Three years ago I went back to school, so to speak...it all started with a company email requesting volunteers for the I LOVE Science program, and being a new, energetic employee, I immediately contacted our representative to volunteer. It sounded easy enough--volunteer to go into a fifth grade classroom and teach a science lesson once a month with the lesson provided, idiot proof right? I certainly had no idea what I was getting myself into and was more than a little nervous thinking about teaching a class of twenty-five fifth graders. Thoughts raced through my mind: What would they ask me? Would they laugh at me? What if I did not know the answer? What if my experiment went wrong? What did I know about science anyway, much less teaching?
I swallowed the butterflies in the pit of my stomach and knew I could get through it...I thought about why I wanted to do this. I thought about my science teacher, Mrs. Kay, and her constant reminder: “sounds like a science experiment to me;” I thought about what I gained from her fearless attitude and love of teaching and in that instant I knew I could do it. I channeled years of competing in science fairs (geeky, huh?) and countless hours of experimenting and went in and taught my first class, and you know, it was not nearly as bad as I had anticipated. It was FUN and today, three years, eight classes and lots of laughter and learning later, I would not trade my experience for the world.
I love the program and hope that many others take the chance to volunteer. Channel your passions and think like a fifth grader and think about how you can relate everyday life to science. You don't have to be a perfect scientist but you do have to have the perfect passion. I LOVE Science!

The Scientist....

I have an odd love of most things vintage, and these flasks et. al. keep popping up on blogs, in design mags, everywhere....and today in my bedroom.A perfect, volumetric flask filled with a single rose.