Mr. Science

On Monday, Sam - Ellis's teacher - had mentioned that there was going to be a special science show at Ellis's daycare on Thursday.
She had noted that Ellis seems very interested in that sort of thing so she invited us to come along. I thought that was pretty good of her to notice that -or maybe she just feels bad as yet another Monday holiday is upon us. Anyway - I was glad that we had something to do as Thursday is sometimes hard to fill.

The show was at 10 - good time for us. We drove to the Uni and parked for the day. They have stupid signs up now that say parking is for staff and students. I decided that they have no way of knowing yet and really - why else would someone park there?

We got to Ellis's school at bit early (how surprising) and the kids were still running around outside in the playground. I tried to encourage Ellis to play, but he didn't - he eventually went off on his own corner and played by himself. I think he is a bit of a loner.

It could be that all the other kids go everyday so they know each other well and Ellis is treated differently as he only goes two days a week. He didn't seem to know the protocol like the other kids - or maybe he was just thrown off as it wasn't his usual day.

The science guy was great - he used different things to show how air worked - air propelled rocket, balloons, dry ice - it was pretty good. Ellis seemed to like it. He was sad though that he didn't get to be a volunteer in the show. Maybe if I hadn't have been there, Sam may have called on him, but she probably didn't want to get accused of favourtism. I tried to explain that there were about 40 kids watching and only 5 to to be helpers so the majority did not get to be volunteers.

Afterwards the kids got to play with the science toys that Mr. Science had brought. Both Ellis and Rowan enjoyed that. He had an especially fancy marble works that Rowan was very adept at using. He no longer shoves marbles in his mouth except to make sure that his mummy is paying attention to him. He takes great glee in looking at me with a challenge in his eyes and then slowly inserting the marble into his mouth. He thinks it is hilarious when I shake my head and say "no!"

Afterward I decided we should hang out a bit and get lunch at the Uni. I had to take money out - I stopped at a bank machine and surprise surprise, Rowan took off when I was in mid transaction (I was letting him be free for a bit - how could I forget that 15 month olds do not listen?). Leave the money, card in the machine and chase child?

No...... hurry up machine!!!! I was saying to myself as I was yelling "STOP" to Rowan as he careened around the corner and out of sight. I watched some Uni kids look at him with interest, but no one stopped him for me. I managed to get my money and catch Rowan just before he got to the road. Ellis was watching all with interest from the stroller.

I decided I couldn't cope with lunch but Ellis really wanted to stay and have lunch like he did one day with Grandpa so I decided we could get takeout and go to the great court.

I strapped Rowan in while we figured out what to eat.

We ended up a place not unlike the Sub Cafeteria at UBC. Ellis got a hotdog (quite a big one) and I got chicken curry. Then we headed to the Great Court. I figured I could see for miles if Rowan took off again.

That worked fine in theory, but soon Ellis got bored with the wide open spaces. He started running around the perimeter of the great Court under the covered walkway. Soon he was out of sight - I threw Rowan into the stroller and then sprinted what felt like a km trying to catch Ellis. I finally caught him.

"you got way to far away - why didn't you stop?"

"I thought you were right behind me - you were - see - when I turned around there you were."

"Right - I said as I puffed and huffed." don't do it again. He knew...

He then took me on the Ellis tour of the Uni - we found some ways we'd never been before and then we walked by the Lakes again to look at the birds. Rowan loves the birds - brrr? he says

We found some new ones - not sure what they were, Ellis said they were hens. They had polka dots. You can't really tell from my picture.

I made chicken for dinner - Ellis watched as I coated them in corn flakes just before shoving them in the over.

"Do the chickens mind?" Ellis said at dinnertime.

"what? oh, you mean having no more leg? - uh, no they don't mind as they are dead."

"how do you get the chicken legs?" asked Ellis.

"From the store - see a farmer raises them for us to eat."

"how do you just get a leg?"

"well - the butcher cuts up the chicken, but we eat other bits on other days."

"oh." said a slightly perturbed looking Ellis. I was starting to feel a little blech myself. Imagine - 10 chicken legs for $4.33. There seems to be something wrong with that when you think about it.

"Eat your chicken." I said (with the underlying threat of no cookie if you don't).

"ok." said Ellis and slowly ate it up. Rowan meanwhile was having none it. He stuck to corn.