We Have Ways of Filling Your Days

It began, simply enough with an “I Spy” book, purchased at Goodwill for $.99.

There was a page, with an incredibly intricate contraption thing-a-ma-bob, which put my James straight over the moon.

He was certain that his life would never be complete if we didn’t drop everything, immediately, and set to work recreating it.

Fair enough. Don’t want anybody’s life to be lacking.

Little did I know that this would become an all day affair.

I love these moments, when the planner in me gets to let go and watch learning happen without even making charts, checking manuals, researching or polling the experts. We learned today, all about how a pully works, the various uses of levers, the power of inclines, gravity and a good deal about Newton’s laws. Elementary physics, my dears.

This particular section of the contraption is still giving us fits.

Which leads to the other lesson of the day : scientists, inventors and engineers have to stick with it, through a stinking lot of trial and error! Of course, I’m guessing that they don’t have their two year old brother in the lab with them, wreaking havoc on their ideas

When my guys finally consented to go to bed, I had to pinky swear that 1) I wouldn’t let Ryder go anywhere near the table and 2) I, myself, would not touch it until they have figured out how to make the baseball drop, opening the cothespin, which will let go of the string that is holding the shovel, so that all the moon sand falls through the funnel and into the cup which is taped to the car that will go down the ramp and ring the bell… for that’s the point, the bell ringing.

Funny isn’t it, that even homeschooled kids are just waiting for the bell to ring?