Tic Tac Toe Cookies

A couple weeks ago at the dinner table I noticed a cookie recipe on the back of the ketchup bottle. Peanut butter tic tac toe cookies with a very special ingredient. My curiosity got the best of me and the next day the boys and I made a batch of very orange cookies with a slight ketchup finish. One of the boys loved them, the other was disgusted, and I could only draw the conclusion of...huh. 

Every Thursday of this summer, the boys and I have done a science project (or two:). We started with a few kits and sets that we had saved from Christmas for the nicer weather before moving on to a couple books that have been gifted to the boys over the years. We have grown magic water crystals, 'excavated' dinosaur bones, created chemical reactions, and soaked celery in colored water. When they are curious about something, a concept, an idea or even a recipe, I want them to feel empowered to explore and pursue their inklings. They pick the projects that appeal to them, anticipate them during the week, gather the supplies and theorize about what the outcome might be.

One outcome that I had not expected was the disappointment that follows all good scientists. A couple of our projects have not turned out like we thought, and dealing with the let down together in a healthy way has been good for the boys to experience. When the boys tore into their blocks of clay with chisels to excavate their dinosaurs, one block contained no bones. When it became apparent that one of our kits was a dud, I had to think quick (all the while composing an email on quality control for the manufacturer). We talked about what paleontologists might learn from an empty dig site. We decided that instead of solo fossil hunting, we would work as a team on the bones that were provided as promised. When one of our liters of soda was too flat to react to the Mentos we dropped into it, we talked about the science of chemical reactions, how the conditions have to be right for certain interactions, and how we can always try again.

And we talked about how  things don't always work out the way we want or expect them to. Sometimes life is disappointing. It's okay to feel sad if something doesn't work out. We can try to find some meaning it what happened, but it isn't always there. One thing we can count on is each other. Our family works as a team, and sometimes that means supporting the pursuit of curiosity or supporting each other.