30 Days of Science - Day 4

Most of the things I'll share on this 30 Days of Science are things my son has taught me.  He is such a smart kid when it comes to science.  Luke read about this experiment in a book and then had a blast trying it out and teaching me why it works. 

Vibrating Coin Experiment
All you need is a empty water bottle, a quarter and a freezer.  We don't have any of those measly quarters lying around so we had to use a gold dollar. 

The experiment is really easy.  However rather than type it out, I'll let you read how to do the experiment here.  Make sure you read the short result section so you can explain what is happening to your kids, or if you have a little scientist like I do, have him read it and explain it to you :)

Tips: 
*Rather than say the coin is vibrating you may choose to say the bottle is burping to get your kids to laugh and have even more fun.  Why do kids like potty talk so much?
*When you are explaining about how the molecules speed up and start vibrating more you can talk about how heat is energy and that cold is simply the absence of heat.  When the air gets colder the air molecules slow down.  Isn't it interesting that heat is simply molecules moving around quickly?  This is an important basic concept I didn't even remember/know until my son taught me.
*If you can't remember what exactly a molecule is read up here. 

30 Days of Science - Day 3

These are not regular beads, they are UV beads.  They start out a nearly white color and then change in the sun.  Luke's teacher from last year, Mrs. Crowder, did the neatest experiment with the beads.  She taught the kids about sunscreen.  She had the kids put various numbers of sunscreen on the beads.  When you take the beads in the sun you can tell which ones have the most SPF protection by the amount of color they change.  Luke was beyond excited about this science project!  In addition to learning more about how sunscreen works, Mrs. Crowder taught the kids about the various UV rays. 

Need a quick refresher course on UV rays or how sunscreen works?  Read here. 
Need a good place to buy the UV beads?  I like buying from Steve Spangler.  Don't forget to click on his experiment and video tabs. 

30 Days of Science - Day 2

I looked around my house the other day and noticed we had at least 8 science projects going on.  My son Luke absolutely loves science and is constantly coming up with new things to try.  Megan isn't passionate about science the way Luke is, but she has a great time, each time Luke does an experiment.  I decided to do this 30 days of science as a fun way to share the experiments he is working on.

Can you guess what the experiment is here?  About a year ago Luke begged me for days to buy a plant.  He wanted to test the theory that plants grow towards sunlight.  With this ivy plant he was able to discover first hand that the theory was correct.  We rotate it from time to time or it would be leaning a little bit towards the light.

30 Days of Science - Day 1

Anyone want to guess what you are looking at?

These are Insta-Worms!  You can make them long, short, skinny, thick or even into little dots.  It's a fun Chemistry experiment.  We used a kit Luke got for his birthday.  You can buy them from Steve Splangler.  Make sure to click on the experiment and video tabs so can learn more.  The Steve Spangler website is very informative if you click on all of the tabs. 

There are also a lot of learning opportunities with this wacky stuff.  It's a fun chemistry experiment.  You take a liquid that is used to thicken pies and other things called sodium alginate (aka worm goo) and squeeze it out of a little bottle into a calcium solution.  Immediately the liquid worm goo turns into a solid can look like a worm if you squeeze the liquid the right way.  My picture shows a globby mess we had fun creating. 

When you are playing with this fun kit you can talk about molecules.  The sodium alginate (worm goo)  is actually a long chain of molecules called a polymer.  Later in this 30 days of science I'll show you some other really fun polymer activities. 

For now, if you want an easy way to learn more about molecules and polymers you can read up here.  Truthfully, I  rarely know any of these science terms until I do a quick google search and start experimenting with my kids.  My little scientist Luke teaches me a lot too.  It's amazing how much I learn either from my kids or in an attempt to teach my kids.

$1,500 Scholarship!!!

Today is a day we will never forget.  Luke won the State Pinewood Derby Championship and got a $1,500 scholarship from America First.  I can hardly believe it!  Thank you so much America First! We almost didn't go to compete because Keith was so busy but he decided at the last second he could go.  I'm so glad we did.  It was a really exciting day. 

If you know Luke, you know he is a really calm kid.  He was fun to watch during the race.  He looked calm but he was so nervous.  He had butterflies in his stomach, his palms were sweaty and he tried to figure out what his heart rate was because he said it was racing. 



Luke was able to do well competing against most people.  This picture shows the first people he raced against today.  Notice Luke's car is the red one that has already crossed the finish line. 

This picture shows the qualifying heat with the top four cars.  It was a really close race.  Luke's car won by a fraction of a second.

For anyone who might be interested in what a winning Pinewood Derby car looks like, here are the top four cars.

Here are the top 32 cars and their times.

Megan raced too.  She entered the open race where girls and adults could race.  Megan got 9th place.  

Luke plans on being a dentist and recently he decided he wants to get a PHD too.  Whatever he does, this scholarship will come in handy.  I'm so excited that he is able to say he got his first scholarship at 10!  I'm really hoping this helps motivate him to want to get more scholarships.  Luke really loves learning and loves telling people he is going to be a dentist or get a PHD.  He also loves science.  He is our science geek and everyone in his grade knows him by his love for science.  Working on the Pinewood Derby car goes hand in hand with his love of science because Luke had to learn a lot about physics to make a fast car.  It's pretty cool all of the things he learned in creating this car with his dad.  Occasionally I've heard jokes about how the dads do all of the work.  Obviously a lot of that is true because these boys can't use power tools and don't know how to use other tools well.  However, the kids have the opportunity to learn so much too.  In Luke's case, it was a lot more than learning how to cut, sand and paint the car.  There is physics, math, geometry and other things that go into a fast car.   It's been neat watching Luke and his dad together with this. 

The Star People

About 6 years ago I started a book for my kids.  I never finished it and I'm pretty sure I never will.  It was fun for a while, but I had a hard time getting the pictures I wanted as well as the time to finish it.  Here are three of the pages that would have been in the book.  It was going to be a story about Lukadukie, his star friends and the crazy adventures they had while trying to rescue the princess, Megalooska, who was locked in the ice castle.  Lukadukie went lots of fun places including a world where everything turned yellow. 

I think my kids would have loved being the stars of the book.  When they were little I used to tell them stories about Lukadukie and Megalooska at bedtime.  I'd make up whatever crazy things were on my mind and the kids would laugh and laugh and laugh.  It was a lot of fun. 

Reasons For Keeping a Journal

Reasons for keeping a journal…

1)       Find Yourself:  Discover who you really are by recording your feelings thoughts, opinions, beliefs, hopes, fears, experiences, etc.  Writing in-depth about and to yourself helps clarify who you are, what you believe, and what you want to do with your life.

2)      Become Organized:  When you know yourself clearly by writing honestly and in detail, you mind becomes focused.  You feel more at peace with yourself.  And, journal writing can organize your daily life, too, by recording things that you need or want to do.  You know where you’re going.  Journal writing helps you stop, think and plan carefully.

3)      Solve Problems:  Getting all of your thoughts on paper can make you think in new ways by tapping into your subconscious and getting all of your ideas on paper.  This allows you to see a problem in a new light and find solutions for it. 

4)      Become Creative:  Jot down inspiring thoughts or ideas and collect them.  Certain writing techniques can help you tap into your subconscious and inspire poems, short stories, drawings, music, or whatever you like to do to express yourself.  The act of writing allows you to think and concentrate more so that your mind works at a deeper, more intuitive level.  Plus the journal itself can become an expression of your artistic abilities.  You can fill your journal with artwork, collages, stickers, mementos, magazine and newspaper clippings, and more, making it as much a part of you as the thoughts recorded in it.

5)      Find Sanctuary:  Writing to yourself in your journal is a great way to escape from chaotic feelings or events; or just to escape from the mundanity of everyday life and delve into your more exciting inner life.  Separating yourself from the outside world gives you a stronger sense of your own identity as an individual human being.  Taking time for yourself also generates a great sense of peace and well-being, boosting your confidence and self-esteem. 

6)      Emotional Therapy:  Your journal can act as your own best friend or a proverbial ‘shoulder to cry on’.  It is always there to listen and never criticizes or talks back.  By unburdening yourself of difficult thoughts feelings, you lower stress.  Problems don’t seem so bad when they become mere words on a page. 

7)      Enjoy Life:  Life doesn’t have to be all gloom and doom.  By recording things that make you happy, listing your favorite things about being alive, celebrating the good things in your life, you become a happier person; more appreciative and grateful for what you do have, rather than depressed for what you don’t.  Writing your perception of life as you’re living it gives you a better sense of the world around you and your place in it.  Even the most mundane things can become profound and meaningful if you are to take the time to use all of your senses and record what you experience in your journal.  Writing about the little things in life makes you feel that you are living life to the fullest and that you are coming to know everything life as to offer.  Each of us has our own unique sense of perception and set of experience, so use your journal to celebrate your uniqueness.  Your journal saves your experiences so you’ll always remember them. 

8)      Timeline:  As you keep a journal over months and years, it becomes a record of your accomplishments, travels, personal growth; a time capsule capturing who you were at certain moments in the past.  Recording the who, what, when, where, why and how of pas events helps you remember details you probably would have forgotten had you not written them down.  Having a record of what you did with your life gives you a feeling of accomplishment; that your life was not wasted.

9)      Communicate Better:  Without even realizing it, writing in your journal regularly will improve your writing and communication skills.  You become better and better at expressing yourself on paper, which is the key to quality writing.  Writing in a journal is much like talking to a close friend or telling a story.  And having your thoughts organized on paper allows you to communicate those thoughts in a clearer way, whether speaking or writing. 

10)   Personal/Family History:  Keeping a journal during the course of your entire life creates a valuable record of who you were, what you did, what you thought, what you liked and disliked, your superstitions and quirks, etc. – it’s a record of your identity.  Leaving your journal with friends or descendants after you’re gone helps them remember you (and probably know you better than before) from reading your journals.  Imagine if your great-great-grandparents had left behind their journals (instead of, in most cases a few worn photographs, their names, dates of birth and death, and a few half-forgotten stories your grandma told you about them).  You would know so much more about what kind of people they were, even though you would never meet them.  You would know of their struggles and triumphs, their opinions and beliefs.  You would know what life was like during their time.  You would know about other relatives or friends who shared time with them.  You would know how they raised your great –grandparent and passed on family traditions.  A journal is a link to the past.  Someday the present we are living in now will become the distant past, too.  Writing a journal is also a link to the future. 

I didn't come up with these reasons and I unfortunately don't know who I should give credit to.  I found these online back when I first started using the internet and back then I didn't even think to write down who the author was. 

I love these reasons for keeping a journal.  I have always been impressed by how well the person who wrote this was able to express their feelings on the subject.  I completely agree with everything written above and could have never said it better myself.  Tonight my sister Angie asked me to speak in her Relief Society about some of my thoughts on personal and family history.  I'm excited because this is one of my favorite topics. 

Sledding

Photo by Kraig Oaks

My brother-in-law Kraig took this picture and I love it!  He used a technique called HDR to make the colors really stand out.  This was a neat day.  We went to Vernal for our annual Christmas Tree Hunt with Keith's parents and his brother Kraig's family.  After we got our tree Keith tied strings on to the kids sleds and ran up and down the road with them.  As you can imagine the kids were in heaven.  It was a lot of fun to see them having so much fun with their dad. 

Sleepover #2

The Oaks Girls

lots of fun - lots of noise - very little sleeping - smiles -

laughter - a bit of fighting - great memories :) 

The three on the right got to sleep over.  The two on the left just got to come and play a couple hours.  Baby T slept the two hours he was at our house so does that count as his first sleepover?

Sleepover

Keith and I gave Megan matching PJ's for her and her doll as well as 3 other sets that fit her cousins so she could have a really fun sleepover.  Last night the Thorup cousins slept over.  Friday we get the Oaks cousins.  Aren't they cute together?

Notice the matching plates and cups for the girls and dolls for their special under the table tea party.

Thanks Santa!

I love spoiling my kids.  I wish I could spoil them as much as Santa does. 

Megan's big gift was her American Girl doll.  She named it Jane.  She absolutely loves it and I LOVE watching her enjoy it.  She took her doll to church Christmas morning and it was so much fun watching so many people watch her.  Megan and her doll look alike and they both wore the same dress.  You could tell people just loved watching her with her doll.  I imagine many of the women flashed back to the days when they were little and had a special doll.  I thought it was funny that Megan couldn't take her eyes off her doll during church and then I realized I was doing the exact same thing!  I couldn't take my eyes off Megan!  It was fun.  Keith also had fun watching Megan.  Keith had Megan sitting right next to him and he had her cuddled up in his arm.  For a while whenever Megan would do something to her doll like stroke her hair, Keith would do the same to Megan.  It was hilarious and the people behind us (especially Sister Mower) were laughing so hard! 

Luke's main gift was his solar panel.  He is such a fun little geeky kid.  He loves anything science and lately is really interested in things that create electricity.  Can you see his t-shirt?  It says Ge Ni U S.  Genius written from the periodic table.  Luke saw that shirt in a magazine and was dying to have it!  Another big hit from Santa was his Infared Thermometer.  It's a laser-sighted infrared gun-style thermometer that can tell the temperature of anything by just pointing at it.  It's pretty interesting and a great gift for our little scientist.  After church Luke was really excited to tell people about his presents.  I think he likes the surprised reactions he gets.  As you can imagine he got some strange looks from people when he would tell them how excited he was to get a solar panel and a infared thermometer.  His primary teacher said he wouldn't be surprised if Luke won the Nobel Peace Prize one day.  Luke thought that was great.

Church on Christmas was really nice.  I literally worried about going at 9:00 a.m. for half of the year but it worked out well.  Keith and I tried to get the bishop to change the time to 10 or later but they wouldn't go for it.  Obviously church and Jesus Christ are the most important things on Christmas, but I really think Christmas morning family traditions are important too.   I was so scared we wouldn't be able to do everything we wanted before going to Church but because we got up at 6:30 and had as much done as we could the night before things worked out ok, and we got to church only a few seconds after it began.  It was a nice service.  I especially liked the things our bishop spoke about that day.  He has a gentle way of inspiring me to want to serve more people.

Christmas Morning

On our way to church :)

All I Want For Christmas...

In an effort to get things to go our way, we sang two songs a lot this Christmas.  No matter how hard we sang, "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth", we never were able to get that second front tooth out.  It was loose though.  I kept bugging Meg to pull it out because I always wanted a child with two missing front teeth on Christmas.  She told me I could yank it out while she was sleeping but I just couldn't bring myself to do that.
We also tried really hard to get a white Christmas by singing "Let it Snow" over and over.  That didn't work either.  Christmas always feels strange without snow on the ground. 

For Me

Hello Blog. I've missed you. Lately I have been creating color boards on Pintrest. I've created them in Flickr and loved my color boards there, but I'm especially loving my color boards on Pintrest http://pinterest.com/oakapr/. Most of the pictures I use aren't mine. I just think each picture is interesting and even more interesting when it is next to pictures with the same color.

Thorup 5K

Last Saturday our family participated in the “Thorup 5K”. It was my mom and sister Angie’s idea. It was SO MUCH FUN! I loved it. The kids rode bikes or sat in strollers. My kids had a lot of fun keeping up with Erin and Matt in the front of the group. Keith and I followed a bit behind. It was fun watching the kids have fun. We saw a snake on the trail and Keith tried to get it for the kids, but decided it wasn’t worth it. That is my only regret. I wish the kids could have seen the snake, they would have loved it.

We started at the Park City Resort, passed by the beautiful white farm everyone photographs, and ended at Saint Mary’s Catholic Church. I have always wanted to see inside that beautiful church so it was fun to end there.

Here are my parents and all but two of the kids:

Angie designed the t-shirts and did everything for the kids award ceremony. I love the t-shirt design. Didn't she do great?

Keith and I like to imagine which memories our kids will have when they are older. It’s so much fun to be together as a family and know this might be that one bold memory they have of a certain time of their life. We think they might especially remember pulling apart cat tails and watching them blow in the wind. Who knows?

SYTYCD

Finally! My favorite show of all time is on. Are you watching this season?

Smartie Pants

I've always known Luke was smart, but last night I realized he is smarter than I think. He is so quiet, I know it's hard for his teachers to know what he is capable of learning too.

Last night his uncle Matthew started explaining to Luke how he cut and broke his finger and the medical science of how his hand was healing. Matthew was going on in really great detail how your body heals itself and what doctors do to aide the healing. Luke (as usual) was completely focused on each word he said. Luke loves learning from Matthew (the last talk they had was on DNA).

As Matthew got to the part about his stitches, he told Luke the stitches are a special type of stitch his body can eat. Then he started explaining something about the white blood cells eating the stitches. Luke raised his hand and said, "Yeah, they are neutrophils right?"

The rest of us in the room started laughing because none of us even knew what neutrophils were. My dad commented that, up until then, he thought Matthew was completely boring Luke.

Matthew kept teaching Luke and talking to him about all sorts of things related to his hurt finger. He started talking to Luke about bone marrow, but gave Luke the short explanation of what it is. Luke stopped him and said, "Actually..." then Luke went on to explain how bone marrow is different in children and Luke was right. Hahahaha! My cute little boy!

I asked Luke where he learned this and he said it was all from a book he read. Although he is an excellent reader I am still surprised he not only remembered all of these medical words but could pronounce them right after reading the book by himself.

Luke has an incredible long term memory. Ironically, his short term memory is terrible. He amazes me.

It's going to be a fun summer...

Today was a big day for Megan. She learned how to ride her bike without training wheels. It was so exciting to see her figure it out and ride down the sidewalk.

The other day Luke's friend learned how to ride a bike at our house too. He wanted to ride a bike, but had never riden one without training wheels. I gave him Luke's old 16" bike and told him to just try it. I didn't want to run up and down the street with him. After getting used to putting his feet down to stop him for a couple minutes he was riding all over the place. Because he learned so easy that way, I decided to have Megan try it that way. Today was her third day trying it by herself. I could tell she was close, but she was really scared. Christina and her kids came over, and when they got here Megan must have decided she wanted to show off because she immediately figured out how to ride her bike. I loved sharing that moment with Christina. She is such a great sister (in law) and friend.

By the way... do you notice the snow boots? It was snowing big giant snowflakes this morning and the snow stuck to the ground. It was an inch or two deep before it stopped. By 2:30 it almost felt like spring again. Crazy Utah weather. I personally loved the snow today, but I'm very excited for spring-like weather.

Fishing

The kids have been taking a fishing class this spring. It's the neatest class and only $10 for 6 weeks. Fortunately for me, Keith has taken the kids each week and I've tagged along a couple times. Originally I thought I would be the one taking them and I was really nervous I'd have to touch the fish and the worms so I was really glad when Keith came. However, if Keith didn't come there have been plenty of volunteers to help and I would have been just fine. The volunteers have been amazing. Our kids have learned a lot.

Megan finally caught her first fish this week. Luke still hasn't caught one (and we've been to 4 classes). Megan caught her fish with a worm she found in the backyard. I had the kids dig for worms before the class and they loved it. Megan is such a cool girl (unlike me). She will touch bugs and worms and fish without a problem. I barely like to even look at them, but I'm trying to be tougher and at least fake my "love" for these things so my kids will enjoy it and not be scared of things.

Hello Again!

Last night Amy and I went downtown to take HDR pictures. So fun! It rained a bit, but she didn't mind. I love that. We had a great time taking pictures and hanging out downtown. Here is my favorite picture of the night.

I've been busy and not at all busy at the same time. I really feel sad not recording more of my life here on my blog (or anywhere), but I don't at the same time. Does anyone have a clue what I mean? Life is good. I'm happy with what I'm doing and love hanging out with my kids. Hope you all have a great day!