"Children want the same things we want. To laugh, to be challenged, to be entertained, and delighted."
- Dr. Seuss -
Can you believe I'm starting another series?
My maternal grandfather is one of the most important people in my life. To me, Grandpa Ralph will always be a great man because he took the time to share gizmos, gadgets, and geeky things with me.
Gramps showed me how to make things, and helped me understand how and why they worked.
How do we learn best?
Arguably, when we're curious and excited about something.
Show me something amazing, and I'll play with it and think about it for hours.
If we're doing things right, we learn the most and retain it the best when we're fully engaged and having fun.
Pepsi Cola? Not really...
Original Image by @creatr
Let's have some fun!
Next time you're eating out with your kids or grandkids, stimulate their scientific thinking with this dinner table trick. As a bonus, this lesson is likely to also rattle your spouse.
No advance preparation is necessary.
Everything you need is right there on the table in front of you.
Many restaurants pre-wrap their dinnerware settings in napkins held together by a small paper band. That band is held together with a re-usable adhesive, just like a "Post-It" note.
Banded Tableware Setup
Original Image by @creatr
Remove the paper band from the setup.
Show it to all the "students" at your table. Emphasize how weak and flexible paper is. Show them how easily it wiggles and bends.
How Strong Is This Piece of Paper?
Original Image by @creatr
Let everyone hold and inspect it.
After all have seen and agreed that you're dealing with a flimsy piece of paper, carefully re-attach the adhesive edge of the paper band to its opposite edge.
Try to keep the edges even so that you end up with a nice little paper tube that sits squarely on the table. Be sure all the adhesive is in contact with the opposite end of the paper.
One Squarely Rolled Paper Tube.
Original Image by @creatr
Now you're ready for the magic.
Place the paper tube on the table alongside a filled beverage glass. A typical, heavy-duty restaurant glass tumbler filled with water can easily weigh two or more pounds.
Ready To Go!
Original Image by @creatr
Carefully place the filled glass on top of the paper tube.
If you exercise just a bit of gentleness and followed all the directions carefully, your heavy, liquid filled glass, is now suspended about an inch or so above the table top.
Voila! Success!
Original Image by @creatr
Voila! Success!
You get extra bonus points if your spouse says "Get that glass off of there before it falls and you embarrass me!"
You now have your kids full attention.
Ask the right questions, and you will encourage them to learn some basic science and engineering concepts.
The balance of compression and tension, the importance of geometry, and appropriate structural use of materials... What else might you think of to discuss with them?
Disclaimer:
If you have any doubts, do try this at home once or twice so that you'll be confident in the restaurant setting.
We are not liable for any incidents or accidents that your kids may bring about... (nor for any resulting legal expenses, divorce-related or otherwise.)
~FIN~
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I like it! These things are great to show them!
Thanks, @meesterboom!
I hope to publish plenty more over time... ;)
now what would impress me would be getting your grandkids to stand on the tube...Okay, maybe not... lol
spilled water all over tableSeriously? :O
Fortunately, you read my Disclaimer:, right? ;)
Yep, that looks like good parenting right there. :) My partner @cabelindsay recommended I check out your blog, and I'm glad I did. Although I will keep this particular magic trick a secret from the kids. We have plenty of spills on our hands already, thanks. :)
Yeah, I suppose we could let them try a trick like this with water, but what's next? Smoothies. Juices. Pretty soon we're working on balancing tricks at every meal. Great post, as always, and I greatly appreciate the invitation to exercise the child inside of us adults.
Thanks for the encouraging feedback... :D
You're really onto something here... it's absolutely true... I have never "grown up." ;)
Hahahahaha! You must have read my Disclaimer: ! :D
Nice to "meet" you here, @wildfamily, and welcome to my blog. Thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to say "Hello." ;)
Working with what you have lying around to demonstrate curios scientific principles in an engaging ways is quite fun and can be quite fun for the kids.
My father used to do this a lot and I had gotten so curious about different types of things that I think he ended up drawing how the internal combustion engine works for me on a napkin when I was 6 or something like this.
His drawing from then is still my immediate mental reference as far as the inner workings of an engine goes.
Demonstrating something cool and asking the kids to try and explain it themselves before you give them the explanation is what makes it the most fun and the most memorable for them I think.
Hey, Dave, Thank you for your visit, your comments, and especially this particular "extra" point. Asking them questions is a great way to get them thinking!
Your dad sounds like a good man. :D
As always, it's my pleasure :)
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STOPexcellent work dear friend @creatr, I will put them into practice with my grandchildren.
Thank you very much for sharing this healthy idea to do with children.
I wish you a beautiful day
Arent grandads amazing, mine was but my daughters us useless, they refuse took call him grandad. Love that experiment :)
Thanks, Karen!
One of the saddest things in my life is that my own boys never had a granddad around like I did when I was growing up... I'm glad yours was amazing! ;)
Mine was my daughter's is a right dick. I feel they have missed out so much
Pretty cool "trick" that would certainly have gotten my attention as a kid. Thanks 🐓🐓
Thanks! Glad you like it.
It gets me in trouble regularly... ;)
I can imagine. Still fun and a great way to learn. Thanks for stopping by. 🐓🐓
haha nice :)
Thanks.
nice post...nice trick to learn your kids
Thank you!
...before I read
I said it to myself! So typical of the perfect spouse.
I'm back. I haven't officially posted my "reintroduction" out of respect for the grieving community but I wanted to stop by and say Hello to you. :)
HEY! Is it really you? Seriously?
Wow, Thank you for saying hello... :D
Yup...it's me....really, seriously....me. Thank you for asking about me a few times @creatr. I really appreciated it.
You're welcome. I've missed you, and I'm glad you've decided to re-join us. :D
Check out my new library! ;)
😄😇😄
for sure.....on my spare time that is :) I did read some of your blogs even though I wasn't active on here.....had to be in the "know" 💫
It's those spontaneous moments, taking the opportunity to teach as the moment arrives, that stick in their memories the most. And, I think, inform their world view the most.
From my perspective, my children are half me. They are the next version of me. And I want them to understand the way I see the world, so that they can benefit from all the time I've spent wandering down unproductive paths.
Of course, your simple example leads to all sorts of bigger picture discussions. How important structure is to outcome and how it dictates performance. Which has implications for group dynamics. The power of circles when it comes to group cohesion, for example.
Great post creatr!
Hello, friend,
Thanks so much for taking the time to read and appreciate my post.
I really appreciate your engaging and thoughtful response to my article. You've truly added to the discussion! :D
Even the smallest piece of paper can change the course of the future. ;)
My grandpa would love to see something like this. He has an engineering mind as well. Thanks for instigating some smiles at our next family gathering. :)
Thanks, Lydon, and I hope to share more cool "Geek Grandpa" tricks as time goes on. ;)
Love it! I'm always tying to make simple things like sugar packets and straws into entertainment! This reminds me of a 'trick' with a half-full soda can where you tilt it at about a 30 or 45 degree angle and it balances on its edge and you can spin it around.
You should write that one up! ;)
Ah I don't know if I could make it interesting enough! Have you tried it??
Nope, I don't know that trick...
It is amazing how your mind works. I will try that when I am at a restaurant soon. Thanks for taking us to the Food and Beverage Science School today. Enjoyed it!
You're more than welcome. Thanks for reading, and for trying this out! ;)