Twelve-year-old Adonis was impressed by the Ontario Science Centre. There was so much to see and do! Here’s what he had to say about it in his travel journal, plus a few words from his friends.
Today we went to Ontario Science Centre.
“The first thing that caught my eye was the dinosaur.” -Big King, age 14
We went everywhere in the Science Center even to the bottom of the Science Center.
“The best part was the 6th floor because everything was interactive.” -Theo, age 14
We saw a t-rex from Jurassic World, Bumble Bee, camel made of so much things, Dr. Frankenstein [Einstein?] made of bread, shrunken heads.
“I liked the tall man.” -Puppy, age 6
Then there was a “grab the jewely.” The jewely was a hologram.
“The best one I like was grab the jewel. It was a hologram.” -Little King, age 11
After that, we watch an Imax movie called “Beautiful Planet.” It was about an astronauts in space watching earth. Watching it at night and morning.
“Me and Tristen got shocked.” -Skijlaar, age 12
I’ve been to a lot of science museums and trust me: this one was exemplary! I think that the museum is best summed up by one final quote:
“There’s a lot of cool stuff.” -Tré, age 14
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Be sure to comment and let the kids know what you think!
We’re bound for Canada! But first, we’re participating in Art in the Park right here at home. One of my favorite memories of my childhood hometown is Art in the Park. Flagstaff, Arizona held it this festival annually on the lawn of the library. It’s something I missed when we moved to Phoenix. Now that we live in Sint Maarten, Art in the Park is back on the agenda!
Some of my paintings that will be for sale at Art in the Park
The best of SXM Art in the Park for me is that I get to be a part of a booth this time. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know that I volunteer with a local Little League team that incorporates academics into its daily program. This summer, we all get to take a trip to Canada to watch the Blue Jays play! The Rotary Club is sponsoring the trip, but of course we are teaching the boys responsibility by having them fund-raise as well.
The kids have been working on their merchandise for a long time. Coach Tom and his wife, Lisa, came up with some great ideas. The team has a rock tumbler, and they’ve polished a couple hundred rocks over the last few months. We’ll put magnets on these and sell them for a few dollars. The kids are also making lanterns with a Canadian maple leaf on the front. I’ll be contributing some of my paintings to the fundraiser, as well.
K. shows off one of her favorite rocks
Here’s how we made the rock magnets:
The kids ran around the baseball field, gathering various little rocks.
2. The first week, Tom tumbled the rocks with some abrasive. They came out clean, but still pretty rough. The kids washed all the gritty gray liquid off and Tom added new abrasive.
3. The second week and third weeks, the rocks were tumbled again.
A. found an amethyst!
4. The fourth week was the last week of tumbling. This kids washed them off and shined them. We put a little lacquer on them to make them even prettier.
5. Finally, we glued the magnets on the back. They’re ready to add some natural beauty to your fridge!
Can you identify the igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks? Little K. can!
The older boys worked with volunteers to drill holes in coffee cans for the lanterns. Then everyone had a chance to paint the leaves Canada red.
Drilling..
Drilling…
Making a handle…
Painting!
Stacey and I are working on an informational display for the festival, too. All the kids and volunteers traced their hands on the background.
If you’re on Saint Martin, come visit us this Sunday (February 14) at Emilio Wilson Park in Cul de Sac between 10 and 4:30! Just head to Philipsburg, take the round-a-bout north instead of heading east to Cost-U-Less, and look for the park on your left a little past the baseball field. Let’s send these kids to Canada!
One of our boys and Fred, a real, live Canadian! Also, note volunteer Andrea’s enthusiasm in the background. We have fun here.
Thanks to Stacey and Tom for providing the pictures for this post!
