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In: childhood, Phoenix
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Raising kids with a “can do!” attitude… Ever since Kat could walk, we’ve been getting our hands dirty. We build, we dig, we collect, and we examine. We try to see problems as challenges and questions tend to invite ideas and quests to find answers. Of course, we all have our strengths and weaknesses, but we’re always seeking to build our skills and improve our outlooks. I’ve wanted Kat to grow up feeling empowered, capable, and confident. So far, she has had little trouble powering through and looking for the next fun thing.Read More →

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In: anatomy, animals, biology
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Warning: This post contains graphic images of a bat dissection. Last month, Kat and I spent quite a bit of time learning about bats and their diets and habitats. One of the highlights of our research was when we compared bat skeletons to the skeletons of other creatures. The most interesting comparisons came when we looked at bats, birds, and humans. The first similarity that comes to mind when comparing bats with birds is their shared ability to fly. Both skeletons are light enough to facilitate that, and some of their bones are fused together in similar ways in order to decrease the amount ofRead More →

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In: biology, chemistry, holidays
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Halloween is the month for all things creepy and it’s a great time for playing with science! There are a lot of great science projects that can carry a Halloween theme, ranging from glow in the dark potions (that you can drink!) to dancing gummy worms. Halloween is a great time to bring out the fun in chemistry, and teach some really interesting concepts at the same time! I wanted to kick off our month of Halloween chemistry with a spooky take on an old idea. The experiment we conducted involved the science of decomposition and preventing the biological processes that cause it. We followed the simpleRead More →

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In: animals, biology, Phoenix
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October is the month for all things related to Halloween and Kat and I have begun decorating our house in full festive fashion! While we were cutting out bat silhouettes to line our spooky hallway, we began talking about the animals themselves. We knew the basics: they are mammals, they fly, and they use sonar to find their food. Beyond that, we didn’t really know much about them. So, for the next two weeks, we learned a lot about bats, played batty games, and even went to a local bat colony! Bats are really quite fascinating. We’ve all heard the phrase “blind as a bat”,Read More →

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In: DIY, holidays
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The Halloween season approaches…. Halloween is coming up, which means it’s about to get very exciting in my house! Every year, we celebrate Halloween by baking Halloween cookies, having Halloween decorating parties, and decking out the inside of our house with all kinds of creepy Halloween fun! This year, we wanted to get a head start on our Halloween decorating. Summer in Arizona has been very hot, and we’ve been anxious to get some cooler temperatures and head in to fall. Since we’re still in the 100 degree range, we’ll just have to pretend it’s cold, make some baked apples, and start thinking about theRead More →

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In: art and science, biology, microscope
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These last two months have seen quite a bit of experimentation and marveling at the varieties of life that can be found under the microscope. It began with the finding of a standing water pond environment, and has culminated in a month long pond Ph experiment that is still running! While we were looking at the science of life, we couldn’t help but allow ourselves to be drawn into the artistic side of it too.Read More →

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In: biology, microscope
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Kat and I were outside watering our flowers when we came upon a rather disgusting sight. Our rarely used wall fountain was filled with a pool of murky brown water. Apparently, it had been filled a week before and forgotten about and was now filled with who knows what. As I looked over the murky water, only one thought crossed my mind.Read More →

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In: art and science, DIY, electronics, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
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During the last few weeks, I have been seeing a lot of pictures of robots made out of old electrical components. There are so many great ideas out there, and it is such a great way to get some use out of old broken electronics! One of my favorites was a little group of robots made from LED’s and Diodes. They had been formed into a band called LED Zeppelin.  They were so cute, I really wanted to make some!Read More →

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In: engineering, math, physics
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Let’s get this ball rolling! I am fascinated with Rube Goldberg Machines. I remember when Pee Wee’s Big Adventure came out, one of my very favorite scenes was when he woke up, and this elaborate machine made his breakfast. I thought, how cool it would be to wake up to a pancake breakfast every morning, without having to do anything!Read More →

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In: chemistry, childhood, physics
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Have you ever rubbed a balloon on your head and watched the hair stand up? Have you ever tried to bend water? Did you know that you can turn on a light without flipping the switch? The secret is in the static. Static Electricity! Electricity is all around us. We can see it as lightning in the sky, and we can use it as we power the many electrical devices in our homes. It is even present in our own bodies as the neurons in our brains fire off electrical impulses, resulting in the messages that cause our muscles to move. Electricity is the physicalRead More →