Nucleation

Well, it's been an impressive gap of time since my last post. I wonder what I've been doing for the past month. Running secret missions to exotic parts of the world? Looking ravishing in a collection of gorgeous scarves while conducting secret tete a tetes with Very Important People? Cooking up a storm of casseroles and crock pot meals and filling my freezer in case of apocalypse?

Um, no.

Although I did purchase a darling Infinity scarf this fall...

I've been dividing my mental stress between my work's Pre-School Art Project whereupon I get my class of 3 and 4 year olds to collaboratively create one glorious piece of art that their parents will want to bid on and my Younger Son's Science Project.

I have a long history of dreading science projects. All the way back to my own "How do Plants Grow When You Feed Them Water, Coke, Diet Coke and Beer." In fact, I think I had this discussion with my husband even before we had children, something about how I hate science projects, that I can do a lot of homework help, but not this, please, God, anything but the science project. So far, I've kind of done them all. Not because my husband isn't willing, but usually my sons like to work with a partner (GROAN! Now there's TWO little boys to corral into writing a paper!) and usually I'm the one with a relationship with the other parent. So.

This year we are exploring the relationship between mint candies and Diet Coke, a la the Mentos project. If Mentos make Diet Coke freak the heck out, shouldn't Tic Tacs, Life Savers, and Altoids have the same awesome effect? My son and his friend thought so. And I was fine to purchase 10 bottles of Diet Coke. Turns out, it's NOT the mint. It's the crazy amount of craters present on the surface of the Mento that the carbon dioxide in the soda cling to in order to escape its bottled prison. This process is called NUCLEATION! I'm titling the post with this fantastic science term, so that on the off chance someone Googles Nucleation Science Project, this blog could end up in the bibliography, which would be a huge victory for this Not-Stem, More of a Liberal Arts Gal. Note to the young scientist: Now go visit www.EepyBird.com and www.MentalFloss.com because that is the best help I can offer you.

We have now reached that section of the blog where I justify myself by protesting that I am a huge advocate of children doing their own work. Truly. But science projects are just different. Shopping is often required, unless you reside with a Myth Buster. And whittling down research requires some aid. Putting it all together on the tri-fold board, typing up a paper - these are parental skills. I'm not sure my son is getting all of this, although I can say with certainty that he understands that plagiarism is most definitely wrong. So, check that off the List of Things to Know.

And speaking of plagiarism, let's talk about my Pre-K art project and Pinterest... Do you believe me when I say I'm not copying, I'm just making an homage to this amazing Art Teacher who likes to post her students' work?