Rainy Day Science

May 12, 2009

We had a couple rainy days last week. Time to pull out the big "educational" guns. An old printer that stopped working earlier this year and that Damien (secretly) stashed for such a time as this - rainy days & restless kiddos stuck indoors.

The taking apart continues still and we finally put the pieces that were spread all over the living room floor into a bin to save our feet from stray circuit boards and electronic do-dads. It was too bad we couldn't have it fixed; many modern electronics cost more to fix than to buy new (but don't get me going on planned obsolescence). Although the pieces will all eventually end up in the landfill (ouch) at least for now we're extending it's useful life as an educational tool.

Just when I start to wonder if the kids are learning anything "scientific" from taking apart the trash they show us how the printer's mirrors make reverse/inverse(?) reflections. And Celine pipes up, "Did you know that the way the light comes in your eyes you would see everything upside down? Your brain sorts it out."

Hum... she must of read that somewhere because I certainly didn't teach it to her. Maybe our everyday life approach to learning science (read lots of books, nature study, take apart stuff and mix baking soda and vinegar in the kitchen) is actually working.