Last day out before four

In the summer time the Chabot Space and Science center has a children's Discovery Lab open during the week. We've gone during the regular school year and been disappointed that the hours for the Discovery Lab were open on weekends only. Since nothing has been happening on my end, I decided to get the kids out one last time before the baby decided to come. We saw a really great movie about all the planets made especially for kids. I learned something new!

We spent the rest of the morning in the Discovery Lab. The art project table was the biggest draw, but also the source of the most whining from both Ethan and Hunter who felt a creative block in creating what exactly they had in mind.

They also had a light table for tracing images. Since we had just seen the Cardboard Rocketship movie they were drawn more to the space images rather than the dinosaur tracings. Hunter found the children's microscope and looked at various slides. Ethan played with the in house computer.



Ethan has said for some time that he wants to be an astronaut when he grows up. We encourage him as much as possible. He's told me that when he goes to the moon he's going to bring me back a moon rock. Cool! The only thing he says that he really doesn't like is that astronauts have to wear diapers.

We explored the astronaut exhibit which had on display a few examples of space food. Before we left we got some astronaut ice-cream which I've never had before and have always wanted to try. It tasted the same, but the temperature and texture were different. Ethan said he didn't like it. Elle and Hunter liked it well enough, probably because they didn't have any ice-cream like expectations. It was sugar. It was good enough for them.

The children got in line for a taste of getting around in space. The person was supposed to lie down and maneuver using only the levers on the walls or above them. There was an inner city summer group ahead of us. One of the little boys looked at Elle and then asked me, "Why did you dye her hair?" I didn't. "You mean it grows that way?!?" Yup. "Do you have a son?" I pointed to Ethan. "Oh."

The favorite exhibit by far was the ball vortex where you take wooden or metal balls and spin them around in a funnel. As they get closer to the bottom they go faster and faster. If they're high enough up someone is likely to grab your ball and wreck the pattern. The best part was getting the balls out of the bottom and starting them again.

As we were leaving Ethan saw an experiment in the yard where you could launch your own water rockets. He was very excited at the prospect. You had to put a nose on and cut out fins. Ethan and Hunter did theirs all on their own. I helped Elle with hers despite plenty of "do it myself" proclamations. The rockets were launched via pressurized air. It was simple, yet spectacular for the children. It was a great thing to end our day on.