WIBW Jared Broyles

GREEN NOT WITH ENVY So, sometimes I get these "great" ideas on the spur of the moment. Our good friend Laura from the Kansas Children's Discovery Center was in today with a fun project for both kids and adults alike. We made ooblek, a combination of cornstarch and water that creates what is called a non-nutonian mixture which vacillates between a liquid and a solid. It is super cool! WIBW Reina Flores and I had a blast. Unfortunately, at one point, Reina thought, "I wonder if this makes a good moisturizer." So, without much thought, I applied the ooblek to create a face mask. What I failed to think about is that even though ooblek dries into a solid powder, we had died it green for St. Patrick's Day. It stained my hands, and I freaked out fearing that I might be a GREEN-DYED MONSTER on Midday. However, as you can see, it appears as if I'm back to the normal translucent shade of me. Ooblek recipe:

To make oobleck, you will need just two ingredients:
Cornstarch: 1 cup
Water: 1/2 cup
Instructions:
1) Mix 2 cups of cornstarch with 1 cup of water in a bowl until the mixture is uniform.
2) Add food coloring if desired, mixing it into the water before adding the cornstarch.
3) Adjust the consistency by adding more water or cornstarch until you achieve the desired consistency.
4) Play with the oobleck to see how it behaves under pressure.

EXPLORE SCIENCE THROUGH PLAY

NOTE: Do NOT put down your sink! It will turn to a solid. Save it in a container to break out later (just add water), throw it away, or compost it.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN Last night Big E and her classmates attended their school's annual etiquette dinner. As a journalist I strive to be unbiased--as a dad, well, my baby girl was the most beautiful in the world last night! She looked stunning and all too grown up in her bright blue dress. I love that their school doesn't see chivalry or ladylike behavior as inequality between men and women--but as a show of respect, honoring and serving one another as human beings. I did have to laugh though when Big E told me that earlier in the evening she had excused herself to the ladies room just so her assigned "gentleman" had to get up and pull out her chair. LOL I asked, "Did you really need to go to the restroom?" She replied: "No. I just thought it would be funny to mess with him. So, I just went to the girls room, waited a minute or two and came back to the table." The poor boys... they were outnumbered almost 2 to 1, so most of the guys had to double up and be partnered with two girls. Oh, Big E... (Posted with her permission.)