Thanks, LeMay Car Museum: Building a Solar Toy Car

Whenever I see something interesting that I think Sean would enjoy, and if we are able to do it, I sign us up.

We've gotten memberships to several places in the past couple of years. Last year we were members at the zoo, and I wish we could go enough to make it worth it to get another membership. It just didn't work for us because their hours in the fall are so short that we could never make it before closing time when he was in school. Now that we are homeschooling we could, but we've decided to branch out and do other memberships this year.

A couple of months ago I took Sean to the Pacific Science Center, and decided that would be worth the membership because we plan to go about once a month.

In the Spring, Chuck bought a membership to the LeMay Car Museum in Tacoma. We've already used it a lot. A friend of his came in from Florida and we were able to take him, and then when our guests came in for the wedding we used it then, too.

I received a notice about some of their programs and saw that there was a family workshop to build a toy solar car. That sounded fun, so I signed us up and we went on Saturday morning. Sean and Chuck worked together to build the cars. Lilly was supposed to do it, but she was being dropped off there later and didn't make it in time to build one.

Sean had a lot of fun building his solar car.
We brought it home and he has had a great
time taking it outside and watching it go. 

Each table had a couple of kits to build the cars. There were no tools required, but the instructor gave some tips for making sure the car would run straight and not sideways. The car was a simple construction with a plastic corrugated board for the base, two tiny dowels for the axels, four wooden dics with a hole in them for the wheels, two small wooden rectangular pieces which held the eye screws that were screwed into the base so that the axels slipped through the eyes, and then the motor and mechanism that hold the rubber band, which made the wheels turn, and of course the solar panel on top of the car.

Sean had fun working with Chuck to put it together, and he was interviewed by someone who works for the museum newsletter. The guy asked Sean a lot of questions about what he likes to do, what he wants to be when he grows up, etc. Sean's answer to his question about what he wants to be was: Pilot/Doctor/Game Creator.

The museum is just starting its education component and the director said in the next couple of months they will have a lot more going on. There are some interesting student workshops for various age groups. I'd like to take him again for their "fuels for the future,"class, and the pinewood derby. I downloaded one of their classroom pdfs called "Science on Wheels." If you're interested, you can find it here.

There are some things you can do at home or in the classroom, but part of it includes a skit at the museum where people act out different parts of the engine. I'm sure it's fun. I'm going to try to get a homeschool group together and see if we can participate in it.

Who knows your child? You do.

Experience, age and years of child rearing have given me an insight that I believe is unique and has shaped the way I am currently parenting.

In those first years of parenting I did what my mom did with me and my brother, mixed with a little of my own intuition and knowledge I picked up along the way. I devoured parenting magazines, and I loved reading anything I could find that would give me information on the latest and best baby products, toys, strollers, car seats.

I was a very young mother, and was constantly judged. I felt that I was under a microscope wherever I went.
Grocery store, department store, and later on it was other parents at their school. I was young, and I looked even younger than I was. It made life difficult.

But I wanted to be a parent, and I wanted to be a good parent, and so I absorbed as much parenting education as possible in any format available. I religiously watched Terry Brazelton, a pediatrician, talk about childhood development on a PBS show.  It was seriously one of my favorite shows at the age of, what, 19 or 20, I guess.

All of this is to say that I've been parenting for many years, and I've always tried hard, but I've also made some mistakes.
One thing I know is that we have to make sure that our children know they are loved, that we care about them, that we want to listen to what they are saying, and that we are always there for them no matter what they do. We also have to set limits and be consistent in those, but we have to know our children, and treat them as individuals.

Recently I encountered someone who hinted that my child needed their direction. I sought this person out for something we needed, so I was more open to hearing what they had to say. And I almost convinced myself that they knew better than I did, and that maybe my child did need a firm hand. I could see that they believed my child needed not only a firm hand, but a militaristic approach--and none of these things were what I was seeking.

My inner voice was nagging me the whole time, and once I was able to come home and process the encounter I realized that I had almost allowed a total stranger to convince me that they know better than I do what my child needs.

I know my child. I know his quirks, I can read him and I know when he's upset, when he's feeling overwhelmed, when he needs to take a break, when his behavior is the result of low blood sugar or the lack of protein, and I know when he needs me to be stern and firm, and when he needs me to just listen.

No one knows him better than I do. No one knows what he needs more than I do. No teacher, preacher, or family friend knows him better than I do.

Parents know their children. Period.

Camp Seymour: Family Camp, Fungi and Climbing

Sometimes I wish I had continued homeschooling instead of sending Sean to school. Like last week, when we went to Camp Seymour for the homeschooling family camp night. It was a lot of fun, and I'm afraid he might be aging out of that activity. I think it is only through age 12, which only gives us one more year.

On Thursday we arrived in the afternoon to get settled into our cabin and do some evening activities. We were so happy that Chuck was off work and wanted to go with us. It was raining when we got there, but we were dressed for it. I had purchased a new rain jacket the day before. So glad I did.

I wasn't sure what to expect, since we had never done family camp before. All of the other families had been there for it last year, and buddied up in cabins. The three of us had a cabin to ourselves. I, for one, was relieved. I wasn't so excited about the idea of sleeping in a cabin with strangers.

So we got settled into our cabin, which was pretty great. There were 12 bunks, and the cabin was heated and quite comfortable.  Chuck ran out to the store to get a few "camp" snacks for us. We had dinner in the dining hall, and got used to the system there.

Sean got all the way to the top of this
37-foot-high climbing wall.

After dinner there was a short time to hang out in the cabin, and then it was time for the camp fire songs and skits. Once it was good and dark our leaders, Matt and Amelia, took us on a night hike to see nocturnal animals.

A little trip to the beach provided a fascinating sight. We were able to see the plankton that light up. They light up when predators are near so that the predator can see other, bigger prey and leave them alone. Matt dipped an oar into the water and spun it like a propeller to get them to light up. It was really amazing. Wish I could have gotten a picture.

We didn't see any other night animals, but Matt showed us how to light up our mouths in the dark with wintergreen lifesavers. He told a tale about a meteor and that he had a piece of it and would show us how it lit up in his mouth. Then confessed that the whole meteor story wasn't true, and we could all do the same thing with a lifesaver.

Next morning Chuck was up super early and off to work. Sean and I almost completely missed breakfast because we just aren't early risers. After breakfast we had to get everything out of the cabin and check out. This took a while because it was just the two of us, and we had to carry all of our gear. We made two trips, then we were supposed to clean the cabin.

After check-out we met the rest of the homeschoolers who were arriving for the fungi instruction and afternoon activities. Then it was time for lunch.

Lunch was delicious pizza, and our table really put it away. I was the only adult at the table, which was just fine with me. I had a good time talking to the kids.

The kids did the climbing wall, and Sean shimmied up that wall like Spider Man.

By the time we were on the fungi hike I was exhausted, but I tried to persevere. It was a long hike and I was so cold and tired. The kids were really into it. They were spotting mushrooms everywhere, of all colors, shapes and sizes. And Matt, our fungi leader, was helping to identify some of them.

Sean recognized some that we also have on our property. It is Fungi Season here.

Thanks Camp Seymour! We had a great time and hope to do it again next year.

Greece, oh, Greece, how I miss you

If someone gave me a ticket, I would go back to Greece tomorrow. Maybe tonight if I could swing a ride to the airport. Heck, who am I kidding? I'd drive to the airport and pay for the parking.

The little ones were so cute.

But I would need two tickets, because Chuck loved Greece as much as I did, and I wouldn't want to leave him behind.

We were able to enjoy a little bit of Greece in Tacoma, Washington last weekend at the Greek Festival at St. Nicholas church. There was a lot of authentic food, and some vendors, but the dancing was our favorite that day.

I don't think we were in Greece long enough to figure out where to find this kind of entertainment, but we sure enjoyed it in Tacoma. Even Lilly enjoyed it, but probably because the teenaged group that danced had one cute boy she was admiring.

There were some older gentlemen who were singing along with the Greek songs, and the one who was emceeing the event had a strong accent. He announced the dances and the parts of Greece where they were danced. I think my favorite was from Crete.

I was so glad we were able to attend this event. We love the food, and it was cool to be immersed in the culture again.

Farm Tour Weekend

Last weekend was the Farm Tour, and we LOVE this event. We tour every year, and always stop in to look around at the Fiber Arts Festival. It was beautiful! We had temps in the 60s, and sunshine. We packed in a lot of activities.

Chuck bought us all special T-shirts from the fire department, "Firefighters for the Cure." They are blue shirts with pink lettering. He wanted us all to wear ours today for the tour.

Pancakes and ham for breakfast, served by our local firefighters, was the first stop of the day. Chuck was there, and had just finished his shift. We ate together, then got our picture taken in front of the 1918 fire truck outside the station.

One of our friends has become quite the farmer, and she makes her own yogurt, cheese, and even detergent. I bought some great bath soaps from her.

We were hungry by the time we were finished there, so we made our way to Creviston Valley Farm where they serve lunch. It was really good. Corn on the cob, chili, hotdogs and hamburgers were on the menu.

We spied some Rhode Island Red chicks there at one of the booths, and decided to add two more girls to our family. (Our current girls are slowing down on the egg production.) We went back later to pick up the chicks so they didn't have to ride in the car for hours.

Finally, after five years, I was able to make it to the sheep farm. It's a 70-acre farm, and there are sheep and alpacas and llamas, and several wonderful dogs. They had border collies, and a beautiful Great White Pyrenees. I have wanted one because they are a great farm dog, but they are really big, and I've had a Newfoundland and know how much work those large breeds are. Maybe at our next property...

We brought our new chicks home and tried to get them acquainted with our other girls. I was happy to have some reds, because the one red we have is small and gets picked on sometimes. The chicks are eight weeks old, and they seem to be doing fine.