Science Fun

The making of a magic wand!

Start with some Polyacrylamide.....Abracadabra

add to some colored water..ala-cazam

wait an hour and now fill the wand with the jiggly crystals if you can!

Abracadabra, ala cazam, lets see if this magic wand is a sham...

Slime Time

A little polyvinyl alcohol, a little sodium tertraborate , and link together the long chains of molecules...the kids will have hours of fun!

                                                                            Slime mustache

                                                    Slime glob

                                                      Slime hat

                                                      Talk to the slime!

Geyser Time

We're off to make a geyser....

                                          All you need is some nucleation sites...A.K.A. Mentos

                                          and carbon dioxide bubbles...aka COLA

                                                       then....run,run,run, as fast as you can

                                                      There she blows!

Observation time 

Ant watching

                                              Plant watching    

                                                               
                                            Opossum watching    

                                               Bird watching

                                           Horned worm eating my tomato plant watching :)

Vision Boards

 What is your vision of yourself and what your future holds.

My vision board

Hailey's vision board

                                                                          Ella's vision board

                                                                        Amber's vision board

“We are limited, not by our abilities, but by our vision.”

“Vision without a task is only a dream. A task without a vision is but drudgery. But vision with a task is a dream fulfilled.”

Simple

Why is it that simple is never simple?  When you look up the word simple in the dictionary there are so many definitions; 

1.

easy to understand, deal with, use, etc.: a simple matter;simple tools.

2.

not elaborate or artificial; plain: a simple style.

3.

not ornate or luxurious; unadorned: a simple gown.

4.

unaffected; unassuming; modest: a simple manner.

5.

not complicated: a simple design.

6.

not complex or compound; single.

7.

occurring or considered alone; mere; bare: the simple truth;a simple fact.

8.

free of deceit or guile; sincere; unconditional: a frank, simpleanswer.

9.

common or ordinary: a simple soldier.

10.

not grand or sophisticated; unpretentious: a simple way oflife.

11.

humble or lowly: simple folk.

Number 5 is one I find most ironic.  "Not complicated"....wow, sounds so.....simple :) Why is it, the more I try to simplify the more complicated things start to get? What does getting back to the basics really mean? 

Does it mean, cleaning out your closet? I tell you, I fill up three trash bags and still have more stuff than I know what to do with.  Going a month without buying something? But I need..." fill in the blank, there always seems to be something."  More family time?  Who's going to pay the bills, do the dishes, clean the house! Eating organic?  Why is it that the less ingredients a product has the more it cost? Less computer/t.v time? Living without the new must have piece of technology?  I could go on and on, but it's already sounding a bit complicated!  Not the simple life I was looking for. 

Seriously, how do you live a simple life when you are surrounded by a world of abundance that defines for you your "needs?"   Does living a simple life mean we can't be blessed with abundance? I really do like the new iPad! 

I just had an aha moment!  Living simply isn't about ones needs or desires, which can be defined by ones perspective.   It's about being satisfied no matter where you are in life. It's not about what you do or don't do, eat or don't eat, have or don't have. It's about living in the now, being present in the moment.  It's not about living simply, it's about simply living!