When I realized we had volcanos for the 4th quarter of 6th grade science, and we had already been there, done that, I thought we might take on a little physics for homeschooling.
Science lesson #1:
There are lots of fun things to study about the physics of air, one of Jake’s favorite is scuba. As a certified Dive Master, he has been diving for years. I frequently go with him, but real-talk, it freaks me out, every time. Now that I am of a certain age, I feel like I have hit the stage in life when I can say no to things, things that other people might think are cool- but I don't. Outdoor Music festivals would be one example, scuba is certainly another. Plus with my advanced years of age, a bonus 12-year-old lives with us. According to PADI, 12-year-olds are old enough to dive 40-feet underwater, and ours loves an adventure with her dad. When she found out that her aunt Abbie was gonna come down and go diving with her, she was all in and I was all out.
I think we have a future understanding. With scuba comes all kinds of science: Boyle's law, Dalton's law and Henry's law... air pressure and compression, water pressure and nitrogen. Few things help make you understand the need to learn about expanding air and water pressure, like hearing your lungs are gonna squeeze. You need to pay attention.
Science lesson #2:
It is likely that the problem was that we didn't use enough coke bottles, or that the cardboard held a lot of the air back, but I am guessing the real problem was our expectations. When you have felt the real deal of a central air unit, taping a coke label onto a fan isn't gonna trick any tween. So we abandoned our science and decided to embrace some cultural anthropology. Authentic in the DR doesn't just mean moro, tostones, and sancocho, it also means siesta. There is a real and valid reason that those around the equator take a nap from 1-3pm, and we are here to embrace the SOCIAL SCIENCE of the culture as well.
There are lots of fun things to study about the physics of air, one of Jake’s favorite is scuba. As a certified Dive Master, he has been diving for years. I frequently go with him, but real-talk, it freaks me out, every time. Now that I am of a certain age, I feel like I have hit the stage in life when I can say no to things, things that other people might think are cool- but I don't. Outdoor Music festivals would be one example, scuba is certainly another. Plus with my advanced years of age, a bonus 12-year-old lives with us. According to PADI, 12-year-olds are old enough to dive 40-feet underwater, and ours loves an adventure with her dad. When she found out that her aunt Abbie was gonna come down and go diving with her, she was all in and I was all out.
These three saw a big old sea turtle, a sunken Spanish cannon, Caribbean lobsters, and countless amounts of tropical fish around the coral. Jake said that she was a natural, she said she LOVED it. Calm and steady, Charlotte took on the underworld with a confident presence. Nearly the same amount of calm and steady that Claire, Julie, and I took as we sat by the pool overlooking the sea with a plate of nachos grande.
I think we have a future understanding. With scuba comes all kinds of science: Boyle's law, Dalton's law and Henry's law... air pressure and compression, water pressure and nitrogen. Few things help make you understand the need to learn about expanding air and water pressure, like hearing your lungs are gonna squeeze. You need to pay attention.
Science lesson #2:
It’s hot in the DR. We are weak northerners with little tolerance for sweat, particularly neck sweat. Our prior Southern IL summers were sweltering and humid, but we went from an air-conditioned house to an air-conditioned car, to air-con store, back to air-con car, to air-con house. Down here in the Dominican, we go from hot to hot to hot to hot.... you know like the whole world has lived for all of the centuries. And as much as we like to live authentically, we also don’t.
A few years back I watched this YouTube of a guy in the Philippines build a house out of plastic coke bottles to keep it cool. It basically kind of works like this: The neck of the plastic bottle compresses the air if it is pushed through. As the hot air leaves the rim of the bottle, it starts to expand. If it expands fast enough, the warm air cools. And voilà... air conditioner out of a coke bottle.
We attached our creation to the fan and braced ourselves for some amazing cool air...
As you can see by my tweens face, it was pretty disappointing.
A few years back I watched this YouTube of a guy in the Philippines build a house out of plastic coke bottles to keep it cool. It basically kind of works like this: The neck of the plastic bottle compresses the air if it is pushed through. As the hot air leaves the rim of the bottle, it starts to expand. If it expands fast enough, the warm air cools. And voilà... air conditioner out of a coke bottle.
We were hot enough to give it a go, no room for skepticism here. If it was good enough for the guy from the Philippines, it was good enough for us!
We attached our creation to the fan and braced ourselves for some amazing cool air...
As you can see by my tweens face, it was pretty disappointing.
It is likely that the problem was that we didn't use enough coke bottles, or that the cardboard held a lot of the air back, but I am guessing the real problem was our expectations. When you have felt the real deal of a central air unit, taping a coke label onto a fan isn't gonna trick any tween. So we abandoned our science and decided to embrace some cultural anthropology. Authentic in the DR doesn't just mean moro, tostones, and sancocho, it also means siesta. There is a real and valid reason that those around the equator take a nap from 1-3pm, and we are here to embrace the SOCIAL SCIENCE of the culture as well.
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