Idle Physics Query: Whistling Bombs

SteelyKid and The Pip, gangstas.

Not that long ago, SteelyKid was doing something violent with toys (she’s very tough, as you can see from the featured image above), and in the process made the canonical falling-bomb whistle noise. And it occurred to me to wonder, why that sound? I mean, I’ve seen footage of falling bombs and the canonical sound… Continue reading Idle Physics Query: Whistling Bombs

Shave and a Haircut

Kate has been cutting The Pip’s hair a little bit at a time, and this morning he demanded a trim. This is a somewhat fraught process, as he’s two, and thus tends not to hold still very well. While Kate was trying to get him arranged, SteelyKid came bouncing into the bathroom to “watch,” which… Continue reading Shave and a Haircut

Super Pip!

The Pip in his fuzzy green superhero cape.

SteelyKid’s gotten a bunch of press here recently, so it’s time to give her brother his due. So here’s a cute picture of The Pip from this afternoon (as the “featured image”– if you read via RSS, you’ll have to click through). He’s wearing a “superhero cape” made from a fuzzy blanket, because SteelyKid was… Continue reading Super Pip!

Basketball at High Altitude

SteelyKid and The Pip way up high at the basketball game.

SteelyKid is one of the biggest fans of Union’s women’s basketball games. Not necessarily the team, just going to the games– she rampages all around the lobby, and as the crowd is generally pretty sparse, everybody is cool with that. The Pip has started coming along this year, and the two of them chase each… Continue reading Basketball at High Altitude

You Don’t Know How Valuable Preschool Is Until You Don’t Have It

About five minutes into my class Wednesday, my cell phone rang. I silenced it right away, but recognized the number as the kids’ day care. And I knew right away what it was: The Pip has had a bit of a cough for a while, and wasn’t all that happy that morning. Sure enough, when… Continue reading You Don’t Know How Valuable Preschool Is Until You Don’t Have It

The Flying Bus

Illustration by Sanjay Patel from his version of the Ramayana. Image from here: http://kmunson-mac.blogspot.com/2012_01_01_archive.html

“Daddy, you know what? I bet you didn’t know, but my school bus can fly.” “Really? I didn’t know that.” “Yeah, there’s a button up at the front with a picture of a flying bus, and if you press the button, the bus flies.” “That’s amazing.” “Yeah, and guess what? The other day, the bus… Continue reading The Flying Bus

Physics with the Kids at 120 Frames a Second

SteelyKid dropping a slinky.

I got a new camera for Christmas, not because there’s anything wrong with my DSLR, but because I wanted something that could do high-speed video. So I now have a Casio point-and-shoot camera that will record up to 1000 frames per second, woo-hoo! To break it in, I got the kids to help out by… Continue reading Physics with the Kids at 120 Frames a Second