Our Week

Science Color Fun: Crystals and Effervescing Rocks

We’re trying to do more activities with Ezra during the evenings and weekends, and during this past week, Garry and I found a couple science activities related to his preschool’s current theme: color.

Garry and Ezra made crystals, which was the monthly “challenge” for Dinosaur Train Nature Trackers. I posted a photo of their crystals on our Postilius Facebook page. Take a look at them and like our page while you’re there (a friendly wink and a nudge). 

I found an activity that was really simple and fun too. Basically, a little water is mixed with baking soda along with some food coloring (optional) to make a paste. The mixture is dried a few hours or overnight to make “rocks.” In the morning, a stream of vinegar is poured over the rocks. The baking soda reacts with the vinegar to make carbon dioxide, which causes the "rocks" to effervesce.

I can see how parents get excited about homeschooling. There is so much science underlying one simple, little demonstration, and I thought it was fun to share with Ezra. I told Ezra we were doing a chemical reaction with an acid (vinegar, which is weak acetic acid) and a base (baking soda, sodium bicarbonate) that would make bubbles (carbon dioxide).

This demonstration can easily be repeated as children age, sequentially introducing scientific terms and concepts such as chemical equations, formulas and structures, concepts of pH and the neutralization of acids and bases – pH indicator strips are always fun to use! The production of CO2 can be empirically demonstrated with a flame since in a small area around the effervescing rocks there should be a local environment devoid of oxygen (anaerobic), which will extinguish the flame. This demonstration can be repeated with other similar substances, such as chalk and limestone (both calcium carbonate), which will also effervesce carbon dioxide in the presence of vinegar and other weak acids. Eventually, these demonstrations can be linked with geochemistry and erosion through karst topography (geographically relevant in Southern Indiana), which arises from the erosion of limestone in the presence of weakly acidic water causing sinkholes in the landscape. The possibilities are seemingly endless!

Ezra, of course, mainly liked the food coloring, bubbles and rainbow soup. He liked it well enough that he wants "to make more rocks tomorrow.” 

Our Week

Fitting Ezra into Our Church

Eliza Brownhome at Bluebird Mama recently started a Facebook photo album titled “Subtleties.” She describes the album as a collection of, “the smaller clues that give it away that I live with children.” The images included her bookshelf full of parenting, pregnancy and birth books as well as the small collections, creations and cracks that gather around living spaces shared with kids.

Brownhome invited her readers to add their own images to her “Subtleties” project. I loved the theme, and as I looked around our church, beginning to think of possible photographs to contribue, I realized that there wasn’t any subtlety to a child living in our house.

Our church is an open, single room with a loft, and as far as churches go, it is extremely humble at approximately 1100 square feet. When Amanda and I decided to have a baby we discussed how – or even if it was possible – to add a child’s things into our home. We not only lack a separate room to tuck away the kid’s accoutrements, but we don’t even have closets. We moved into the church excited by the challenge of dealing with our material possessions, and being forced to simplify and streamline our lives. Could we continue this with a third person? I am also a very aesthetic person. Could we add a child's belongings to our church without overcrowding and compromising our style?

What we discovered was that much like Ezra has become integrated into our lives, his belongings have become integrated into our church. Even when he is absent, his presence is felt.

 A play kitchen has become a part of our kitchen.

Shelves have both art and tea sets.

Stuffed animals have joined pillows.

Chalkboard grocery lists include drawings.

Sinks need stools.

Our Week

License my Midwife: CPM Licensure Passes House, Proceeds to Senate Health Committee

Image by Toby Blackwood

The Indiana House passed the midwifery licensure bill (HB1135) yesterday evening 63 to 32 with broad support from both parties.

During the discussion of the bill, a number of representatives, both Democrat and Republican, male and female, spoke eloquently, persuasively and compassionately in support of the bill. Notably, two representatives were born at home! Several spoke on behalf of their Amish constituency – Indiana has the 3rd largest Amish population in the U.S., a fact alone, which begs for CPM licensure.

Many spoke in favor of choice. A woman’s right to choose where and how she gives birth.

Unlike their colleagues who spoke in opposition to the bill, they recognized the expertise and skill of the CPM credential.

It was encouraging to see our midwives held in high esteem by a majority of legislators in our state who chose to support this bill and vote yes.

What comes next?

The bill now moves to the Senate Health Committee for a hearing with testimony. If approved by the committee, it will proceed to the full Senate for a vote. This legislation, if it becomes law, will license Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs). It will safeguard mothers and families who choose to birth at home by preventing untrained, lay midwives from legally practicing in the state.

For Indiana residents who support CPM licensure – now is the time to contact members of the Senate Health Committee.

Find your state senator. If they sit on the Senate Health Committee (see below), contact them to voice your support for the bill and ask them to vote yes. Let them know you are their constituent. Be brief, friendly and polite. You do not need to have had a homebirth to support this bill. If you support the choice of Indiana mothers and families to birth at home and their safe, legal access to CPMs, please contact your senator today.

Finally, join the Facebook group Indiana Push for Midwives to find out what you can do to help support this grassroots movement.

Members of the Senate Health Committee:
Senator Patricia Miller (Senate District 32), Chair
Senator Jean Breaux (SD 34), R.M.M.
Senator Ed Charbonneau (SD 5) R.M.
Senator Frank Mrvan (SD 1)
Senator Vaneta Becker (SD 50)
Senator Mark Stoops (SD 40)
Senator Rod Bray (SD 37)
Senator Greg Taylor (SD 33)
Senator Ron Grooms (SD 46)
Senator Jean Leising (SD 42)
Senator Pete Miller (SD 24)
Senator Ryan Mishler (SD 9)

Email your Senator using the following scheme: s#@in.gov, where # is replaced by their senate district number.

Amateur Paleontologists

Ezra hatching a T-Rex

Why are dinosaurs so fascinating to children, but not adults? This was a question posed to me by a friend who did not understand their appeal. I had no answer. I thought everyone was interested in learning more about these mysterious Mesozoic animals. Sure, it’s likely they became distracted by other interests and obligations, but once a little boy reminds them, they once again begin to dream about the earth a hundred million years ago.

Like most kids his age, Ezra went through a dinosaur phase. His obsession with dinosaurs reawakened my own curiosity. I discovered that Paleontologists’ thoughts on these extinct creatures have changed dramatically since I was Ezra’s age. I had a lot to learn, and Ezra was my first teacher. Our lessons began by learning the names and features of many of the vast number of identified dinosaur species. I’m sure Ezra could name more dinosaurs than 96% of the population (99.9% of the population if you remove paleontologists and preschool age boys). Since I remember only learning about T-Rex, Stegosaurus, Brontosaurus, Triceratops, and Pterodactyl (two of which are not even the correct genus names!), he taught me more dinosaur species than I had previously known. At 2 1/2 he would correct my identification, “Dad, that is a Brachiosaurus not an Apatosaurus,” or pronunciation.  I would struggle, “it’s a Stygim…something.” Ezra would patiently reply, “a Stygimolochs, Dad.”

Ezra’s interest in dinosaurs has tapered off at the moment, while mine has continued to increase.  One of my favorite sources for dino-related information is science writer Brian Switek. Switek did a wonderful job summarizing current dinosaur research and highlighting dinosaur spottings in pop culture on his Smithsonian Magazine blog Dinosaur Tracking. Unfortunately, Dinosaur Tracking has become extinct, but you can still read Switek’s writing, though it is not exclusively about dinosaurs, at his new National  Geographic blog Laelaps.