Ducky Derby

So the crazy-fun folks at Bret's office have an annual ducky derby. You pay $2 per duck (a two buck duck...) and can race them in either the stock or modified races. Of course, being the mad scientists that we are, we wanted to modify our 5 ducks.


Here's Bret -- assisting Sabine with her bamboo raft creation -- which won FIRST place in the people's choice awards. $25 for Sabine.


Vivan with her ducks...


Sabine working on her other creation - bicycle innertube to duck flotation device.

Fortunately, one of the ducks that Vivian helped create won FIRST PLACE in the modified race, netting her $50! We felt a little guilty about sweeping it like that...but quickly got over it.

Science Lesson

One blue tub is not strong enough to support a girl who wants to get her hair washed in the sink (beauty parlor style). BUT...if you stack several of them...now that's another story. Sabine came up with this after we told her that one would not support her...

Crystal garden take two

Found a "recipe" for a salt crystal garden (we had done this back in July 2007 with a kit we got from Browse n Buy) in the most recent issue of Home Education Magazine. We went to the store and got the supplies, and followed the directions. I had no idea how long salt should take to dissolve (while stirring it) in equal parts Mrs. Stewart's and ammonia, but Sabine was over it in a few minutes...so after I stirred the mixture (near the kitchen exhaust fan...phew, stinky!) for about 20 minutes, then put it in a jar and shook it for another 10 minutes and the salt still hadn't dissolved, I looked at the Mrs. Stewart's page (conveniently listed on the bottle) and noticed that they didn't say anything about waiting for the salt to dissolve (instant gratification...much better), and while the "beautiful flower-like growth" didn't appear instantly...

it looked pretty impressive after a few hours...

Gravity Rules (or rolls...)

Science lesson

Please, don't report me to PETA (is there a PETInsects branch?). For some reason, we have had a few flies in the house -- I don't know where they've been hiding with all the snowy weather -- but Sabine wanted to catch one. So this poor fella (gal?) was buzzing on his back on the window sill, and Sabine put him/her into her bug jar thing and gave him/her a bit of apple to eat...alas, it looks like it just didn't cut it. Sorry 'bout that fly.