Rocket Science 101
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
One of the advantages of being married to a rocket scientist is that we start Rocket Science lessons in the cradle. Our students learn to assemble a rocket from scratch, paint/prepare rockets for launch, and then launch them. After that, we head to the park while someone (me) stands in a fire ant pile while everyone else gets in recovery position. (The Junior Recoverer is only 14 months, so he runs the wrong way.) Greg hooks up everything while hollering at me for safety violations.
We learn official terms for rocket activity, like, “The rocket crashed. It blew up…into fire.” Sometimes Greg will explain the trigonometry so that we can calculate the distance the rocket flew, but all anyone wants to know is how many parts got smashed, broken, or lost.
Well, that’s our exciting life. I wonder what proctologists do with their kids.
Here’s the not-too-exciting 5/16/07 video (RSS readers will probably have to click over to my site) of a scale model Saturn V and a scale model Space Shuttle.
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What fun! Glad you were feeling well enough to join in the excitement!
Comment by Nicole (May 16, 2007 @ 11:09 pm )
Looks like fun. And, you know, you really shouldn’t wonder those sorts of things
Comment by Kendra (May 16, 2007 @ 11:11 pm )
You must be feeling a bit better to be out launching rockets! That’s good…or is it just a diversion? Looked like fun. We’ve got one sitting in the closet that needs to be launched.
Comment by Nancy P. (May 17, 2007 @ 12:08 am )
Sorry to hear about the fire ant pile.
Great video.
Comment by Janet (May 17, 2007 @ 12:28 am )
Oh I LOVE it! My boys are in the civil air patrol so I have some experience with rocket building & launching (and crashing) - LOL! Great video & adorable Jr. Rocket Scientists.
Comment by Kerrie (May 17, 2007 @ 7:37 am )
Now that looks like tons of fun! And, I so thankful to see you are able to venture out and about a little bit. You must be feeling better!
Comment by Lady Why (May 17, 2007 @ 8:22 am )
Very neat. It looks like a good time was had by all.
Glad you are feeling well enough to venture out some.
Comment by Jana (May 17, 2007 @ 9:08 am )
Such a fun video…a nice distraction while we’re waiting for the much-anticipated epidural post. Your kids are charming!
Comment by Lisa (May 17, 2007 @ 10:00 am )
How fun. My husband works for a major automaker in their school bus division. My son says when he grows up he wants to “paint and fix buses like his Daddy” and my husband says “not over my dead body!” It is good money but it is not a very flexible or family-friendly job. It is erratic.
I actually have a friend whose husband is a rocket scientist/engineer/something and their kids do the same thing as yours!
Comment by Lindsey (May 17, 2007 @ 10:19 am )
Cool!
Comment by Leslie (May 17, 2007 @ 11:31 am )
Did that Rocket work as fast as an epidural?
Sorry couldn’t resist!!
Your Charles is one cool kid!
What a great family event, my 6 year old loved observing!!
Comment by Mummymac (May 17, 2007 @ 12:00 pm )
Well, Amy, your wit is still there, so I reckon you must be doing fairly well these days.
A fire ant pile–do you mean you often end up accidentally sitting in an anthill? And don’t those ants bite? Being a northerner, I’ve only heard about them in legends . . . .
Now, of course, I _am_ wondering what proctologists do with their families . . . .
Comment by Mrs. P. (May 17, 2007 @ 12:14 pm )
Proctologists?
Comment by Carole (May 17, 2007 @ 12:59 pm )
By the way, I do know what proctologists are - I thought the suggestion was grossly hilarious, and couldn’t resist commenting. But one handed typing while nursing lends itself to very short (& confusing?) responses….
Comment by Carole (May 17, 2007 @ 1:44 pm )
That was too funny . . . “proctologist’s kids”
After I picked myself up off the floor from the laughter, I thought I’d send a note.
I note only enjoyed the humor in your story, I can totally relate to the description of what was going on. Although my husband is no rocket scientist, he is a “perfectionist.” Watching him and our boys (10, 8, and 17 mths) do anything is extremely entertaining.
Oh, and I also have difficulties with fire ants. I’ve been trying a poison called “over and out mound treatment” by seven. It’s done wonders for our fields.
Comment by Kathryn (May 17, 2007 @ 1:58 pm )
love the “official language” of rocket science!! that cracked me up.
I guess it’s a good sign that you feel good enough to stand in a fire-ant pile!
too funny!
Comment by Elizabeth (May 17, 2007 @ 2:40 pm )
Still laughing over “Space Shuttle Whatever”
Comment by Carly (May 17, 2007 @ 3:30 pm )
Wow and I thought the pinewood derby was exciting
Comment by Dawn (May 17, 2007 @ 11:51 pm )
The tripod to our airburst rocket broke. Now the children hold the mechanism in their hands and shoot it at each other. The neighbors just love us.
I just read several pages at the “before aspirin” site you linked to, and was wondering… Would you like me to bring a bag of fire ants to your homebirth?
Comment by Jo (May 18, 2007 @ 12:05 am )
That looks like so much fun! What a bleeing to be able to do those kinds of activities with your children.
Comment by Susanna (May 18, 2007 @ 4:36 am )
I wore sandals, like I always do, and so wherever I stood, I got bit. Fire ants are called such because the bite feels like fire.
When we were in California, I told the story about my three-year-old asking, “If God is good, then why did he make fire ants?” Nobody knew what I was talking about. What are fire ants?! I thought everyone had them, like mosquitoes.
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I just put up an update on my nausea. Thanks for asking!
Comment by Amy Scott (May 18, 2007 @ 11:36 am )
Just found your blog and my son Sean loves the rockets! Sean and his friend have been allowed to have their own blogs and would like to have contact with other children around the globe. Sean is 9 and Rhys is 10. They are good boys and we wondered if you would take the time to check out their blogs and see if you would allow your son to contact them? Sean’s blog address is http://irishboysean.blogspot.com and their are links on it to my blog and Rhys. We are from Ireland and my husband and I are Christians and I HS Sean. Take care and may God continue to bless you as He so obviously has!
Comment by Ruth MacCarthaigh (June 18, 2007 @ 12:51 pm )