The Mad Mad Scientist

It was an exciting day. We had a visiting scientist who came to direct us in an experiment. Nicholas Eastman (Mrs. E's oldest child who is a senior at Notre Dame) was kind enough to donate his time to conduct a science experiment. Nick talked with the kids about ice and how it's cold but you can still hold it in your hand. He also reminded them this kind of ice is made from frozen water. He explained there is this other kind of ice (dry) that is so cold it will stick to your skin if you touch it. He surprised them when he told them it is NOT made of water. But that it is made of something else ... a gas called carbon dioxide. You would have been so proud! There were so many intelligent questions. Nicholas even said he was surprised at how smart they were! We've been telling everyone! So Nick put hot tap water in a bowl and added some glycerin bubbles. He had a small chunk of dry ice and dropped it in the bowl. Boy were they excited to watch it smoke and listen to the bubbles gurgle. Heck, we were excited! Thanks, Nick. It was a memorable day!

The kids also learned a great deal about penguins. We talked about the fact that no penguins (except those in captivity) live in the Northern Hemisphere. The rest live in South America, Australia and Antarctica. They all seemed to know these were birds that cannot fly. See how smart? They were quite surprised to learn, however that the largest off all penguins -- the Emperor -- is taller than most of our children. He is 4 ft. tall and lives in Antarctica ... they like it cold.

Our sight word this week was "ME". They easily sounded out this word. We practiced writing it.

We are excited to talk with you all at conferences. These guys and gals are so intelligent it is obvious that you all talk about a great deal and spend loads of time with them. It's so nice to see and it has definitely made them attentive, smart, curious young people. Keep up the good work. They have absorbed so much since the beginning of the year. We can't wait to share with you. See you on Friday.