Our winter has been mild here in Tennessee. Aside from a spell of bitter cold and two ice storms, which are common in our part of the country, the weather has been moderate. I would say that our average daytime highs have been in the low 50s. with some days reaching into the 60s and even 70s.
Knowing that it won’t be long before we are desperately trying to escape the sweltering heat of summer, we are spending as much time outside as we can. Little Buddy received a battery powered rocket from his great-grandmother for Christmas, and he loves going to the park to launch it. The battery charges for just 30 minutes and allows for about 10 launches. According to the box, it goes up to 200 feet in the air. He really enjoys watching it, and we do, too.
“Warning – Not suitable for children under 8 years of age.” Front of package. So we should assume your over-8-year-old child is playing with this and your under-8-year-old child is spectating from a safe distance.
On a related note, grandparents (and great-grandparents) should be supervised by a responsible adult while toy shopping. You can end up with things totally age-unsuitable otherwise. My non-walking child got a big heavy pedal car from one grandparent for a first birthday. Nice, but couldn’t use it for a very long time.
It is very much a “Little Buddy stands back with Daddy while Mommy launches the rocket” sort of thing. 🙂
Rude
Nice Christmas present! I too would enjoy watching it! Jane
That’s so cool! Does it come straight down or have you had any close calls with losing it already because it landed in a random place?
It comes pretty much straight down if there’s no wind (you’re only supposed to use it if it isn’t windy).
Ellie that looks like so much fun! Speaking of weather, we are experiencing high wind, cold and snow which is supposed to last through Sunday. Spring arrives next month I keep telling myself.
That’s too bad. How much snow did you get? Snow isn’t super common for you is it? Somehow the storm missed Tennessee.
Would you mind if your child chose to pursue a career in science?
If that’s what interests them, I will be very proud if one or more of my children pursues a career in science. My husband’s undergrad degree is in molecular and cellular biology.
Why would Ellie have a problem with her children having a career in science?
Because then she can’t homeschool him; it’s practically impossible to teach chemistry at home.
That’s not true at all! There are very good chemistry courses for at home learning. I know many homeschoolers who go into the sciences after graduation.
There are actually a lot of options out there for learning chemistry (or any of the higher sciences) at home. As a homeschool grad myself, I took Biology, Chemistry, and Physics at home, and was so well-prepared that I was able to test out of my general education science requirement in college – and the test in my case was almost entirely covering Biology & Chemistry. I believe Mr. Handsome and Ellie were both homeschooled in high school as well, so they likely took Chemistry at home.
You might be able to do the book work for chemistry at home, but how do you get hold of the chemicals for lab work, which is half of any chem course? Those chemicals are probably controlled substances in this day of making drugs and explosives in homemade labs. I needed ether for optical instrument cleaning 30 years ago and couldn’t buy it, but the public school chem lab let me come in and use theirs.
So your homeschool lab work with whatever you’re allowed to have (vinegar and baking soda?) would not be equal to public school or university lab work using potentially controlled chemicals. What good is graduating a student who only knows chemistry on paper, not in a true lab setting?
What wonderful fun for all of you. A great gift by the grandparents! I remember buying things like this when our grandchildren were Little Buddy’s age! We all enjoyed it!
Regarding chemistry as a homeschooler: You buy a lab kit for chemistry to go along with the textbook! You can also buy lectures to accompany the curriculum. They can come as sets so everything matches up.