Monday, February 16, 2009

Hands-On (Thumbs-Off) Science

I thought I had come up with a really fun activity for science today that Ruth would get a kick out of. We were studying hands and opposable thumbs. The project was to do certain every day activities like writing your name, unbuttoning a button, twisting off a bottle cap, etc. First Ruth would do them normally and then with her thumb taped down. We were to time how long it took each way, fill in a chart and then answer a few questions that were to make us realize that our hands, and more specifically, our thumbs are uniquely adapted to the activities we, as humans, do. Though she did grin a few times at first, I was shocked and horrified when she burst into tears at one point*. Was the tape too tight? Was she in pain? Not remotely. She was frustrated because she couldn't do things perfectly. She didn't want to participate because having her thumbs taped down made the tasks--not impossible, mind you--but more difficult and less perfect. If I needed further proof that she is truly my child, there it is. I have successfully cloned myself. So much for making science fun, I guess.

*I did finally convince her that it was just for fun, and she was able to make it through the activity and smile once more.

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