Geeky Grandpa - Fun Ways to Teach Your Kids

"Children want the same things we want. To laugh, to be challenged, to be entertained, and delighted."
- Dr. Seuss -

Can you believe I'm starting another series?

My maternal grandfather is one of the most important people in my life. To me, Grandpa Ralph will always be a great man because he took the time to share gizmos, gadgets, and geeky things with me.

Gramps showed me how to make things, and helped me understand how and why they worked.

How do we learn best?

Arguably, when we're curious and excited about something.

Show me something amazing, and I'll play with it and think about it for hours.

If we're doing things right, we learn the most and retain it the best when we're fully engaged and having fun.

Pepsi Cola? Not really...
Original Image by @creatr

Let's have some fun!

Next time you're eating out with your kids or grandkids, stimulate their scientific thinking with this dinner table trick. As a bonus, this lesson is likely to also rattle your spouse.

No advance preparation is necessary.

Everything you need is right there on the table in front of you.

Many restaurants pre-wrap their dinnerware settings in napkins held together by a small paper band. That band is held together with a re-usable adhesive, just like a "Post-It" note.

Banded Tableware Setup
Original Image by @creatr

Remove the paper band from the setup.

Show it to all the "students" at your table. Emphasize how weak and flexible paper is. Show them how easily it wiggles and bends.

How Strong Is This Piece of Paper?
Original Image by @creatr

Let everyone hold and inspect it.

After all have seen and agreed that you're dealing with a flimsy piece of paper, carefully re-attach the adhesive edge of the paper band to its opposite edge.

Try to keep the edges even so that you end up with a nice little paper tube that sits squarely on the table. Be sure all the adhesive is in contact with the opposite end of the paper.

One Squarely Rolled Paper Tube.
Original Image by @creatr

Now you're ready for the magic.

Place the paper tube on the table alongside a filled beverage glass. A typical, heavy-duty restaurant glass tumbler filled with water can easily weigh two or more pounds.

Ready To Go!
Original Image by @creatr

Carefully place the filled glass on top of the paper tube.

If you exercise just a bit of gentleness and followed all the directions carefully, your heavy, liquid filled glass, is now suspended about an inch or so above the table top.

Voila! Success!
Original Image by @creatr

Voila! Success!

You get extra bonus points if your spouse says "Get that glass off of there before it falls and you embarrass me!"

You now have your kids full attention.

Ask the right questions, and you will encourage them to learn some basic science and engineering concepts.

The balance of compression and tension, the importance of geometry, and appropriate structural use of materials... What else might you think of to discuss with them?

Disclaimer:

If you have any doubts, do try this at home once or twice so that you'll be confident in the restaurant setting.

We are not liable for any incidents or accidents that your kids may bring about... (nor for any resulting legal expenses, divorce-related or otherwise.)

_FIN

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