Science Fair & Fainting

So... Monday night. It had been a nice day. It was my cumpleanos. It was a typical busy school day, but Corey and I did get to go out and get a little present for me to bring me into the 21st century. Two presents actually, so I have my work cut out for me trying to learn all these new smart phone and tablet features. Well, "new" to me.

Everything was going well, and then, as we said our good nights, in comes Hyrum at 10:18 to tell us "I have a science project due Wednesday and I don't know what I'm supposed to do..." Corey emails his teacher. We get an email from his teacher the next morning informing us that she had sent a package home in March about it (great Hyrum, you had a month to work on this?)... she sent us a link to a similar packet from the district that was posted online, and wished us good luck. Well, looks like I know what I'm doing the rest of the day. I came up with a lame idea for him, eventhough the district packet said it had to be the kids own original idea. The idea I had was dropping glass bottles (baby food bottles which we had a lot of) on the ground to see what difference tile and wood floors make, then maybe we could also we'd try to see if there's a difference when the bottles are freezing or warm, oh, blah... and I scream in my head "I don't know how to do the scientific method!!!! I hate this stuff!!!!!" I told Hyrum the idea when he got home from school, sorry buddy, that's all I could come up with. He seemed okay with it, we tried to come up with something to write in each of these 6 areas of the Scientific Method:

and as the chaotic evening swirled around us we tried to get this thing done. (Note: I specifically remmeber being very aware that there were 6 areas in the method.) We dropped glass bottles for an hour or two, Hyrum wrote down his "scientific" findings, and we started to make his poster. Somewhere during the poster phase of our science project cram session, I inserted an extra "Experiment" step and unfortunately omitted the "Hypothesis" part. And during their little fair walk through today, Hyrum learned that the Hypothesis was actually a pretty important part. Doh.

Well, that's what happens when you do things last minute and late at night and when there are 100 other things going on... And that's also just what happens when you make 5th graders do Science projects.

On this evening, Corey was gone until 10:30 at night helping Joseph, who was busy making a poster and shirt for himself as his SBO campaign, he's running for "commissioner of activities" so atleast there's good news that next year might not be as busy as this year has been, right? Yeah, right. So Corey and Joseph are doing that, music practice going on, Ballet, nursing Natalie, just being pulled in every direction. The other kids were on their own for homework. And yeah, the [poor kid who does have his mom's help later learns that she's no good cause she missed the Hypothesis. Oh well. I'm glad that part was messed up, makes me not feel so bad for feeling like I did the whole thing for him. I honestly would have preferred he just face the true consequences of not paying attention and just take a cup of dirt. (see 3:18) It's just 5th grade, I don't care, I loathe the science fair, I'm sorry but I really do. Look at Brian, he took a cup of dirt, and he's turned out just fine! Oh fine, we'll do it anyway.

Ok, and here's another story that the science project caused... during our experiment, we tried to be careful with the glass by dropping it with a box kinda around it to catch pieces when it shattered.

And we tried to sweep everything carefully up. But the boys love the breaking part (Ethan helped us drop the bottles), and when we were all done with our experiments, I gave them permission to finish breaking the bottles that weren't broken. But please, if you must throw them like baseballs, please throw them into the garbage can.

And of course they then "accidentally" broke some glass on the grass. Great. I had 100 things going on, I didn't go out and clean it up, I just told them to and then falsely assumed they would, which would mean they would pick up the big pieces and any other pieces they could see. Small chance there might still be tiny pieces left, but hopefully they won't get stepped on until they're buried over the summer as I mow the lawn or something.

Then comes today. I'm in the kitchen doing whatever it is I do all day, and all of a sudden I've got 6 kids coming at me and crying with great urgency "Leah is bleeding!!!" ...and I say "Who is Leah?" then I go in the backyard and meet Leah. She is a playfriend of one of the neighbor kids and they are all over here playing at our house... in the backyard... on the grass... without shoes... and what do you know she stepped on a large piece of glass (which Ethan then cleaned up) and was bleeding everywhere. She was totally calm and not crying at all (I was very impressed) and we wash her off with the hose to see where all this blood is coming from, and then we find it, she's got a huge gash on the sole of her foot. She gives me permission to carry her, we go into the front yard and I decide she's a little too heavy - they only live 6 houses away but I decide the car would be quicker, so I put her on the grass, get the keys, open the garage, come back and get her, and of course I have a train of 10 kids following me cause in a kids world, it doesn't get more exciting than this, Sophia's crying cause she hates being left out - ok, just put her in the car, everyone in the car! We're leaving the house today! We drive Leah over to the neighbor's house where she was originally playing, and as luck would have it, the dad was home and he just happens to be an ER doctor. He took a look at her foot. "Can you put a bandaid on it?" Nope, you're going to need stitches, and he whips out his kit and starts to get ready with all his stuff, she asks how much it will hurt, all the kids are excited and talking about blood and shots and stitches, and Abi, what are you doing? I turn around, as I see her and start to help turn her over, my kids are asking "Hey Mom, what's Abi doing?" and I'm trying to revive my little kindergartener who has passed out. Then I remember that this little girl has a real good track record of fainting ...I always forget during bloody episodes until I see her on the floor. She was all white and bonked her head a little on the side of the counter on her way down. I tried to get her up and in my arms to carry her now, but then she fainted again a second time. When she came to I scooped her up, so I carried Leah in and carried my Abi out.

We got her some juice at home, put her feet up, and I rubbed her tummy as I quizzed her: "What's your name? How many brothers do you have? Name all your sisters." etc. So, that is was my afternoon today. It will be a funny memory, but it will also at another item in the list of "cons" about science projects for me.