I got Helena up yesterday morning and told her it was a special day. It was science day. Possibly I’m a little restless. Helena was not amused. “What’s got into you Mum?” “I like to do my own thing”.

I got our test tubes out and then she was somewhat less reluctant. I wanted to try sinking an ice cube. You stick it into oil. It’s beautiful. She was not interested.

This is what she said:

• “You’re not a scientist cause scientists just fiddle around”
• “What do I do?”
• “You just copy other people because you think theirs are cool. You’re never going to make a new discovery because you’re just coping other people.”
• “So what are you going to do?”
• “um Make an explosion and see what else to add, see if adding other things makes it different.”

So I let her do what she wanted. So she made….

The ole baking soda and vinegar trick…

Some other coloured liquids…

Mad scientist drinking berocca, food coloring and water! Of course my version was more er measured and perhaps prettier but essentially the same, just slower..

We, ok I, did the density thing and she vaguely participated by saying where she thought the new liquid would go.. then we shook it and what do you know Dad, ex chemical engineer, predicted they would end up in two layers and it was so. That top layer we smelt and decided it was the turps…

and we turned this…

into our lunch, vaguely berocca tasting green cheese muffins. This all filled up an hour or so. Helena however was more excited by making this skirt..

She did conced that it was more fun than she thought it would be. I have been put back in my box. I’ll ask next time.