Beetles to Bollywood

BIRDS AND THE BEETLES:  We popped in the classroom where the kids take their weekly science class to pick up the homework we've missed. While there, we checked in on the milkweed beetles the kids helped build a habitat for about a month ago.

We could help but notice that a couple of the beetles seemed to be, um, well, you know, joined at the hip, shall we say. ;)

Looks like some more milkweed beetles are in the offing!

BOOKISH: Since we went to the public library earlier this week, we actually had a stack to read down for the first time in awhile.

Together, we read the picture books "First Pooch," about the Obamas' dog Bo, and the entertaining "Big Plans," about the fantastical plans of a presumably misbehaving boy stuck in corner of a classroom. We liked that book's spirit!

Independently, CJ read "Wuv Bunnies from Outers Pace." It was super silly, so he loved it. (He especially got a kick out of the fact that there were multiple Chapter 12s in the book.) Annabelle read a Time Warp Trio title: "Tut Tut."

DRAGON APPROACHING: We watched NASA TV's coverage of Space Exploration Technologies' Dragon spacecraft this morning.

Photo: NASA

The capsule completed key on-orbit tests as part of an historic attempt to be the first commercial company in history to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station.


Since it launched from Cape Canaveral early Tuesday morning, the craft has steadily completed each task on its checklist so far. Tomorrow morning, it will approach the ISS and if everything looks AOK, the astronauts on board will extend the stations Canada arm and capture it.
Coverage starts about 4:30 our time, I think. Looks like we're getting up early tomorrow.

FRAMED: This afternoon, the kids helped me pick out custom matting and framing for a photo of mine that will be in The Museum of Flight's "Spirit of Flight" photo show. Can't wait to see the finished product hanging in the museum!


TOYS IN SPACE: For the second time this week, we tuned into a NEON (NASA Educators Online Network) Webcast. Today's session was advertised as follows: "Take a journey to the International Space Station, where astronauts conduct science experiments high above our Earth. In this program, toys are gathered from around the world and sent into space to become science experiments. You are the scientific investigator of these toy experiments as you predict, observe, and record how the toys behave without the effects of the earth's gravity. Newton's Laws of Motion will put to the test in space."

And the presentation was just as advertised. NASA Aerospace Education Specialist Stephen Culivan covered the curriculum and videos educators can use to help teach Newton's Laws of Motion to kids in an engaging way. It was interesting seeing how the toys performed on the ISS, and Culivan made it a point to note that space is not gravity free. Rather, microgravity is present.


Via a really big zip file, Culivan made available to participants all of the videos of astronauts conducting the experiments on the ISS. We also got PDFs of the experiments we can do down here on Mother Earth.

CLASSY: We finally made it to LEGO class this afternoon after a two-week absence. The kids were glad to be back. And then this evening Annabelle had a dress rehearsal for tomorrow night's Northwest Folklife performance. Her costume is gorgeous and she's very excited.