Super great science Party!!!!

I won't go into the whole story of how it came about - but suffice it to say that I have the GREATEST neighbors in the world! Fred and Christie are both Chemistry teachers at local High Schools and they volunteered to help put on a chemistry party for Aaron's birthday. (truth be told, Christie volunteered, and Fred good-naturedly went along with the crazy idea.)

The plan was for them to do about 30 minutes worth of "cool" demos - with "real" chemical stuff, and then the kids would do a bunch of hands on chemistry experiments with more kid-friendly type chemicals. (think baking soda and vinegar, mentos with diet coke, dry ice/balloon bombs, etc...) What happened, was that Fred and Christie ended up being the party! It was ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. The demos went long, because they let the kids participate in most of the things. The kids thought it was "awesome! (Tim, Jenny, and I - the "grownups" also thought it was totally awesome!) I mean, seriously, how many parties do you go to where they light off an explosion right in your hand, you get to blow SQUARE bubbles, or hold a match and soon find your entire hand engulfed in flame - yet you don't get burned??? It really was incredible!!! You know it was fun - when we never got around to opening presents and nobody even noticed - not even the birthday boy! (He opened them after everyone had gone home.)

After the demos, the kids got to make their own "gak," and made their own "ice cream in a Ziploc baggie."

Here are a few of pictures from the party and a couple of the shorter videos. ENJOY - we sure did!

THANK YOU FRED AND CHRISTIE!
THANK YOU - THANK YOU - SO MUCH!

My amazing mad scientist neighbors

scientists in training

making ice cream (by tossing it back and forth)