Doing Big Things

As my girls get bigger their accomplishments are getting bigger as well. Last month Megan had one of those shining moments. She and her classmate and friend, Savannah, worked on a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mat) fair project. They took a social science approach and wanted to test if you could judge a book by its cover. They researched info about graphics and color and after much discussion turned their idea into a testable, measurable experiment. They had kids look at a spot color book cover and rate their perceived likability of the book, thy did the same with a full cover book cover and then had the kids read the books and then rate the actual likability of the books. It was quite an undertaking. After the experiment was done they wrote up their findings and put them on a display board for the fair. Megan came up with the idea of making the display board look like an open book. It turned out really cool. The night of the fair I was in Wisconsin for my Grampa's funeral. I was disappointed to miss the fair since I had helped Megan throughout the 2 month process, but Jim and Megan went. I called to check in on Megan and got to talk to her on the phone. I could tell by her voice that she was beaming. She and Savannah took 2nd place at the fair. I was so proud of her and I felt so much pleasure in the pride she felt in herself. She had put in a lot of hard work and it paid off.

 

Last weekend it was Emma's turn in the spotlight. Emma took a clay class last semester and as her class came to an end she began bringing her work home. One piece however had been selected by her art teacher to be exhibited with the best of Baltimore County. Emma came home from school and said "my vase is going to be at the Baltimore Museum of Art this weekend". I was impressed and she had this kind of unbelieving humility to the news. None of us had even seen the vase yet, and our weekend was packed with activities but we weren't going to miss this. All of us took a trip to the BMA, where they had a reception for the students. The works were in an exhibition space right off the main gallery. One other work from Em's high school was displayed along with a few from most of the school in the county. We met up with Emma's teacher, who explained that she selected Emma vase because Emma had made an asymmetrical vase that also had negative space in it. Her teacher was impressed with the complexity of the vase as well as the design. After some pictures of Emma's work we went on to appreciate the other masters in the museum, including Renoir, Degas, and Matisse. Her vase was in very good company.

Then this past week Rachael was asked to participate in the middle schools "Good News Night". The school ran a Reflections Contest back in the winter and Rachael submitted a Haiku about her favorite place, Patapsco State Park. The English department asked her to read her poem at the evening showcase. Rachael put on a long skirt and a nice pair of flats paired with her Harry Potter t-shirt and was excited to go. There were multiple things going on that evening so I was the only one that went to hear but I recorded it to share with the family. Rae did a great job and received a gift card and certificate for her efforts. This is her winning poem.

Peacefully flowing

Running over the water

Patapsco River

Shining rays of sun

Dappled light on the water

Diamond-like ripples

A butterflies' wing

Salamanders napping

Sparking new ideas

Fresh concepts forming

Quick and quiet scratching

Pencil on paper

Pencil put aside

Climbing up the waterfall

Stunning perspective

Light bulb flashes on

Pad and pencil scramble

Jotting down a thought

Constantly growing

Forest brings forth new life

And inspiration

These girls are amazing! Thanks for letting me brag.