My New Puppy

Here's my new puppy. His name is Bowser. He was born on October 6th, 2009 and is 2 months old now. He likes to chew on EVERYTHING and he sure does go potty a lot! He is a Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier and will get up to about 35 lbs. Here is a picture of a full grown Wheaten Terrier. Notice the change in hair color. Bowser will eventually become this color, too.

Surfin' Safari

My Aunt Juli took me to the Wisconsin Dells and we went to an indoor waterpark called Kalahari. It was a lot of fun and had so many thrilling rides. I decided to try some body surfing. I was the youngest person in line, but I still wanted to do it. On my first try, I wiped out big time----check out the video:

On my second try, I did GREAT!!! I rode for a long, long time. It was so much fun!!! Check it out:

Walking With Dinosaurs

My mom and I went to see Walking With Dinosaurs at the Cedar Park Center. The dinosaurs were very realistic and were life-size. Some of the dinosaurs we got to see were Allosaurus, Utahraptor, Ankylosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Plateosaurus, Stegasaurus, Plateosaurus, and Tyrannosaurus Rex. The T-Rex was by far my favorite. The show was a little scary at times and very loud, but I really enjoyed it. I would definitely like to see it again.

Holey Leakproof Bag of Water!!!!!!!!!!!

Materials Needed:

• ziplock bag
• pencils
• pencil sharpener
• water
• food coloring

Step 1: Sharpen your pencils with a pencil sharpener. In order for this experiment to work, the pencil points need to be very sharp.






Step 2: Fill the ziplock bag halfway full of water.



Step 3: For contrast, add some drops of food coloring. Seal the bag.

Step 4: Take sharp pencils and poke them into the bag of water, using a circular motion. Do you see any leaks? NOPE!!!

Step 5: Slowly remove pencils and observe what happens. Now you have some leaks!

The Science behind the experiment:

Zip Lock bags are made from plastic. Plastic is made of polymers which are long chains of molecules cross linked together. Polymers are what makes plastic bags and balloons stretchy. When we poke through the zip lock bag with pencils the polymers are pushed aside but remain bonded by the cross-links - keeping the water inside. The polymers re-seal around the pencil. Amazing!

Eagle Pride Award

The principal invited us to a reception this week. Connor was being honored for being an "Eagle Pride" student. He got an award for outstanding behavior. We are so proud of him!

Bubbling Wizard's Brew

It was very rainy today, so it was a PERFECT day to do a science experiment. Today we did "Bubbling Wizard's Brew". Here's what you'll need to do this experiment:

clean glass jar(s), clear vinegar, food dye, glitter, dishwashing liquid, baking soda, a teaspoon, a mixing spoon, a large baking tray

DIRECTIONS: Fill the glass jars halfway with the clear vinegar and add several drops of food coloring.

Now sprinkle a little fine glitter over the top of the vinegar/food coloring mixture.

Add a good squeeze of dishwashing liquid to the jars.

Then, gently stir the mixture with a metal spoon to mix everything together. Put the jars in the middle of a large baking tray. Add a heaping teaspoon of baking soda to the jars and see what happens!

WOW! I like how the glitter made the brew look magical. You could add some star shaped confetti to make it look even more magical.

HOW IT WORKS: The foam is caused by a chemical reaction. The mixing of vinegar and baking soda creates lots of tiny gas bubbles. The bubbles then churn up the dishwashing liquid, making even more foam.

To see this experiment and many more other fun activities, check out "The Usborne Big Book of Science Things to Make and Do."