Whirlwind Thursday

"NON-TOXIC LOVE": That's the title Annabelle gave this little doodle she produced this morning.

AIR APPARENT: We have some library books we need to take back, so this morning we worked a short stack of 'em.

First, we read " I Fall Down," which was all about gravity. One of the things we learned is when you drop something, whether it's big or small, it falls at the same rate. For instance, if you drop and apple and a paperclip from the same height, they'll hit the ground at the same time. (The only exception would be if wind blew the lighter object, which could affect its touch down time.) The book pointed out if there's no air, gravity pulls everything at the same speed - a fact that was demonstrated by NASA astronauts on the moon.

That said, some things land with more force than others, because they are heavier. ("The bigger they are, the harder they fall" is true!)

"I Fall Down" is by Vicki Cobb, and part of a "Science Play" series.

Next, we read "Air Is Everywhere" by Melissa Stewart. We all loved this book because it was full of simple experiments to drive home the points it was making.

For instance, to demonstrate that you can't see or feel air, but it's there, we were instructed to tear up a sheet of paper, put it in a clear plastic bag, cinch up the top and blow in it with a straw. The kids enjoyed watching the paper particles dance.

Next, we did an experiment that clearly showed how air can take up space. We were instructed to shove a napkin in the bottom of a clear glass and then submerge the upside down glass in a sink full of water. When you remove the glass from the water (careful to keep it vertical in the process), you find the napkin is still dry! The air occupying the space kept the water from getting to it.

In that same sink full of water, we submerged the upside down glass and this time tipped it over while it was underwater. The result -burping air bubbles escaping from the glass.

The book also reminded us that the reason balloons filled with regular (exhaled) sink is because the balloon itself is heavier than the air.

We also did a fun experiment where the kids ran across the room and the force of the air held a piece of printer paper against their tummies. As the book says, "It doesn't fall because air holds it in place."

We even got to do a little art project while experimenting with air. The book told us to water down some paint and then blow through a straw to push it around on paper. Annabelle's work is called "Coral City."

CJ called his "The Aoesh Ship." "It's some kind of weird looking ship," he explains.

MORNING MOVIE: Instead of his usual sunrise cartoon session this morning, I fired up "King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters" for him.

It's a great documentary about high drama in the world of vintage arcade gamers seeking world records. The anti-hero is smug, smarmy Billy Mitchell of Florida, whose "records" are all set in private, and submitted by VHS. The people at Twin Galaxies fawn over Billy Mitchell, and are completely (and perhaps willingly) overwhelmed by Mitchell's superior social and manipulation skills.

Things get interesting when Steve Wiebe enters the scene. A middle school math teacher from Redmond, WA. Wiebe seems like a super nice guy, gifted intellectually, musically and athletically, but he's had to deal with a number of barriers and hardships in his life. Anyway, Wiebe breaks Billy's record and then all hell breaks out.

It's a great movie - suspense, drama, life lessons and some great vintage gaming all rolled into one. CJ was rapt the entire 1 hour and 23 minute run time.

CJ is looking forward to meeting Steve Wiebe this Saturday, at a public appearance/fund raiser .

IT'S CAPITOL: This afternoon we headed on over to Capitol Hill. just east of downtown Seattle. We checked out their library branch. It's small, funky, diverse and crowded - in other words a reflection of the neighborhood.

We found a dozen plus items for check out - mostly DVDs and books with accompanying audio CDs.

CJ, who is super intrigued by different versions of things, found two similar but different copies of Ten Apples Up on Top. He and Annabelle sat down and read them side by side. The words and drawings were all the same, but color was used differently in each book.

PLAY TIME: After the library, we went looking for a park or a school. We soon found Lowell Elementary's playground. There, they spent a good amount of time playing a chasing game on a bridge.

From there, it was on to Group Heath, which has this wonderful, enormous slide. It must 10-plus feet tall, and two-plus kids wide. So cool!

As an added bonus, the kids got to go to a THIRD play place - Cal Anderson Park.

There were some temporary art installations there. The kids' favorite was a crash-landed rocket. At first Christian and the kids thought it was just a sculpture, but lo and behold, there was apparently an astronaut inside!

Christian heard CJ talking to someone and went around the rocket to find CJ talking to someone "in" the rocket. There was a 5x7 video screen and a Web cam behind the panel. Next to it was a speaker and hole housing a microphone. All of this allowed CJ to converse with the Rocketman, whose face you could see in realtime on the screen. (Christian thinks it was a remote hookup to wherever it is that Rocketman works/lives.)

At one point CJ said something like, "You're not real," to which Rocketman asked, "What do you mean by 'real?' " CJ said he meant something here on earth. Rocketman said, "Well, I'm here on earth."

Quite curious what was inside the rocket, a couple of times CJ threatened, "I'm going to open the hatch."

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't do that," Rocketman replied.

And CJ kept putting his finger over the lens. At that, the Rocketman would ask, "Why do you keep doing that?"

"Oh, sorry," mischievous CeeJ would reply.

Turns out the rocket installation is by Jason Puccinelli and part of MadArt Seattle, which supports emerging artists and brings art to lives in unexpected ways.

After the rocket talk, the kids explored the park's playground and got their feet wet in its water feature. LIVE, IN CONCERT!: Since most all of their big brothers' gigs are in a bar setting, Annabelle and CJ rarely get to see them jamming. However, tonight they, along with their friend Nick, played a one hour set at a church up on Phinney Ridge (it's where Nick goes to church). I must say, it was different seeing them play in a church. ...

CJ and Annabelle were good audience members, though CJ did have a habit of asking, "Was that the last song?" after every song. :0