Gavin just LOVES to do science experiments. He can turn anything into a science experiment - with or without my help. The other day, Gavin picked up your random beetle from the pool and decided to bring it home and do an experiment. Truth be told, he actually wanted it for a pet. I got out of that one by telling Gavin that his 'new pet' would surely die if left in the house (from my foot stomping on it) because that wasn't his 'natural habitat'. Thankfully, he bought it and devised a nice little home for the creature out of one of my tupperware bowls and sat it right outside the front door. I'm talking, immediately outside the front door. If you take a step, you will be in (or on top of) the beetle's new abode. He promptly filled it with grass clippings, several leaves and a little dirt. He then proceeded to water his new bug at precise 20 minute intervals. Needless to say, the beetle could not drink as fast as my son had hoped and eventually drowned (or starved - we're not quite sure which). Gavin concluded that beetles do not eat grass. I didn't say we're good at science experiments, we just love to do them.
Never the one to be outdone, Bennett has devised his own 'espiriment'. We were all hanging-out in the front yard one evening, when we lost track of Bennett. I peeked around a corner and found him with the watering can, a little plastic yellow cup and the water faucet on full blast. I ask him what he's doing and he responds, "I'm doing a espiriment, Mom." Like I was wasting valuable time by asking him to explain the obvious. So, I continued to watch unbeknownst to him. He proceeded to take handfuls of dirt out of one my flower pots and dump it into his little yellow cup. Once he feels he has enough dirt in it, he then meticulously scans all my flowers in the garden and picks just the right one to yank a leaf off of. He decides that one will not do. One leaf is needed for the 'control group' and the other is 'just in case'. Bennett then gently places his two preciously sought after leaves into the cup with the few handfuls of dirt. Next, he turns on the faucet full blast and fills his watering can. He is now completely wet - but he is driven by scientific research. Steadfastly he pours the water into the cup (that is only about 5 inches tall), and he keeps pouring and pouring and pouring until some of the dirt splashes out around it. There, that looks perfect. He has decided that this shall culminate the preparatory process and he shall eagerly await the discovery phase.
I ask Bennett what his experiment is about and he tells me that he wants to see how long it will take his leaves to grow a new plant. Brilliant idea. He has the basic understanding. I love that he's not afraid to just mix a bunch of stuff together and see what happens. Now ask me that after he turns 14 and has a new chemistry set and I'm sure I won't be quite as thrilled with his curiosity.
Following in his older and wiser brother's footsteps, he too, has placed his 'espiriment' immediately outside the front door. It is still there, 3 days later. And no, sadly we have no new plant yet. We now have a dead bug in a bowl and a muddy, wet leaf sitting on our welcome mat. But, we have kept anyone from coming to our front door. Maybe this espiriment wasn't about plants at all.
