Science Fair

The latest tooth photo. Those little buggers are sharp!

This week I went upriver to the next village over, Stony River to chaperone 4 of our upper elementary girls at the district science fair. Julia came along too, but Dave had to stay home and teach. The girls were super excited about going, and squealed for the entire plane ride. (all 10 minutes...) They spent the first afternoon attending sessions on things like Mars Rovers, telescopes, and robots, they had a live Skype session with a NASA educator, and they got to go inside a planetarium, a large inflated dome and see a presentation projected up against the dome as if it were the sky. I had been in one before, but this presentation included tidbits about Native Alaskan beliefs, such as that the star cluster Pleiadies, commonly known as the seven sisters, but to different Alaskan groups they are known as a litter of fox cubs, a fish, a polar bear and hunters, and herring caught in a net. Julia was really enthralled with the images, especially when there was a big round planet projected. Then she'd wave her arms frantically in excitement.

On the flight

Alfreda and Leanne's project, "What would acid do to teeth?"

Chelsea and Ashley's project, "How do you make a balloon rocket?"

Creating their own planet rovers

Alfreda's rover, named Bug

Twister got the girls over their shyness with some of the other kids.

Julia's traveling high chair is turning out to be way worth the $40. 

And a smile for the camera.

The kids all slept in the school, and I got to sleep in teacher housing. The 2nd day was more sessions similar to the first day's, and my event of the morning was dealing with the biggest poop I have ever seen. Somehow little Julia defied the laws of gravity and managed to poop up, clear to her shoulder blades. I of course didn't realize this, so I started to change her in the hall, thinking it would be a quick job. Wrong-o! She was noncompliant with the idea of a diaper change, and was really pissed when I had to strip her down and scrub her back and arms and knees and heels with wet wipes. All this, as kids with rockets are running in and out through the front door that was three feet away, letting in lots of cold air to make the process more unpleasant for Julia. But we overcame all presented challenges, got her into a new outfit and managed not to get poop on any one else but me. Soon after that we had to go catch our flight home again, and our life drifted back to normal.