Explore: to examine or investigate

It was James's turn to have me exploring with him side by side. His class visited the new Exploratorium museum that is built on the shores of the San Francisco bay.  Most of Pier 15 is dedicated to this vast museum, where kids from various parts of California come to learn, investigate, and explore science, art, and human perception and its many facets through hands-on exhibits, creative laboratories, and imaginative galleries.  All of us, young and younger, had a blast learning a new way of seeing the world.  Curiosity was ignited, imagination was fired up, and a love for learning was evoked in all of our hearts.  Since they change most of the exhibits on a regular basis, I'm definitely coming back with all of my kiddos.

 

There were several outdoor exhibits found in front of the museum.  The children played in the honeycomb structure for minutes at a time, before entering the museum, and then after they were done inside, they went back and kept playing. They loved disappearing into the mist bridge, and then emerging as if they were zombies :)

 

 The entrance was "scientifically" decorated for Halloween, and these tombstone displays, inscribed with the death year of various laws, ideas, and theories, were my favorite!

 As soon as we entered the museum, the kids spread out all over the various exhibits.  I explored a lot on my own, and then went to find James and his friends.  Mostly, though, James and I would choose our own exhibits.  I loved the information located nearby each display.  There was a lot of data on what was going on, and then explanation on why or how it was happening.  Learning science was never this fun!

 

 Here is James freaking me out by drinking from the water fountain suited out of a toilet, and a dirty one at that.  Human perception you said? Now I do believe in it!

 

Of course I wanted to keep my "most scientific mom ever" award, earned during my previous endeavors with my kids, so I dropped my camera on the floor, rolled up my sleeves, and got down to work.  And what fun work; we built contraption after contraption with various kids calling my name for help.  

 

 

 

I felt overjoyed skipping from one experiment to another, feeling almost like a kid, and not just an ordinary kid, but a smart one.  I really had fun and appreciated all of the fun ideas that science has come up during the centuries.  I can only imagine how joyful it will be when we get to heaven and learn all that fun stuff.

Of course I can't describe all of the exhibits in detail, but these two were kind of interesting and something out of the ordinary, at least for me.  The first one was an artsy creation representing the most beautiful highlights of San Francisco, made out of toothpicks!!!  It took the artist 37 years to finish this.  Talk about patience!

 

The second exhibit that I thought was so cool was just a box with a metal tube in it covered in black sand.  What's special about that?  Well, this glossy, heavy, fine sand is partly magnetic, and when stuck to the metallic tube, it looked as if it were frozen and prickly.  But of course when you touched it, it was soft and stuck to your hand.  I love the fact that Heavenly Father has given us an earth with such bounteous treasures!

Before we exited the museum, James and I visited the store.  He bought a pair of spy glasses that could reflect what's going on behind you.  Really cool!  However that wasn't the highlight of the store visit.  La Forge was!  Although my kids are original series fans, and not so much The Next Generation, they are Trekkies nonetheless.  So when you spot a Star Trek character, you totally want a picture with him, whether he be Scotty or La Forge.

 

As we left the museum, the kids spotted a ship anchored by the shore, and although we didn't get a chance to enter it, they were able to check it out from the outside.  The coolest part was the fact that it was a Columbian ship, and James was excited to tell his friends that his uncle served a church mission in that country.

The bus arrived, and we hurried for one last picture, all tucked in snug in a horseless carriage made out of skateboards.  Who thought science could be so fun?!

“Imagination rules the world” ― Napoleon Bonaparte

Jefferson's class got to go to the Tech Museum in San Jose, and of course I was by his side on this exciting adventure.  The Tech Museum is a fascinating collaboration between scientific innovations and hands-on exhibits where kids of all ages can let their imagination soar.  The special exhibit for this month featured an outstanding collection of more than 80 authentic costumes, props, and models from all of the 6 Star Wars movies.  Its title "Star Wars: Where Science meets Imagination" served as a creative bridge in the minds of the kids as they went and looked at all the models and costumes used in Star Wars films connecting the imagination of those films with real science.  Interactive exhibits helped the students understand the science behind the ideas used in the movies.  And who knows, perhaps one of them will grow up to actually make those ideas happen in reality.

My favorite part of this experience was the shocked, but admiring look I got from the kids I was chaperoning when I would beat them in being the first in building all of the models or finishing the experiments first.  They would all say "Wow, how did you do that?  Why isn't this working for me?  How did your mom (to Jefferson) get to finish that so quickly?"  I loved the proud look on Jefferson's face that his mom was so awesome, but I could also detect a little bit of jealousy.  Ha ha ha, I loved it.  So parents out there, I made you all proud.  In the eyes of those kids, I wasn't only the artsy mom, but also the smart mom who loves science.  For a parent, it can't get better than that!

(Sorry about the quality of these pictures; we weren't allowed to do any flash photography.)

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The rest of the museum was as exciting or even more.  We played every game, conducted every experiment, tried our hands at every design lab, and built our own robots.  The kids couldn't decide what to do first; they were so excited. There were times I didn't see them for minutes at a time; they were building their own creations, while I was absend-mindedly working with my own imagination.  At one point, I went to look for them, and I saw this big screen of Google Earth and a view of my hometown in it.  My son was using Google's Liquid Galaxy to track my home from the other side of the planet, and using those three big screens made him look as if he were in an FBI movie.  Fun all around! (Sorry, I didn't take too many pictures on this side of the museum; I was too busy being a scientist :) )

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate...

We couldn't let October go without a visit to the pumpkin patch. Charlton was excited to have his best friend accompany him alongside his mother.  The day was beautiful, the colors were enticing, and the fields were wide open ready to be explored.  Charlton and William were such good sports when it came to taking photos, that although they were playing the whole time, I was able to capture some fun moments with my camera.

 

 

After counting every pumpkin in the field, naming the colors of various flowers and vegetables, and running around striking the best pose for me, we proceeded toward the play area with tunnels, pretend cow milking, various games, and jumping on the bean tubs.  The boys played for at least two hours with each other, while I read in the shade.

 

Before we left, Charlton wanted me to go with him in the hay tunnels, so I did.  It was cool and dark, but not dark enough to get lost, because there were beams of light that entered the tunnel and enlightened the path for the little explorers.  As I entered those shafts, I felt overwhelmed by the Spirit as I noticed how little light is needed to shine someone's path, and how beautiful those tiny beams made the experience.  A verse from Shakespeare came to mind: “How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.” (The Merchant of Venice)

And of course, the quintessential verse in the New Testament that encourages us to love, to serve, to share all we have with each other, found in Matthew 5:14-16:
¹⁴ Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
¹⁵ Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

I'm really enjoying taking my little guy out on various field trips.  He is blossoming under the one-on-one attention I'm giving him.  I love his happy smile he gives me as he plays; I laugh out loud at the songs in the radio he tries to sing with me; I adore his simple, but thoughtful questions; and I melt away at his love, hugs, kisses, and sweet words he shares with me. Going through this stage with my first three was such a blast, but so easy because they had each other.  This little fellow is on his own while the other ones go to school and other activities. 

 I had plans to go to school this semester.  I actually started attending a few classes at Berkeley.  I loved being in school again and studying my favorite authors with great teachers and peers.  After a couple of weeks, and through a lot of prayers, it became clear to me that, although going to school was making me so happy and excited about life as an individual, as a mom I was having anxiety and doubts about my boy not having me around all the time.  I know lots of other women out there find time to do both, but try as I might, I couldn't find the strength to keep going with my decision to attend school. 

 That was a good choice, and a necessary one for me and my emotional/intellectual happiness, but it wasn't the best.  It was hard at first to accept that, but as always I did what the Lord wanted me to do, even though I often had tears in my eyes and a hole in my heart.  I don't know what the Lord's plan for me is.  I want so much, and I have so much energy to accomplish them.  But for now, and for a while, as hard as it is, my children are first.  In my prayers each day, I ask the Lord to bless me with faith "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." (Mark 9:24) 

My prayers were answered in an unexpected way.  I started putting a lot of thought and energy in making my Charlton's life an enriched one.  I wanted to use every moment with him educating and teaching him in all aspects of life.  And with that renewed desire and excitement came an sweet and pure happiness.  I still long to go back to school and write papers and listen to lectures on Shakespeare and Milton, but for now the best decision is teaching Junior Shakespeare to Charlton :)

"As mothers in Israel, we are the Lord’s secret weapon. Our influence comes from a divine endowment that has been in place from the beginning. In the premortal world, when our Father described our role, I wonder if we didn’t stand in wide-eyed wonder that He would bless us with a sacred trust so central to His plan and that He would endow us with gifts so vital to the loving and leading of His children. I wonder if we shouted for joy at least in part because of the ennobling stature He gave us in His kingdom. The world won’t tell you that, but the Spirit will." (Sheri Dew)