Aftermath

Half Term Holiday week was fabulous - thirteen different family visitors - the girls and their families, Julian, my bro and SIL, and Bob's sister and BIL. They liked the kitchen  "Calm and tranquil" said Gaz. "Surprisingly tidy" said Steph. Steph, Liz and Julian quickly learned the new locations for stuff, and helped out with meal prep. The children were bright and cheerful - crafts and science with Grandma, stories and steam engines with Grandad...

Jess was eager to make floating flowers again. She explained it all to Bob. But 17 seconds is an awful long time for a three year old to wait...

Last September, when we were putting away the patio parasol, I noticed it was very ripped and holey round its top section. I made a new piece "So I will not have to repair it when we get it our again."

But when we got it out two weeks ago, the top was OK - but the rest was completely perished along its fold-lines where it had been packed away! 

See the holes marked in green. Steph brought us a new cover from Manchester IKEA and all was well again. We were grateful for the shade on the very sunny days.

Now all bedding and towels have been laundered, in the bathroom the little step stool has been folded and tucked away, and the pirate ship and ducks moved to the end of the bath [so they won't impede laundry on the drying rack]And we are eating p meals made of random leftovers.

The June calendar is surprisingly full - but for a few days I shall really miss them all. Their presence makes such an impact

Science Superheroes!

 

This event has been brilliant, On Monday Bob and I went with Rosie to Norwich School for "Amazing Animals" 

Nate from the Braintastic Team challenged us...Could you solve a puzzle quicker than a dolphin? Test your intelligence against the world’s most incredible animals in this fun show from Braintastic! Science. Packed with interactive games and activities, you’ll get the chance to complete real life animal intelligence challenges as you help to solve tricky logic puzzles. From parrots to primates, discover the amazing abilities of our animal cousins and learn more about the diversity of life on Earth.
That was fascinating - and 'the girl in the rainbow jumper' was the first one picked to solve a puzzle, and did it instantly. We were very proud of her.
On Wednesday I took Ro in very early, and we began with "Light Up The City" a workshop about electricity. This time, she was chosen to be the switch in the circuit. I cannot decide if it is her smiling face, glowing red hair, enthusiastic arm waving, or a very distinctive jumper - but she was often the one called upon to answer the questions. After that we had elevenses then spent hours visiting all the stands in the Forum

I loved

• the table of capes and masks provided for the photo-op. 
• Hands-on activities [bird masks, key rings, colouring, making paper aeroplanes and more] VR headsets
• Gifts- bags, pens, colouring books, badges
• Ticketed events, in venues across the City Centre - many where the child pays for the ticket- but the accompanying adult has free admission.
• Adults spending time enthusing about their specialisms in a language understandable to children
• Special shout out to UCL, who had come up from London to promote science/STEM subjects. "My parents work at UCL" said Ro, proudly, "and my sister is in the UCL Nursery"
• And RW, the German company currently constructing the Norfolk Offshore Windzone, running their pipeline across the county [and through the edge of our village.] We found Cornerstones on their detailed map - and noted its proximity to the work.
• Rosie absolutely loved her day, and learned a lot. "That's the best explanation of offshore wind turbines I have heard from a child this week" said one scientist.

This event happens every February half term, and families come from all over the county. It is so well planned, and offers something for everyone. Yesterday we left home at 9 and arrived back at 5!

I know things like this happen in London - but to have such a superb opportunity out here in "The Far East" every year, is utterly splendid. 

Do you have anything like this where you are?

Floating Flowers

 

Jess and Rosie were with us on Friday afternoon. Following her trip to UCL two weeks ago, Jess is still fired up by the idea of science, and said she wanted to do a science experiment. So I did this one with her

I made up a little story as we decorated the flowers and bugs, about how the bug snuggled into the petals and fell asleep, then the petals closed up for the night [we have talked about this before and the whole daisy = day's eye thing] And then the wind blew the flower onto a puddle and the next morning...

As the bottom of the flower gets wet, the water soaks in and makes the fibres swell, so the petals open slowly and gently as if by magic. It is a super little experiment and so easy. We made 4 flowers&bugs, and after trying out the first two, the family were called to observe, and make their predictions . I share it with you in case you have any littl'uns to amuse this summer!

Our first experiment, making a water filled plastic bottle spin round did not work well at all! This one needs more work! [Grandma should have tried it out beforehand I think]

UPDATE in the comments below, Alison mentions Kusudama flowers. These are a little more complicated, better suited to adults and older children. The link is here KUSUDAMA

Young Scientists!

UCL - University College London is consistently ranked among the top ten universities in the world, and rated 2nd in the UK for research power. It was the first British University to award degrees to women - and 150 years ago was a pioneer in Engineering Education. This year, to celebrate a century and a half of that Engineering, UCL held a festival, showcasing all the brilliant stuff they do.

Jon was heavily involved in planning and delivering this event - and got tickets for Rosie, Jess,Bob and myself to visit on Saturday. It was great fun, and we learned lots [and I was too busy to take more pictures]

The girls learned about blood, brains and bones. And lasers, and undersea exploration, and scanners...and so much more

I was impressed by the patient way students explained things to all the children [and adults] The atmosphere was lovely. Jess loved her wristband [which she insisted on calling her bandage] Then a rather splashy handwashing session after lunch in Leon caused it to completely disintegrate. The girl on the entrance desk cheerfully gave her a new one. As the afternoon wore on, we had a quick trip to the Playground next door. 

Jess and I got the bus home, and Rosie and Bob stayed on for a lecture in Bloomsbury Theatre with Andrew Smyth, aerospace engineer, creator and judge of Netflix Baking Impossible. When she got home later, Ro told me all about materials and floating and sinking - how they each had a rice krispie cake and a chocolate button to assist with the experiments. She was positively bubbling with excitement. And did you know, Grandma, that Cadbury's Mini Rolls are the favourite snack of cross channel swimmers? Because if you are attempting this feat, you are not allowed to touch the people accompanying you in the support boat. But CMRs float - so they can throw you a snack and you can gobble it up without breaking the rules! [Its chocolate coat helps it float]

The girls both consider themselves part of the UCL family - their parents work there, and both have loved belonging to the staff nursery. Rosie met up with a buddy from her nursery days and they had a great chat together.

So much work goes into an event like this, and I was so glad we could go with the children. It was all free, too. If it encourages more young people to think about a career in engineering or research, it will be worth al the hard work.

Thank you Jon, and the rest of your team, for making this festival happen!

Magic!

It was a real joy to see the family on Saturday - and the weather was glorious, we had lunch in the garden. Rosie collected her gift from the Museum, which had been sitting here waiting for her, and Jess went into the igloo with a puppet [the paramedic is her favourite]

And the girls and I went into the kitchen to make a Magic Potion It is such a simple activity, with amazing results. Rosie and I put on aprons, and Jess donned the Unicef Tee Shirt which is the official family coverall for messy activities. 

I can really recommend this one if you have preschool and primary children to entertain. 

You need

• APRONS!
• A cupful of red cabbage
• Knife and chopping board
• Water
• Lemon juice
• 2 jugs or mixing bowls
• A sieve
• A teaspoon for each child
• Some small containers [we had plastic trifle dishes, and tiny jampots]

Method
Use your discretion - some tasks must be done by the adult. Start by reminding the children it is called red cabbage although it is purple. Can they guess what colour it will turn the cooking water? 

• Chop the cabbage finely 
• Tip it all into one jug
• Pour water [from second jug] till cabbage is just covered
• Discard remain water
• Microwave jug of cabbage, on "high" for 2 minutes.
• Pour cabbage into sieve, drain liquid into second jug. 
• The cabbage can be put into compost/food waste /eaten! 
• ALLOW LIQUID TO COOL- what colour is it? Deep blue
• While it cools put your pots on a tray. Put a few drops of lemon juice in the little jars, and 50ml cold water in one of larger jars.
• Pour the blue liquid in larger jars, and show that when it goes in with the water, it becomes a light blue. 
• Now carefully take the tray to the rest of the family.
• Explain you are adding the clear liquid to the blue - can they predict what will happen? 
• Pour a little lemon juice into each large pot, stir gently
• Watch what happens

[our helpful adults predicted the water would go spotty, start fizzing or turn pink]

"We did science!" declared Jess. The colours were amazingly bright. 

It was great fun

Learn more here about the chemistry.