Golden Day

 
GARDENING: We spent the morning with professor Larry of Stanford, listening to a series of three lectures about waves, for our "Understanding Einstein: The Special Theory of Relativity" course through Coursera.

By 11, were itching to get out into the sunlight. We hit a store and then a nearby park - in this case, Golden Gardens, along lovely Puget Sound.

It was fitting we went to the waterfront, as the lectures we absorbed today had to do with waves. We learned that the speed of waves depends on the medium, and that if waves' peaks and troughs match, they're "in phase," and when in phase waves combine, the peaks and troughs double. Professor Langerstrom also started explaining what would happen if waves have 'destructive interference.' That is, their troughs and peaks are exactly opposite. At that Annabelle declared, "He's going to make a flat line - I just KNOW it!!!!" She was right, of course. :) Completely out of phase waves cancel each other out.

The waves at Golden Gardens park today weren't entirely in or out of phase. There was constructive interference, I think it's fair to say. However you classify it, it was beautiful.

The park, after many months of construction, finally has its playground open, so the kids enjoyed their recess there. Super fun!

We also got to check out some wildlife loving a pond at the north end of the park.

As we approached and I saw the water bird's green head, I was sure it was a mallard - until I got a profile view!

My, what  big nose you have, Mr. 'Mallard.' I might have thought him a mutant until I saw his girlfriend. She had quite the honker, too.

Before we even knew what they were, I asked the kids, "Why do you suppose they would have evolved to have such long beaks?" That led to some good discussions.

Turns out they're Northern Shovelers. Those long, spoon shaped bills are good for sifting shallow water. They filter it at the bill tip and jet it out the base.

Sharing the pond were some hard shelled critters.

They were LOVING the sun, sitting still as statues.

THERE OUGHTA BE A LAW: Before 7 a.m., CJ was noodling over constitutional amendments and crafting laws as part of the game LawCraft. It's on the wonderful iCivics, which was founded in 2009 by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor to help boost Americans' civic knowledge and participation.

In LawCraft, players pretend they're a member of Congress from the state of their choice. You pick an issue that's important to you and your constituents, and take it through the law-making process. If a player is successful, they'll wind up with a bill, signed by "The Prez," they can print out and show off. Naturally, the game involves making some compromises. The trick is to try to emerge with a bill you're still proud of. This morning CJ was working on women's and childrens' rights. Go CeeJ!

CJ and Annabelle teamed on Immigration Nation, where they learned about how people become citizens of the U.S., and worked to guide newcomers along their path to citizenship.

DINING AL FRESCO: We decided to go out to dinner last night, but not in the typical sense. Rather than heading to a restaurant, we went up the hill a handful of blocks to Ella Bailey Park, which offers one of the greatest views Seattle has to offer.

We enjoyed some ribs and potato salad, with toasted marshmallows for dessert. How 'bout that view?

STACK UP IN SCIENCE?  When I saw a Facebook post with a headline reading, "Do you know more about science than the average American?" you had to know it was going to be part of today's curriculum here at MPA.

The 13-question Science and Technology Knowledge Quiz was from the Pew Research Center, and in taking it we were able to compare our knowledge to 1,006 randomly sampled adults asked the same questions in a national poll by Pew and Smithsonian magazine.

The test was a good experience for CJ and Annabelle, because it gave us a chance to go over the correct answers to the questions they missed and ID some holes in our science curriculum.

I was able to answer all the questions correctly, and was surprised to learn only 7 percent of Americans polled did likewise. It was interesting looking at the data breakdown of which questions are missed how often, with gender and age.

All in all, "America should know a lot more about science," Annabelle declared after reviewing the test result data.

You can read the full report about results on Pew's site, and the Smithsonian article about the quiz: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ideas-innovations/How-Much-Do-Americans-Know-About-Science.html