kandas-adventures

Sewage Treatment Plant Summer Camp!

What kid wouldn't want to go to camp at a sewage treatment plant?

Well, maybe this kid.  But, since her best friend was going, and this was Little K's last opportunity to attend daycamp (next year she'll be "too old"), she consented.  Of course she had a wonderful time!

We had visited Brightwater before, and their state of the art education facility and partnership with Islandwood Environmental Education Center promised a good time for campers, even if it was located within a sewage treatment plant.

They spent most of the week outdoors learning about wildlife, but plenty of time was devoted to the water treatment plant, too.  In addition to a full tour, they got to spend a lot of time with the exhibits in the education center.

Visuals and hands-on activities are the best teaching tools.

The camp "counselors" were all advanced graduates in education and environmental sciences.  Their passion was obvious and their enthusiasm contagious.

It was a day camp, and each day we watched another swallow jump from the nest near the education building door.  Sadly, on the last day, the final hatchling had waited too long, and was abandoned by the parents who had moved on to the field with the older siblings.  The kids were all traumatized to see the dead baby bird below the nest, but it was a true lesson in nature.

While Little K and her best friend were mucking about at camp, my daughter A and I did some "mommy-daughter" things.  We looked looked at antique stores.  We did some back-to-school shopping at thrift stores.  We took long walks and talked.

 
We went out for brunch at an impossible-to-get-into bakery cafe where even on a Tuesday the wait for a table was 90 minutes (on weekends the wait can be 4 hours or more). 

The camp was a bit far from home for a daycamp, but I was convinced it was worth the drive.  No other program of its caliber existed closer to home.  I felt a bit guilty burning up all that gas driving 45 minutes to an hour each way, given that it was an environmental camp and the kids were learning all about pollution, waste reduction, and how to conserve.  At least we were a carpool!

It is sad to think that day camp is over for my girls.  There just aren't many options for daycamp once a child turns 13 or enters middle school.  We looked into the few offerings for A (who is 13) but they all involved trips to paintball and laser tag facilities, or competitive sports she doesn't care to participate in.  Sleepover camp is not an option for A due to her medical condition, but K can do them, so maybe that is what will happen next year.  Or more than likely, we won't be able to afford camp at all, and we'll just have to enjoy each others' company!

Museum of Science and Industry -- Chicago

On Tuesday we headed to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.  Grammy was supposed to come with us in a wheelchair, but she was not feeling well and decided on another day of rest back at the hotel.  I went ahead and drove to the museum as planned, since taking public transit would have been a 4 hour roundtrip with multiple transfers.  We were paying by the day for the rental van, so might as well make use of it. The fact that I had to pay $20.00 to park the van was offset by the fact that my Pacific Science Center membership from Seattle would get us in under reciprocal privileges -- otherwise admission would have been $47.00 (plus tax) for the 3 of us.  

There was so much to explore and experience.  It truly was hands-on science.

We met up with our friends at the museum, shared lunch in the musuem's immense cafeteria, the "Brain Food Court," and got back out to the exhibits as quickly as possible.

This cracking sound of this lightning was deafening.  Fun to watch, but painful to hear.

I love how the kids are crowded around the computerized model "patient," trying to observe his eyes fluttering in a simulated seizure.  This was a timed group activity, where a museum staff member would bring the dummy "to life" and with a few commands from a nearby laptop, simulate different scenarios, such as heart attack or stroke.  They try to make it as authentic as possible, with variable respiration, pulse, etc.

I always opt to take the stairs when I can, and I'm so glad I did, because the enclosed stairwells contained even more exhibits!

We opted not to see the Animal Inside Out exhibit as the girls were a bit squeamish about it, however A was all over the human development exhibit, which showed 28 real human embryos and fetuses throughout gestation.  The specimens were originally donated to the museum in 1939!

While in the gallery I heard a lot of gasping, parents stumbling over answering their children's questions, and other parents saying, "Let's go" and turning on their heels and rushing their kids toward the exit as soon as they realized what they were looking at.  I looked in awe, thinking about how if these babies had been born and lived, they would all be elderly now.  What kind of lives would they have had?

Standing inside a tornado simulated with swirling vortex of air and vapor.

The transportaion gallery was a favorite of the girls.

We could look at model trains for hours.

Another discovery that we made at the museum was that my daughter A has a long-lost twin brother.  Above is a photo I attempted to casually take of the two of them together.  All day we kept crossing paths and the two teens would stare at each other while trying not to be obvious about it.  At one point I noticed the boy go up to a mirrored wall, with his back to us, and yet he was looking at A in the mirror's reflection.  I tried to convince A to go up to him and say hello, but she was mortally embarrassed and blushed deep red at the suggestion, despite her curiosity and attraction.  It was all I could do to keep myself from going up to the boy's mother and striking up a conversation about how similar our kids looked.  A told me she would run away if I did, so I restrained myself. It was really uncanny.  Their hair was the exact same color, their foreheads, eyebrows, noses, and jawlines were the same, and they were the same height and build.

We were among the last people to leave the museum.  By the time we were ushered out to the parking garage it was nearly empty, but of course we passed by A's doppelgänger and his parents on our way to our van, and the teens gave each other one last long look while at the same time A grabbed my hand and pulled me quickly onward so I didn't dare stop and embarrass her by talking with the boy's parents.

For anyone headed to Chicago with kids, I highly recommend a day devoted to the Museum of Science and Industry.  It is worth the high cost of admission and parking.

School Bus Roadeo 2013

I heard that A's bus driver was competing in the regional school bus roadeo.  I thought it would be fun to go and cheer her on, and she replied, "Well, if you like watching buses go VERY SLOWLY..."

The Roadeo was held in a high school parking lot a few cities north of us, really early on a Saturday morning.  A wasn't so happy about not being able to sleep in on a Saturday, but she was eager to come along once she rolled out of bed.  She was the only student to attend, and I was the only parent of a student.  Everyone else there was either a bus driver or the spouse of a bus driver.  There may have been a mechanic or two on hand also.

The drivers came from many different school districts and had been studying and practicing for months.  In addition to the road challenges, there was also a written test.  The drivers had to know everything about a bus, including all parts of the engine and braking system, and be able to explain how everything worked (and what to do if it didn't).  Then there were questions on the rules of the road, laws and regulations, and those terrible trick questions everyone hates involving numerical statistics one can never remember, such as this one:

The average perception time for an alert driver is:

a) 5&1/2 seconds 

b) 3&3/4 seconds 

c) 2&1/2 seconds

d) 1&3/4seconds 

The road test looked daunting.  The hosting organization arranged for the buses, which were brand new, and which almost none of the competitors had ever driven before.  This was a real challenge because the controls were in different places, and the sight-lines and mirrors were unfamiliar.  The competitors had no opportunity to examine or drive the bus before their turn in the competition.  The buses moved slowly through the course, but if they paused while performing a task, such as backing up, points were deducted.  Wheels had to keep moving until they completed the task, then the driver honked the horn and judges descended with measuring sticks and clipboards to evaluate.  Back-in parking, parallel parking with only 3 feet to spare on each end, sharp turns without hitting a curb, weaving through obstacles... it was slow, but a nail-biter none the less.

This challenge seemed the most onerous to me: getting the back dual tires through 5 sets of tennis balls with only 1.5 inches of clearance on each side.  The tennis balls were balanced on little tubes and tumbled off so easily, with the slightest vibration, so you had to be going very slowly... however if you hesitated and the bus stopped moving, points were deducted.  I watched competitor after competitor fail to get through without knocking over at least one tennis ball, but then A's driver moved through the course flawlessly. 

In case you are curious about just how intense and thorough this competition was, here's the handbook for it.

In the photo above you can see A's driver concentrating mightily while looking in the mirrors for the back-in parking task.  She is an amazing woman, 5 feet tall and all muscle, and when not behind the wheel of the bus she can be found on a bicycle training for or competing in grueling bike races of endurance and speed.  Despite her competitive streak she is warm, kind, and easy-going.  It was an honor to cheer her on, and she placed 5th overall.  Our district's team won the team championship.

Spring 2013 Recap

I haven't blogged in awhile.  Spring has been unfolding around me as I continue to muddle through a depressing job search (no one offers benefits anymore, or if they do, they expect you to work graveyard at minimum wage), major volunteer projects, an intensive 12 week Master Naturalist training course, busy kid schedules, getting the garden planted & re-landscaped, de-cluttering around the house, tending to the 10 cats & kittens living in my house (7 of which are fosters from the Humane Society), increasing hours helping my mom, and debilitating bouts of bronchitis and joint inflammation.  In fact, I just lost the last 4 days of my life to illness, during which I missed out on half a dozen long-anticipated events.  I hate being sick.

On the bright side, here are some photos from the last couple months that I never found time to blog about... and that prove to you that I haven't spent the last month in bed, although looking around me at all that needs doing, it seems like it.

Celebrating cherry blossoms in a random moment of happiness during a routine errand-running... between visiting the library and volunteering at the nursing home.

New birdfeeders to hang up at the nursing home (100+).  I negotiated with Girl Scouts, the retirement home, and the manufacturer of the feeders to purchase the feeders at cost.

Hanging the 100+ bird feeders (one for each resident's window).

Taking home the old feeders to clean and part-out the broken ones.  The old feeders will be donated.

A visit from Grandpa and his 80 year old sister (my Aunt Dot) who lives in Alaska.  And I am related to these people!

Flying our kite on the beach in Seattle.

A beautiful evening and sunset watching on the shores of Puget Sound.

After dark at the neighborhood stormwater retention pond, catching frogs by flashlight.

Watching them expand themselves as they sing is amazing, but even more exciting is holding them in your hand while they do that!

Last minute digging of as many flowering plants and shrubs as I can haul from the old farm property before the wrecking equipment arrives.  (I got special permission from the developer to go on the property for a few hours). 

Watching with tears in my eyes as the barn in torn down days later.

By volunteering for a long-range study we received a multi-year membership to the Science Center, saving us several hundred dollars and guaranteeing us lots of fun and learning.

Backstage tour at Seattle Children's Theater, followed by a performance.  I recently signed A up for a program that promotes the arts to teens by offering $5.00 rush tickets, and some offer $5.00 tickets for a chaperoning parent as well.  Great deal -- we've seen several shows which would have cost $40.00 per person or more, for just $5.00 a person!

LAST science fair project EVER!  Hooray!

Annual middle school STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) conference for girls.

Homework in the car.

Homework, homework, homework.  You don't have to be at home to do it.  Sometimes it happens in the car on the way to volunteering.

A in her choral robe, ready for a performance.

With the girls at a nature sketching class using taxidermy animals as models.

Taking a certification course in CPR/AED.

Taking a medical skills class for Humane Society Foster Parents.  We learned to give pills, injections, SubQ fluids, etc.

A game of "Hand and Foot" on Mother's Day with Grammy and kittens (see the little black kitten under Grammy's hand?)

Part of socializing kittens involves teaching them an appreciation for cards and board games.

At a school event, wondering when my little redhead became a teenager.  A year ago she would have been running around with her friends.  Now she hits up another mother for an iPhone (I don't have one, and A will tell you that she is the ONLY teenager in the entire school district without a phone, and it is true...) and then spends the afternoon texting friends.

Girl Scout ceremony time... I meet K onstage as she "crosses the bridge" from Junior to Cadette Girl Scout.

Multiple trips to the dentist as A starts "phase 2" of orthodontia.  I am NOT convinced that the $5,000. we spent 6 years ago on "phase 1" was worth it, as now we have to pay ANOTHER $5,000. for full braces.  For Little K I declined "phase 1" and am taking her to a different orthodontist who prescribes "watch and wait."

Impromptu dinner (roasted hot dogs) with the neighbors around the firepit.  Now I feel summer coming on!



Farewell spring!

A Bird in the Hand...

On a blindingly sunny day this Golden-Crowned Sparrow struck our kitchen window.  It was in shock when we rushed out to pick it up so the cats or hawks wouldn't get it.

It was panting hard at first, but then calmed down.   Initially it could only sit in our hands, not really moving other than heaving.

Eventually it regained its ability to perch.  It didn't appear to have any broken bones or trouble balancing.

It wasn't ready to fly just yet, so we put it in a kennel with a towel over it so it could rest for a half hour.  Later, we opened the kennel door and it flew off, so we assume it was fully recovered.

I've never done an inventory on the different varieties of birds that come to our garden, but every year it seems we identify a bird we'd never noticed before.  This was one of them.  Perhaps because we'd never gotten close enough to notice this wasn't just any little brown bird.

Career Conference for Girls

I spent the day on a college campus recently, attending lectures on preparing your daughter for college and encouraging an interest in the sciences.  Meanwhile my daughter and 400 other girls ages 11 - 14 were in a series of mini-workshops, introducing them to potential careers.  In one class A got to watch the dissection of a real sheep's heart.  In another she learned all about ultrasound and got to use the machine on different parts of her body to see inside.  A proclaimed it the "most fun day ever!"  We have one more day of this conference coming up, and A can't wait.

The girls were fed a pizza lunch during their program, but the parents were set free for 90 minutes to hit nearby restaurants.  I wandered over to the cafeteria, where I was surrounded by 18 - 22 year olds, nearly all plugged into some electronic device or another.  There were almost no conversations happening among the more than 100 students lounging in chairs, hunched over tables, and draped over couches -- at least no audible conversations.  There was probably a lot of IMing and Twittering going on.  

I'd packed my own lunch, but after awhile the aroma of bacon got me, and I went and bought a plate with one biscuit and 2 strips of bacon (for $3.00!) to accompany my packed lunch.  I settled in with the student newspaper and enjoyed lunch, marveling at how much college has changed since I attended 20 years ago.  From the posters hung throughout the building, there were apparently still social events and clubs and causes to rally for.  However, the kids around me seemed much more into their own worlds, and the silence was almost unnerving.  I'd expect it in the library, but the Student Center building?

The articles I was reading in the student newspaper were compelling.  I felt like I was reading the New York Times instead of a college rag.  I don't remember my student paper being so well-written, but then again I went to a community college, and this was a private university that admitted only the best of the best.  Maybe that's why they were all so quiet.  They were all studying to be scientists, engineers, or doctors, so they had a lot on their minds.

When I picked A up after the conference, she was bubbling with enthusiasm.  "When can I enroll?  I want to go here!"  Given that tuition alone was $34,000 a year, it wasn't going to be any time soon.  Six years from now she'll be heading to college, and yet the planning has to start years before that.  This conference is a good first step, I suppose, but the scariest part is how we'll pay for it.  

Will she get a full ride scholarship like her older sister?  Unlikely.  

Will we be able to afford to send her to a prestigious private university for 4 years like her dad went to?  Highly unlikely.  

Will she work summer jobs and save and start out at a more affordable community college?  That's probably more realistic.  

I was relieved to hear during one of the lectures that it is not the college your child starts at that matters, but where they graduate from.  It is perfectly acceptable to start at a community college and transfer to a university.  The speakers also stressed the importance of parents investing in their own retirement funds ahead of any college funds for children.  "You can take out a loan for school, but not for retirement," they cautioned.  

With the economy as it is, I've been shy about investing.  Stocks and mutual funds seem like high-stakes gambling to me.  Watching large, formerly profitable and stable companies, that have been around for generations, collapse into bankruptcy has been sobering.  There seem to be no safe investments anymore.  Even bonds and CD's are a joke now.

Thankfully we have 6 more years before this clown goes to college (do you like the green sticker she put on her nose?)  She has always wanted to be a doctor when she grows up.  Given her less than great grades, I felt a bit of a relief that it wasn't likely we'd be paying for med school for her, since she wouldn't get in.  However, since starting middle school she has become a lot more focused on her work, and has really strived to get high marks.  Maybe she will prove me wrong.

Her latest interest, spurred on by pimples that have appeared across her forehead, is dermatology.  She is absolutely fascinated!  Whenever there is a splinter to be pulled, a cut to bandage, or a rash on the cat's mouth, she comes running to observe.  She loves to look at moles, warts, and birthmarks.  

We'll see what the future holds...

Happy Valentine's Day 2012

 

For A, who is now in middle school, we decided she should give Valentines just to teachers & bus drivers, because it would be too awkward to give just to friends, as she is in multiple classes through the day with over 100 different kids.  For each teacher she gave either a primrose plant or a bar of chocolate with the 4x3 card photo card attached with curling ribbon.

For Little K, her cards go to the staff at her school, without any candy or flowers, since there are 50 staff: former teachers, playground supervisors, crossing guards, custodians (there are 3!), office staff, and specialist teachers (library, gym, computer, art, etc).  For classmates she opted for an inexpensive box of those little paper valentines with puppies and kittens on them, and she taped a small lollipop to each one, since she didn't want to be that ONLY kid in class who failed to give candy.  Her teacher, whom she adores, will receive a box of dark chocolate hearts, a packet of sweet pea seeds (she loves to garden), a pocket packet of floral tissues (what teacher doesn't get the sniffles?), and a special card. 

She has a party in class towards the end of the day, but I won't be there.  The parties are run by a few volunteer moms who compete to bring the most generous amount of sweets.  Last year it was an overload of cookies, cupcakes, candy, and soda, and there was no limit for the kids on what they could help themselves to (no "EITHER a cookie, OR a cupcake," it was: "take everything!")  I hate to witness that, it makes me ill watching the kids gorge themselves.  Besides, I'm working today, so I can't be there even if I wanted to.  Just as well, since chocolate is not safe when I'm around...

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

 

 

New Year 2012

We spent New Year's Eve at home, as we always have.  Many board games were played. 

We even broke out some old games the girls hadn't played in years, like this German game called Shwuppdibus with little wooden buses and people that hop on and off at bus stops and towns.  After a few more "preschool" games that were entirely chance-based, we moved on to the complex strategy games.

At 10:00 our game was interrupted by loud booms.  Our neighbor had visited the Indian Reservation and stocked up on illegal pyrotechnics, and was treating the neighborhood to some arial firework displays.  Sparklers were passed around to the all the kids, and after the show the kids ran wild from lawn to lawn in the darkness, squealing and enjoying the special treat of racing through the neighborhood long after bedtime.  by 10:30 we were back inside and back to the board game.  At 11:55 we turned on the TV to watch the firework show in Seattle, then we headed to bed.

The next morning we celebrated with scissors.  It had been almost 3 years since A's last haircut, and it was time again to donate her hair to Locks of Love.

Her new haircut is so cute!  After A's cut, my husband cut my hair, although not as severely.  I just had 2 or 3 inches off my hair, not enough to donate.  I'd cut Little K's hair a few days prior as well, though hers was just a little trim of 3 or 4 inches.  A new haircut is a great way to start a new year!

Happy New Year!

CERT firefighting

Take two dozen 11 - 14 year olds who want to be heroes.  Make them sit through hours and hours of lectures on Fire Science and safety.  Make them wait for weeks for this day to come.

 Suit them up in goggles, masks, helmets, and gloves.  Set out a dozen shiny fire extinguishers.

 Bring in the firefighters with their propane tanks and ignitors.  

Let there be flames...

And watch them fight.

A is so excited to be a part of the pilot program of Community Emergency Response Team for pre-teens.  The instructors are taking a gamble on these kids.  Challenging them to see if they can take this seriously.  Pushing them to study and practice.  Curious to see if they can handle the complexities, if they can remember the endless details, if they can perform under pressure, if they can make good decisions in the midst of chaos.

 A is a very eager student in CERT.  She's a little nervous, a little overwhelmed by all the studying, but she certainly takes it seriously and doesn't goof around like some of the kids.  With practice an persistence, I can see her going far with this volunteer organization.  If her fellow students perform well, the program will continue next year, and A will be able to assist the instructors in teaching the new kids.  When she is in high school she'll be able to mentor others even more.  Who knows where this will lead, if she keeps at it?  Maybe she'll continue where I left off...

That's me during Firefighting Academy when I was 21.  I graduated with excellent marks, but decided to continue on in college and get a degree in business instead.  The only fires I fought were controlled burns during training.  It was fun to see my daughter putting out fires today, discovering something I explored with my own sense of wonder, long ago.   

 

A Scavenger Hunt at the Mall 12th Birthday Party

What kind of birthday party do you throw for pre-teens?  The trend in our area is sleepovers -- a house full of hyper kids drinking pop and scarfing down junk food while watching movies and playing loud music through the night. Lots of squealing and tossing of pillows, with some pranks and dares mixed in.  Not much sleep, and a totally trashed house the next morning, with popcorn found in the hanging light fixtures, and puddles of soda behind the couch.  I've heard the horror stories from other parents.  I didn't want to go there.  Plus, our house is too small, yeah, that's my excuse.  No rec room or basement to banish the kids to.

So I decided to have a Scavenger Hunt at the Mall party.  What pre-teen girl doesn't like the mall?  We had 10 girls gather at our house for pizza, sliced apples (from our tree), rootbeer, hawaiian fruit drinks, and apple cider.  Pizza & beverages for 10 girls and 2 moms: $50.00.

Then we opened presents.  A got a lot of accessories, such as mittens, hats, fragrant hand sanitizers, and this wallet.  She also got 3 great games: SET, apples to apples, and Bop-it.  Rounding out the gifts was a stamp making kit, where you carve our your design into a rubbery block with sharp tools, then apply paint and stamp.

After lunch and presents, we loaded into two vehicles (one of the moms helped me run the party) and headed to the mall.  It was a Friday.  11-11-11.  Veteran's Day, so no school.  In the days previous when I'd scouted out the mall for things the girls had to find, the mall was deserted.  I forgot that there were big sales for Veteran's Day.  Even though only bankers, teachers, and government employees usually got Veteran's Day off, the mall was PACKED!  Where did all these people come from?  It took us nearly 30 minutes just to find a parking place, on the very top level of the parking garage, way off in the furthest corner!  

When we arrived at the mall we broke the girls into 2 teams and went over the rules:  No entering shops, except for the big department stores.  No running and watch out for other people.  Be polite.  Take turns and work as a team.  It's a test of observation, not a race, so don't rush or you'll miss things.

The girls each received an envelope with about 30 things to find or do as a team, and a map of the mall.  Each team had a chaperone that had a bag with money and other things, like a pair of shoes they had to take to get shined.

They had to drop off a pair of shoes to be shined, write the name of the shoeshine's name on their questionnaire, and then pick up the shoes, and pay and give a tip.

The girls were free to use the directories and maps, and could also ask at customer service.  Some of the questions they had to answer were:  "What color is the circle in the logo for the gymboree store?"  "What is the height limit for little kids visiting the play area?"  "How many wooden benches are there on the 2nd level of the mall?" and "What store has a gumball machine in their doorway? Your chaperone will give you each a quarter to get a gumball!"

One of the more complicated tasks was to go from the 2nd level of the mall, through a parking garage, across a sky bridge, and over to a movie theater, where they had to write down the names of all the films (11 of them!) playing that day.  

After about 2 hours we met back at a frozen yogurt place and compared answers.  Each team missed only 2 or 3 items.  Each girl got a frozen yogurt with 3 toppings ($45.00) and then we drove home where the parents were waiting to pick up their daughters.

Review:

I thought it was a great party, and so did A.  I spent $95.00, which was less than I would have spent to go to one of those "fun centers" with arcade games or trampolines, and about the same that I would have spent on food for a sleepover.  There were no "goodie bags," which I've always felt were unneccesary.  A said the response from her friends was good, though they probably would have enjoyed buying stuff.

One of the girls we invited had Autism and needed constant supervision and a lot of support.  I've known this girl since she was 3, and I had no trouble accomodating her.  When we invited her, her mother was so happy, because this girl is almost never invited to parties and has few friends.  Being in middle school, A is learning hard lessons about friendship.  Girls she thought were her friends are suddenly teasing and excluding her.  A is starting to worry about who she associates with, and apparently being at all friendly toward the special-needs kids is the kiss-of-death for your social life at middle school.  A was a little concerned about having this girl at her party, and what would be said at school after, but the girls we invited were some of her closest, longest-known friends, so I hoped it would be fine.  I want A to understand that friends who tease you about who your other friends are, aren't really your friends at all.