Bones 'n' Stuff

FUN WITH SCIENCE:  In their weekly science class in Shoreline, the kids are in the midst of a unit about bones. 

Part of their homework this week involved taking a couple of clean poultry bones and soaking them in vinegar for days. We happened to have a couple of old turkey wishbones, so that was perfect. They're now in a vinegar bath and we will keep an eye out for changes.

In class yesterday, a fun activity yesterday helped them appreciate just how wonderful it is to have joints. 

The kids had to use pencils taped to their fingers to keep their index and middle fingers immobilized and stiff, and then perform tasks like making a paperclip chain, using scissors, rolling up a newspaper ... all super simple stuff - when you have fingers that bend. 

The kids managed to get the tasks done, but it wasn't easy!

After school, we went over to Central District to check out Ken's wedding venue. While there, we stopped at one of our favorite places, Chuck's, and played a neat-o and new-to-us game, 30 Second Mysteries. 

We played in teams of two, each team trying to guess a different aspect of the same case. 

You have to be careful, as you can be tricked badly. For instance, this card trolled all of us!

We all wrongly assumed it was about the Kennedy assassination, and that the right answer for the state the VP represented was Texas, for LBJ. However, the clue was actually about the 1860s, not the 1960s! Just goes to show you, making assumptions is dangerous!

BOOKENDS:  A couple of days ago, we took a walk down to the kayak launch in Magnolia, and along the way saw tons o' construction for the western terminus of a 'combined sewer overflow' improvement project.  Today, we took another walk down to the waterfront, this time Terminal 91, which is where the eastern end of the project is underway. 

More heavy machinery ... more digging ... 

... and another sign about the project.

The good news is, when this east end of the project is done, there will be a nice big new park atop it!

In addition to heavy equipment, we also saw a big ol' harbor seal in the bay, and trees turning pretty fall colors. 

HISTORIANS: Today, the kids and I concluded our History of Rock 'n' Roll Part II class with Professor John Covach from the University of Rochester, via Coursera. It's the third class we've taken from Dr. Covach, and though we've never met him, we are going to miss him terribly! 

The last few lectures were about the '80s and '90s, which included the rise of rap and hip hop. As you can see from Annabelle's class notes/drawings, there were strains between rockers and rappers initially.

 However, the two styles are now often combined or done collaboratively. 

And women are in on the act, too!

We were thrilled we each scored 100 percent on our 40-question final. And Annabelle and CJ didn't have to wait long to put their new knowledge to use. At yoga class today, their instructor, out of nowhere, told them she went to a show last night and the DJs played music from Afrika Bambaataa's collection. She said she'd never heard of him before and asked Annabelle and CJ if they had. Bet she was a little surprised when the spouted off about him being a pioneering DJ from the Bronx and a vanguard of hip hop. :) 

COMPETITION:  When we were in Ballard today, by the library, we noticed a wee little lending library outside the candy shop adjacent to Ballard Commons Park. 

You can never have too many libraries, right?!