What's been keeping us busy the last week or so...everything!!

I don't know who ever came up with the idea that summer was relaxing, but whoever it was they've never been to our home in the summer!!! We've been busy busy busy! 

We finished up our summer reading program at the town library. What an awesome librarian we have! Not only did she have weekly activities for all the kids but she brought in a magician, a mad scientist, Mr. Yo-yo and topped it all off with a pool party complete with prizes! 

We've also been finishing up some 4H projects that we took in to the fairgrounds on Sunday which includes this guy right here that Yip made at the last minute. A horrifying story, for me anyway, goes along with this guy. After Yip finished him which included putting him together with hot glue, I put him in the car Saturday afternoon so nothing would happen to him. It was hot that day...105 degrees hot and I didn't even think about it. But DR went out to the car that night for something and found that all the glue had melted and Ironman was in pieces!!! I felt soooo bad! Poor Yip had to glue the whole thing together again Sunday morning, but he did a great job and the 4H judges were pretty impressed. 

Yap talked the judge's ear off while sharing his Lego model. They think he has a future as a politician. Oh boy! 

Yip and Yap also talked to the electric judge about their shaker flashlights. He was most impressed that they could actually explain HOW the flashlight works! Yay! 

After we got home from dropping off projects Sunday,Yahoo decided she needed to make some projects too. So she sat down and made her own sculptures for the open class that we were able to take in the next day. 

Here's an Alien, but I didn't have to tell you that. 

And here's a bird nest with eggs and blankets, of course! 

Speaking of eggs we found the coolest experiment with an egg!! 

 I even have a video, but I can't get it to load up :(

  It's awesome though, you should try it! 

Not only have we been busy with 4H but our VBS started this week and I've spent most of the summer on the decorations. It's been awesome! And I heard a rumor about a pie in someone's face on Friday?? Hmmm... Pics to come! 

We are ELECTRIFYING!

I am sooo proud of myself. Last week I, Prairie Mother, all by myself helped the boys finish their 4-H Electric projects. AND they actually worked when we were finished with them! I was so proud of myself. Ok, ok, some of you may not think that's a big deal but I had to brush up (a lot) on my knowledge of electricity and I had to teach myself to solder. I'd chip soldered years ago....in a college jewelry class which is a lot different than using a soldering iron let me tell ya! 

Yap being the good 4-Her and reading directions first! 

All the parts laid out in a box so we can't lose any. Oh, it also helps if you can get rid of your 4 year old sister on the day you put this together...cuts WAY down on the chaos. 

My mom sent out the boys magnetic flashlight kit that I'm pretty sure can be bought in any extension office in Indiana through Purdue Extension.  You are probably wondering why I had grandma send them from Indiana rather than get something from the Kansas Extension Office. I've blogged previously about how different Indiana 4-H and Kansas 4-H are, and well, they just don't have anything at the extension office. A lot of 4-Hers will buy some electricity kit from a hobby store and use that for a 4-H project. We're sticking with the Purdue kits though. I think that the kits, along with the books, do a better job explaining electricity and have a logical sequence of skills from year to year. 

Stripping the wires.

They figured that a pocket knife worked a lot better than those wire strippers. 

They had a tiny little circuit board they had to solder 6, or was it 8, different wires onto. 

A pair of pliers and a rubber band make a great third hand while you are soldering! 

Taping down the wires and the coil to the outside of the tube. 

The blue thing right up there is the capacitor and that had to be soldered onto the circuit board along with the two red wires, and the light bulb. I learned that the capacitor stores the energy to light the bulb. 

Then all that the boys soldered together had to be put down into the plastic tube, give it a shake and the light bulb lights up!! Now I know how Edison must have felt...LOL 

Yip and Yap had a lot of wires to cut. They learned quickly that they had to do a neat job or that whole section wouldn't fit down into the tube. 

I know, those solders above aren't very pretty.....

...but they did the job! 

How are you all doing on 4-H projects? After helping my boys with 4-H projects, I think I'd take electricity and woodworking over a clothing project any day!