The younger Free-Ride offspring has been studying alligators and crocodiles in nature study. Some preliminary findings below the fold.

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Elder offspring: I think at recess I might start a bird watching club.
Dr. Free-Ride: You’ll have to be careful with it.
Elder offspring: Huh?
Dr. Free-Ride: When you swing it, make sure you don’t hit any kids or birds, and don’t break the lens at the end.
Elder offspring: Not that kind of club! (groans in exasperation)
Dr. Free-Ride: Finally, I have my revenge for some of those jokes you’ve been telling me!

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This being St. Patrick’s Day and all, the elder offspring would like to conduct an experiment. However, we want to make sure it’s above-board, ethically speaking.

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Dr. Free-Ride: (to younger offspring) Could you teach me all the words to your song about the planets.
Younger offspring: It’s secret.
Dr. Free-Ride: Please?
Younger offspring: Oh, alright!

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Despite the younger offspring’s unwillingness to provide details last week, it would seem that they really were studying turtles. This rendering was made with leaves and other plant matter. Also, I learned from the younger offspring that the “tummy” part of a turtle’s shell (not shown) is called the plastron.

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A conversation during the early-morning “power snuggle”, during which all four members of the Free-Ride family stay under the covers pretending they don’t have to get up, like, five minutes ago:
Elder offspring: Did you hear that loud thunder last night?
Younger offspring: (pouting) I didn’t hear it!

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Y’all know that I’m an advocate of kids being able to get their science on. It’s great when they can do this is school, under the guidance of knowledgable and enthusiastic teachers. But sometimes the teachers are … not so knowledgable, or not so enthusiastic. Even when they are both, sometimes there are not enough school hours a week for kids to get the science they crave — especially the hands-on exploration.
According to Boing Boing, certain avenues of extra-curricular science exploration have just gotten harder to pursue. As posted today on Boing Boing:
US bans sale of chemicals to hobbyists without $1K license

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(At the dinner table last night)
Dr. Free-Ride: (to younger offspring) What are you learning about in nature study these days?
Younger offspring: (slurping noodles) Turtles.
Dr. Free-Ride: What are you learning about turtles?
Younger offspring: (chewing) Turtles.
Dr. Free-Ride: What?!
Younger offspring: (taking another bite) Reptiles and amphibians.
Dr. Free-Ride: Child, it’s Thursday night. I’m working against a deadline here!

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For those of you readers in the San Francisco Bay Area:
The Synopsys Silicon Valley Science and Technology Championship is coming up (March 8-9) at the McEnery Covention Center in San Jose. Not only are they looking for volunteers, but they are especially in need of judges. (At this point, they have almost 800 projects entered and just over 200 judges.)
The judging takes place March 9, during the day (11:30 am – 4:30 pm). I’ve judged in this fair before and it’s a great experience. The kids are very enthusiastic about science, and about what they’ve learned in their projects. Judges who are clearly engaged in their projects amplify this enthusiasm like you wouldn’t believe. The people I’ve met judging have been a fun bunch, too — working and retired scientists in industry, professors and postdocs, a full range of science-savvy grown-ups who still have their childlike fascination with science. And, if you judge, they feed you lunch.
If you think (or even suspect) you have the mad science skillz to help with the judging, do consider signing up to be a judge. It will mean a lot to the kids, and you’ll have a blast.
UPDATE: Information about science fairs in other regions in the comments. If you’d like to add information about a fair in your regions, go right ahead.

A conversation while driving:
Elder offspring: On library day this week, I got a book called Endangered Desert Animals. Desert animals are really cool.
Dr. Free-Ride: What do you think is coolest about desert animals?
Elder offspring: They can go for a long time without drinking any water at all. Some of them get their water by munching on tasty cactus flowers.
Dr. Free-Ride: That’s true, animals who live in the desert need to be able to get what they need from the desert, and there isn’t much water there. I think I remember, when I was about your age, reading about kangaroo rats living in the desert. They have to get all their water from the seeds they eat, and if I remember correctly, their pee has so little water in it that it comes out as crystals.
Elder offspring: Weird!
Dr. Free-Ride: Yeah.
Elder offspring: There are so many neat desert animals — gila monsters, bats, scorpions, dromedaries and bactrian camels, bandicoots —
Dr. Free-Ride: Wait, are bandicoots really desert animals?

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