The X-Men Have a Birthday Party

R and M’s birthdays respectively bracket the Labor Day holiday. One has a birthday just before school starts, the other just after. It’s an awkward time for a birthday on both occasions: friends are overbooked with end-of-summer, get-ready-for-school stuff, then overbooked with settling-in-to-the-new-school-routine for the other.

And, in 2009, we threw ANOTHER wrinkle at these two… a cross-town move and a parental surgery.

So. We made a deal with the kids. The family would delay any birthday parties until 1) the move was finished, 2) C’s surgical recovery was mostly over, and 3) the normal holiday rush was completed. And, at that time, we’d have one combined big-deal birthday celebration. To demonstrate our seriousness, we took the kids shopping for the party decorations at the time of their birthdays, and started the party planning process at that time. It’s easier to delay the gratification if you know the things at least started, you know?

That big-deal celebration took place this past weekend. At OMSI. We had 15 or 16 children present. It worked out to be about seven friends each, at a collaborative theme party. The boys were a pirate theme; girls were Pacific Islanders. I joked that, instead of the “pirate or ninja?” question, our party was asking “islander or interloper?”

Party guests arrived, checked in, and were assigned the following:

1. pirate bandana or lei, depending upon group.
2. a team for the OMSI treasure hunt (including at least one adult chaperone for the team)
3. a treasure hunt list and instructions

Phase 1 of the party involved a museum-wide treasure hunt for knowledge. Teams had to cover the museum, answering questions from the exhibits all throughout the facility. Answer 15 of the possible 26, then turn your sheet in to the Sergeant at Arms for validation and entry into the party proper!

The treasure hunt was a stroke of genius from C. The party spread out, smaller groups of tangential acquaintances forged the bond of friendship, and C had ample time to set up a wonderful party space with pirate-castle cakes, punch, ice cream and all sorts of cool themed decorations.  Oh, and presents for the party goers, too.

Phase 2 of the party was cake and ice cream. Guests did the limbo while all the treasure hunter teams finished up. The refreshments were tasty, and the kids liked the highly themed decorations and food items. No longer do the birthday parties look like the near food fight of six year olds hopped up on sugar and excitement; now, the gatherings are a bit calmer and even include some cross-gender conversational outreach, if you know what I mean.

Phase 3, was what we called ‘open play’ at the museum. Some guests took advantage of free passes to OMNImax, others took advantage of free submarine tours, and some of sought out specific exhibits for deeper study. We had all types, and met everyone at their specific need. And… C and team cleaned up the party during this time.

I’m telling you, hanging out with this particular group of kids is like being on site with the X-Men. Every one of them is amazingly gifted in some area to such a degree that it’s easy to call that strength their ‘superpower.’ NONE of them have the same superpower. When these kids take the time to divide up challenges to match their respective superpowers, they accomplish amazing things.  In fact, here’s an example of what I mean from just one of the guests, to illustrate the amount of talent they possess.

There’s one blonde girl in the group – tall, thoughtful, not shy but introverted – who is a classmate for R and M. She’s not even twelve yet.  She’s EXTREMELY advanced linguistically, and LOVES life sciences. She was in my group to visit the museum exhibits, for phase 3. She wanted to spend the last portion of the party in the Life Sciences lab, handling the Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches that are available for petting. Yes. For REAL!.

As there were four of us in our group, I referred to our team as the ‘fearsome foursome.’ I could tell be the immediate change in her expression that I had played with words in a way that intrigued her. A few minutes later, one of our party pealed off to visit their exhibit of choice. At that moment, my eleven year old blonde charge asked, “What is a good adjective that starts with T-H? The only one I can think of is ‘theocratic’, but I don’t think I want to be ‘the theocratic threesome.’” We also eliminated ‘Thessalonian’ and ‘theatrical’. We still hadn’t found a suitable adjective by the time another member of our group pealed off, leaving us with just two. My suggestion of the ‘gruesome twosome’. made her laugh so hard she snorted.

For most of the hour we spent in Life Sciences, she held a cockroach in her hand and give live demonstrations to the kids, explaining all about the mechanics of how the cockroaches hissed, where they came from, what they ate and why some were brown while others were black in color. The little kids idolized her; the adults thought she was a volunteer. She was clearly in her best element; using her language like a media-trained grownup to discuss interesting living beings.

The whole day was filled with vignettes like this. Like I said, it’s almost like hanging with the X-Men.

At the party end, everyone naturally gathered in the lobby for ‘fond farewells’ and lingering. It was a very good time, well planned to accommodate kids, adults, girls, boys. and all interests.

A triumph without doubt. C has just upped her game for event organizing, I must say. When she can orchestrate the mini X-Men to a unanimously grand good time, she’s the real superhero.

And what about those guests of honor? They had a GREAT time. Their respective friends intermingle nicely, everyone was respected, included and treated as an equal. Even more telling, while they enjoyed the presents they received, they were even more interested in making sure the party favor present each guest received was to their liking. There’s my kids in action; caring deeply about others when it truly matters. Again, it’s like the X-Men, along with their strength they each have flaws. And sometimes behave badly when there pressure’s off. But… add the need to be serious about something, and they snap right to it, doing the Right Thing nearly every time.

Boy Scouts, Beverly Beach, Burgeoning Blessings and Busy Bounties

As evidenced by the photo above, the Typhoon boys enjoyed the rare treat of a tw0-night Boy Scout campout this weekend. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this is the Oregon Coast on January 23rd. Temperatures were in the low 50’s.

We yurt camped at Beverly Beach State Park, and enjoyed an  AMAZINGLY MILD Saturday. The sky was blue, the winds were calm, and we hung around the fire in shirt sleeves. Nice.

The boys in the troop ate well. To support their work on Emergency Preparedness merit badge, they held both a lost “child” drill and a fire building contest. They found the “child”. And they all succeeded in building fires, though none of the teams achieved the contest goal. Mind you, troop adults set a very lofty goal for the fire building contest, on purpose.  By all accounts, the events were a success.

Saturday dinner included a kebab appetizer, chicken & white bean chili entree, fruit and carrots on the side, dutch oven cornbread, and either strawberry or cherry cheesecake for dessert. We uh, had too much food.  Time to rethink portions!

Late Saturday night, though, the storm rolled in. Even though we had rain in the morning, everyone stayed dry in the yurts. Here’s R, preparing to bunk down in the yurt on Saturday evening.

*  *  *  *  *

Us boys made a stop in Pacific City on the way home. My mom is going in for a (relatively) routine angiogram on Friday. Furthermore, the plans to let the kids spend some weekends at the beach before spring have become more difficult to realize now that M has rehearsals on Saturdays again. So, we made sure to stop in. We had lunch, chatted and watched the Jets game with Grandpa, borrowed the shower, and helped Grandma fix some minor issues with her computer.  Then we headed home. We were close; it makes me happy to see them face-t0-face whenEVER possible. It makes R happy, too. Every time he walks into that house, he begs to stay at least two days!

…n…d…r…u…m. Conundrum.

No, this entry isn’t specifically about conundrums, but it is about spelling ‘conundrum’.

You see, that’s one of the words on the National Spelling Bee word list that M has been studying. She has chosen to participate in the schools Spelling Bee. Winners go on to regional competitions, then the big national competition.

M, being different than her brother, loves the idea of being in the Spelling Bee. As a third grader, it’s her first opportunity to be eligable, so she’s jumping right in.

I’ve been helping her with the list of approximately 150 words. Her spelling is not so bad. She doesn’t have the entire list down pat, but she’s got a respectable number of words, considering she’s only put about three hours into focused study. Mind you, this list contains words like:

• ‘photosynthesis’
• homonyms like ‘eight’ and ‘two’ , clearly intended to catch kids off-guard.
• ‘conundrum’
• ‘labyrinth’
• and others…

So her mastery of the list is quite impressive.

Her attitude is well balanced, I think. She wants to do well, but her primary goal is to participate. I let her know that it was perfectly okay to go for the win. “Finding a way to get you to regionals or nationals is a problem I’d love to have to solve for you”, I told her, “and, if you don’t win. Make sure to enjoy the experience. I’m proud of you, no matter what.”

*  *  *  *  *

Update:  M came back from the Spelling Bee experience sad and frustrated. When I asked her how it went, she slid into tears of disappointment, and said “Oh, it was TERRIBLE!”  I asked her how come, and her answer was priceless: “Dad! They used words in the spelling bee that weren’t even on the list!”

She got her practice word right (‘straightforward’) but bobbled her vowels on her first real word. Out in the first round. Knocked on her heels by the realization that the study list was not all-inclusive.

We talked about it for a while. I told her about my grades school spelling bee misadventures (and eventually earning the family nickname of ‘the human dictionary’). She laughed at my stories and found strength in knowing that she now fully knows what to prepare for at next year’s contest. You can bet she’ll be there!

The Art of Analysis

R has a science project underway that he’s been working on – quite literally – for weeks. Months, even. His science experiment had to fit inside the concept of science that allows astronauts to travel to/from and live successfully on Mars.

His experiment of choice? The effect of varying light conditions on vegetable plant performance in hydroponic containers.

He did his experiment in multiple multi-week phases:

1. Validate the Concept. R built a test fixture and proved that he could grow radish seeds in it, using light exclusively from a light bulb. This took four weeks, and resulted in some minor modifications to the hydroponic container.

2. Full-blown test. Set up multiple identical hydroponic containers, and subject each to different light conditions for a period of time. R’s test period was about six weeks, if I recall correctly.

3. Measure Results. At the end of the time period, extract a random sampling of the plants and measure their size to determine how well they responded to the light given to them.

R’s experimental results are both surprising and useful. They point to a clear conclusion from multiple directions. Even though one hydroponic container behaved VERY differently from the rest, it still corroborates the same conclusion as the rest of the data.

Last night was data gathering night.  R broke open the containers, did his sampling/measuring, and collated his data. I helped him put his sample data into a spreadsheet (his first exposure to the spreadsheet), showed him how to make a formula to calculate average, and made his eyes bug-out when I graphed the results ‘instantly’ on a chart and his data suddenly told the story in clear numerical terms. It was cool to be his Dad and see his thinking suddenly converge on the meaning in his data. We stayed up an hour past his bedtime discussing and analyzing, as opposed to spending that same time engaged in the painful task of  keeping R’s brain on-task while plotting data points on graph paper by hand.

It was a great experience for us both – I was able to engage R’s brain where it likes to live: using detailed information to analyze, but not wasting precious time on the creation of that detailed information.

The other cool thing? R’s project needs to be turned in by mid-February. He’s got his experimental results, and a preliminary report framed up with three weeks to spare! We get to spend nearly a month not stressing about completing the minimum, but rather in polishing his findings into something really insightful. In other words, we get to spend time on the art of analysis instead of the mechanics of the scientific method.

Truth be told, R’s project is in the place where his Dad likes to operate, too… the art of analysis. 

For R: Article in the Oregonian

Note: I will pull this article from the blog once my intended audience has read it.

http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2010/01/employers_seek_well-spoken_pro.html

Haiti Helping

The Typhoon did something telling yesterday. They cleaned out the closets to help the displaced in Haiti.

I know, that probably sounds simplistic. But here’s the deal – C and the kids wanted to do something to help. So they put together a plan to send usable clothing and a dozen or so personal effects kits (toothpaste, toothbrush, feminine products, etc.) They also ransacked their closets for a selection of very usable kids’ clothing that they could sent to Haiti.  The kids who survived probably lost everything in the quake, is their reasoning, they’ll need new clothes. If the stores fell down, where will they buy what they need?

Today, they’ve learned that 1) none of the local aid organizations will accept the donation of  goods at this time, because they don’t have a finalized supply flight schedule, 2) they’ll take our donation of goods as soon as they can be assured of putting it on a flight.

There are three ways to help in a disaster:

1. Money – given to an aid organization, this can help in a NUMBER of ways. Infrastructure repairs, supplies, medical support, etc. Money can also be transferred quickly, globally, as needed. Certainly an effective mechanism, but hard for children to wrap their heads around.

2. Goods – still money, but you have control over what the money is spent on. Good, in the sense that we can get our children kinesthetically involved in preparing kits of supplies; they can easily imagine a disaster victim getting the package and how they’d put the items to use. M was particularly good at this. Listening to the radio reports and talking about what we could do to help, M said, “the buildings aren’t safe; they’re sleeping outside under tarps. What they need is TENTS!” So, while the kids are thinking like this, sending goods makes it real for them.
The trouble, of course, is that we have to wait for a plane of supplies that agrees to take our stuff. Our help won’t be on the first wave. But the need in Haiti will be for some time; we’ll help. Regardless of exactly when.

3. Labor – either assisting in the efforts of an aid organization at a distance, or going to the site and helping, whether it’s looking for survivors in Haiti or continuing New Orleans to recover and rebuild from Katrina.  In a sense, the family project to build up personal care packages qualifies as labor (on a very small scale).

My family – my kids especially – good and labor are making the effort to help concrete and real. I think this is good. The cash from others will create the immediate response; we’ll be back a bit from the initial onslaught, but we’ll be able to send more durable items to help with recovery.

I commend my family for being so big-hearted and kind toward others. I’m proud of you all.

More Quiet. Quiet Will Be Our Theme, I Suspect

Paradigms are powerful because they create the lens through which we see the world. The power of a paradigm shift is the essential power of quantum change, whether that shift is an instantaneous or a slow and deliberate process.

- Stephen Covey

Our newest international student arrived over the weekend. Her initials are MF, so that’s how I’ll refer to her in any posts. She’s from Japan. lives just North of Nagoya, and is studying English at Marylhurst for one month. Her English is terrific, and she’s a doll.

Even though she arrived on Saturday morning, MF stayed awake to get acquainted with her new family. Probably a good thing; she slept through the night and woke up about noon on Sunday. Good sleep will cure the jet lag fastest!

Sunday morning, C explored making crab cakes from Julee Russo’s New Basics cookbook. It was about a four hour process, as C worked through the recipe for the first time. This recipe really worked C’s cooking muscles. Not only did she make the crab cakes from scratch, but the Hollandaise sauce was from scratch, too. I suspect that C was a bit apprehensive about making something like a Hollandaise – it’s such a delicate thing. But as she figured her way through the recipe, I kept hearing her say things like “hey, this is pretty easy. As long as we don’t burn the butter, we’re fine.” And she was right. We had fun. MF helped; I helped; the kids helped and felt drawn to hang around the happy action in the kitchen.

The reward at the end of the whole process was some scrumptious food, to be sure. That, and a confidence boost for the lady of the house.

This was in addition to the homemade ham soup C made this weekend as well. I’m telling you, C seems to be discovering her inner cook in some new and  delightful ways.

Since cancer, C has dutifully prepared meals, but not really been a cook. And for good reason, if you’ve been nearby through her process of cancer and recovery. But now, she’s feeling better after the most recent surgeries. And she’s cooking as a result. Cooking with a complexity and completeness in her meals that she never aimed for in the past.

*  *  *  *

R had a bit of an active weekend, but in low-key sort of way. The annual Troop 22 fund raiser – the Laurelhurst neighborhood Tree Chip – raised a record-setting amount of money this year. R and I helped out throughout the day, covering a pick-up route, and then helping lop the trees for hauling away. It was cloudy and cold, but not uncomfortable. And, it’s gratifying to see R slowly begin to take his role seriously. He performed his job on the route admirably, and stuck with the tree lopping right to the very end. Toward the end of the session, he jumped up in to the dumpsters full of tree branches and helped pack everything down – a bit of playful work there at the end for a kid who’s come a long way.

R also attended X’s birthday party on Saturday evening. He got his compatriot fix; left him happier and more satisfied, to be sure.

Sunday afternoon, R tackled a large school assignment, completed it, and had some Wii and family time before bed.

*  *  *  *

As for M, she had a great weekend doing not much. She shopped with C and MF on Saturday. On Sunday, she announced it was ‘pajama day’ and proceeded to finish her homework, do some personal art projects, send an electronic card to Grandma Gin, and play some Wii with her Dad and Brother before dinner.

Everything on the down-low.

*  *  *  *

I so hope this becomes a theme for 2010 – quiet weekends with some down-time and some quality family time. Activities like cooking together, getting mental recharge time, calming the heck down. The year’s still in its infancy; but we’re well on our way to creating the new approach.

Here’s a case-in-point to that end: we’re planning a family ski day in a couple weeks. C got our gear sorted out over the weekend, thereby resolving more than half the logistical issues for the first trip of the season. We’ll glide into that ski day with a lot less stress because we’ve planned ahead. Nice.

So, the Typhoon seems to be seeking the calm. Perhaps that will result in fewer posts to the family blog. Afterall, when not much is happening, there’s less to share. It’s a paradigm shift, both instantaneous and slow/deliberate.

The Chevy Volt: What The Press Is Saying.

I’m lifting some quotes from Peter Valdes-Dapena’s article on CNNmoney.com today, detailing his drive experiences so far with the Chevy Volt [link]:

“How well will General Motors' Chevrolet Volt drive once it gets past its 40 mile all-electric driving range and starts to rely on power generated by its gasoline engine? … I wanted to drain the battery as fast as possible and see what happened next.

“What happened was both imperceptible and impressive. Forced to start generating its own electricity on the fly, the Volt's performance changed not a bit. Criticism that the Volt, while running on gasoline power, would perform like a cinderblock looks to be wrong.”

 

“Off-the-line acceleration was dialed back a bit, GM told me, to protect the test car from a jolting, tire-screeching start. Production cars could be a little quicker to jump out. The rush from 15 miles per hour to 60 was actually more striking, providing a respectable punch of power when the "gas" pedal hits the floor. Volt drivers aren't going to be challenging Camaros to drag races, but they'll have plenty of power.”

 

“There's no mechanical connection at all between the Volt's 1.4-liter engine and its wheels…The biggest difference between a gas-power versus an electric-power car is that there's no transmission. Electric motors don't need gears or gear shifts.”

In other words, all transfer of energy to the wheels goes through the electric motor. The Volt is an electric car that carries its own gas-powered generator. [hmmm… I hear Honda makes a good gas generator…<grin!>]

 

“Sports sedan handling isn't what most Volt customers will be after. The Volt feels more enjoyable to drive than a Toyota Prius…”

 

“…the Volt is designed to go 40 miles on a fully charged battery. That's plenty for most American's daily commutes and errands. And if you want to drive further or simply don't charge it, no worries. You can go about 300 miles before you need to recharge battery or refill the tank.”

Valdes-Dapena does point out that other non-hybrid electric cars are designing around huge banks of batteries to get 100+ miles of range, but that won’t get a driver to Seattle without a recharge. If he’s right on the 300 mile range, that’s comparable to a traditional gas-powered vehicle. I’ll bet the gas tank’s only between 5 and 10 gallons.

“The car is expected to be heavily subsidized, so car buyers could get one for about $32,000 after federal tax rebates.

Considering the fact that many drivers could go weeks without needing to refill their gas tanks, and given how good the Volt seems so far, that's probably not a bad deal.”

2010 Is Quiet. And Fun. So Far…

So, we’re six days into the new year. The kids have had two days back at school. We’re establishing a rhythm. A new, slower rhythm, to our lives. This was our intent, afterall. I’ve blogged about that recently. We’re succeeding so far, it would seem.

Yes, there’s still Boy Scouts. And Ballet. And Fencing. But this week, the whole family is suiting up for Fencing. We’re all taking lessons together. And through that, we’re having a lot of fun.

For the first time ever, C and I sparred last night. It was all sorts of giggly fun, like when we were dating.

The kids are working hard to flex their organizational muscles, get up to their alarm clocks and self-motivate. They’re making progress. It’s good. It quiets the drama.

We’re not trying to be hermits; we’re just trying to create consistency, predictability and a relative lack of crisis.

Thorium as an energy source?

Ongoing reading on energy issues and sustainability led me to this gem:

Nuclear Power Using Thorium, in Wired Magazine.

The synopsis: thorium is much more accessible than uranium, easier to prepare, leaves very little dangerous residue, and creates a much more controllable reaction. From the article:

“The concept of nuclear power without waste or proliferation has obvious political appeal in the US, as well. The threat of climate change has created an urgent demand for carbon-free electricity, and the 52,000 tons of spent, toxic material that has piled up around the country makes traditional nuclear power less attractive. President Obama and his energy secretary, Steven Chu, have expressed general support for a nuclear renaissance. Utilities are investigating several next-gen alternatives, including scaled-down conventional plants and “pebble bed” reactors, in which the nuclear fuel is inserted into small graphite balls in a way that reduces the risk of meltdown.”

The synopsis: thorium is much more accessible than uranium, easier to prepare, leaves very little dangerous residue, and creates a much more controllable reaction.