Melting

COLOR MY WORLD: As we were driving home from science and math classes this afternoon, Annabelle was reading a "Highlights" magazine, wherein she found a 'recipe' for making your own crayons. "Can we try it?" she asked, excitedly.

I said "sure," and then she asked if we had any extra crayons. I reminded her that I always pick up every single give-away crayon she and CJ have ever received at a restaurant, and so we had bags full of them.

As soon as we got home, she set about peeling some of them. She then cut them in half and placed them in a silicone muffin tin. I was instructed to fire the oven up to 275, and we stuck 'em in. There, they melted over the next 20 minutes or so.

After they cooled (another 20 minutes or so) and solidified, Annabelle took them out of the oven.

And then she set about taking them out of the molds. It took a little work.

She was very pleased when they popped out. ...

"It worked! It worked!" she excitedly announced.

Fun, easy way to recycle old crayons. I only wish I'd pulled out my little dino-shaped silicone molds.

DIFFERENT STROKES: We're in the last week of our physics class, and listened to an interesting lecture by Professor Lou Bloomfield of UV all about bumper cars. There was much talk of impulses and momentum.

Next up, was our first lecture in our newest class, eight weeks of Understanding Einstein: The Special Theory of Relativity. It's taught by Larry Randles Lagerstrom of Stanford University. Per its intro, in the course we'll be seeking to "understand Einstein, especially focusing on the special theory of relativity that Albert Einstein, as a 26-year-old patent clerk, introduced in his so-called 'miracle year' of 1905."

We only got halfway through the first lecture, and it's already very interesting. The lecture is covering select events and trends of significance in physics and related fields between 1800 and 1900, to give us a better understanding of the technological world into which Albert Einstein was born.

We learned a bit about the invention of the battery and how that made it possible to provide sustained electric current (a game changer!). Electromagnetic induction, eletromagnetic waves, the symbiotic relationship of the railroad and telegraph, ether wind and more were covered.

It's so interesting looking at the differences between the notes CJ, Annabelle and I take. Mine are a mess - big and sloppy, with the shorthand I invented during my years of note taking for news reporting. CJ's notes are orderly - all single spaced, with careful lettering.

Annabelle's notes are a hoot.

So much going on here. If you look, you'll find a frog that's part of an investigation into animal electricity by Volta. You'll also see a compass needle responding to a magnet, indicating a connection between electricity and magnetism. She also teaches herself how to remember what 'symbyotic' means, and I love that she knows there's an N in the middle of environment. Now, if she can just remember it starts with an E. :)

Their note taking styles couldn't be more different, but each way works for each of them, based on their test scores.