Mission Possible: It’s Never Too Early for Science!
At the beginning of summer, my aunt asked me to spend a week babysitting my four-year-old cousin. We both agreed that it would be a piece of cake—that is, until I woke up at 8 AM on my first day of babysitting, nose to nose with an antsy toddler. The gravity of the situation hit me all at once — I needed to fill up five days, starting from the first 8AM stare down. It was Mission Impossible: Toddler Edition.
At the beginning of summer, my aunt asked me to spend a week babysitting my four-year-old cousin. It was simple, she said: all I had to do was keep her entertained until my aunt came home from work. We both agreed that it would be a piece of cake—that is, until I woke up at 8 AM on my first day of babysitting, nose to nose with an antsy toddler. “Wake up, Emsies,” she said excitedly. “What are we doing today?” The gravity of the situation hit me all at once; I had forgotten that four year olds needed to be constantly entertained. I had no car and no planned activities. I was miles away from my home. I needed to fill up five days, starting from the first 8AM stare down. It was Mission Impossible: Toddler Edition.
But, just like Tom Cruise, I had a secret weapon up my sleeve. This summer, part of my internship with Community Resources for Science involved revamping the organization’s Pinterest site. I organized existing pins according to the Next Generation Science Standards, pinned new experiments to relevant boards, and added a Try This at Home section. And it was this home science experiment section that would be my babysitting Hail Mary.
As soon as I showed the secret-weapon-Pinterest-board to my cousin, her face brightened. Water experiments were up first, starting with sticking pencils through a plastic bag of water. (She was amazed that it worked, but her face clouded up a little when I tried to explain what a ‘polymer’ was.) We quickly capitalized on our water experiment success by trying to guess whether a taller or a wider cup would hold more water. (‘Why do you think this cup would hold more water, D?’ I would ask. ‘Because it’s purple!’ she’d respond.) However, after we repurposed the water we used to experiment into boiling water for pasta, it was time for the cream of the crop, the experiment to top them all. That’s right, readers; it was time for slime.
Five minutes later, we had produced a delightfully oozy mixture of cornstarch and water. I almost wanted to push D aside and play with it myself. But because I am self-sacrificing, I let her play with the slime while I filmed. “Be careful,” she laughed. “It’s raining slime! You have to get your umbrella!” She was in her own slime-world, and it was my job to see that nothing got on the floor. Oh, the joys of an elder cousin.
When my aunt got home, our marathon experiment day was the prime topic of conversation. Aunt E was grateful that D got to learn about the world around her, and D was grateful that she got to get messy. Mission Impossible? Not for Babysitter Extraordinaire! (That’s me.)
Need a quick babysitting fix? All experiments referenced in this post are available on our Pinterest page — check it out at http://www.pinterest.com/CRScience/.
About the Author: Emma Schiffer, a summer intern, is about to start her junior year at UC Berkeley. Although she is an English major, she wants to try all of the experiments she has discovered through working at CRS!