Xavier's Second Circuit
Hello to all.
With Rebecca away, Xavier and I have been looking at electricity a little bit, with our focus on building a traffic light. The idea is to start with a rudimentary circuit so Xavier can get the basics, then move on to a more robust circuit done on a breadboard so Xavier can help press components together. Once the breadboard phase is complete, we are going to solder everything into place, box it and build a pole to mount the LEDs.
Xavier has engaged this idea eagerly. We are still waiting for red LEDs to come in the mail (they were back-ordered). Every day Xavier checks the front door step for them when we come home from school.
Last weekend, it occurred to me that an electronic toy I had built in the early eighties might be something Xavier would get enjoyment out of. Since he has expressed interest in basic electronics, I thought this toy might help fan that interest, not so much to understand the way of electricity, but just to have fun.
The problem was, I had not seen the project in years, probably decades. It got packed up when my mother moved houses in 1986, and if it ever got unpacked it got packed up again when Rebecca, Xavier and I moved to our Lakewood home.
Well, that meant the project was in the storage dresser in the barn, or in one of the many unpacked boxes still lining the walls of the downstairs spare bedroom.
Checking the barn yielded no joy. That meant the spare room. What a task lay ahead! Fortunately, I fastidiously label boxes when moving. Hopefully something on the box label would lead quickly to finding the electronic roulette wheel.
Near the bottom of the second stack of boxes, a label did just that. Xavier and I opened the box, dug around and found something quite unexpected.
What a blast from my past! 1977 to put a point on it.
Needless to say, Xavier flipped out with excitement, like a starving dog at last allowed to devour meat when I got it untangled and handed it over to him.
As an added bonus, when we put batteries in it, it did not work. I say added bonus because now Xavier and I could troubleshoot it. One of those teaching moments to test Xavier's command of what he learned from his simple circuit a few days ago.
We got it up and working in short order, and Xavier has had a lot of fun with it. He even dug out his Hot Wheels to play with it (Hot Wheels rarely interest him now; he's all about building things).
As for the roulette wheel, we found that in the same box. Xavier played with that until the speaker wires broke free of the board. Dad needs to break out his soldering iron!
Xavier's First Circuit
Hello to all.
The week prior to Rebecca leaving for SOS, I suggested to Xavier a project he and I could do. I suggested building a traffic light. I thought he might learn a little about electricity and electronics.
Needless to say, Xavier grabbed hold of the idea with his usual all-hands-on-deck gusto.
After a couple of days, Xavier asked if we could build the stoplight "tonight". I reminded him we planned to build it "when Momma is gone."
This led to Xavier occasionally asking (or pestering) Rebecca with "Mom, when are you leaving?" He knew no traffic light so long as Mom was home.
True to form, Tuesday the 6th, after Rebecca had left (which she did at 0300 in the morning!), Xavier reminded me of the traffic light and informed me "Mom's not here."
I told him we did not have the parts for the light and needed to buy them. We did that day after I picked him up, but with no success. The first parts store opens only on the weekend, which we learned after driving all the way out to it (next time, I'll call first).
The second one, hard to find, did not sell to the public. Bummer and a waste of time. Again, I should have called first.
The third choice had closed before we left the parking lot of the second choice. I did call them. They did not supply what we needed. So, we had to order the parts on-line.
Still, I had enough parts lying around to give Xavier a primer in basic electricity. I gathered batteries, some jumper cables (not the ones used with cars) and a low-voltage light bulb.
Together, we connected the parts and watched the light turn on. Xavier got excited. I explained the concepts of how electricity flows, how in needs a "circle" called a "circuit" to flow. We watched what happens when the circle is broken.
Later, we added the idea of a switch to our simple circuit, and learned about that.
He still plays with it, trying various ways to connect things up. Sometimes they work, other times they do not. When they do not, he and I discuss why the light does not turn on and Xavier makes a change.
I Did It By Myself!
Greetings to everyone.
At church, during the recession, children who choose to do so can follow behind and wave ribbons. At the end, they run back in and cluster around the pastor, then shout "Go forth and live for Jesus!" This officially closes the service.
Xavier, from time to time, joins in. Always Daddy has to go with him; he's been too timid to do it alone.
Today, as the children were lining up outside the sanctuary, I pointed them out to Xavier and asked if he wanted to "do the ribbons" this morning.
"Yes!" Xavier said, then he ran down the aisle and out to where the other children gathered.
I stayed in the pew, but kept a watchful eye on him.
Xavier got his ribbon. He marched behind the recessional waving his ribbon with the other children. He exuberantly ran forward with the crowd clustering around the priest. He shouted out "Go forth and live for Jesus!" with everyone.
He ran back to me, his face radiant. "Daddy, I did it without you. I did it all by myself!"
His excitement made me smile at his growth toward independence. I also had a little foretaste of the sadness at his becoming more independent. Our little boy is growing up!
Roses For Momma
Greetings to everyone!
Tomorrow, Rebecca leaves for six and a half weeks. She got in to SOS. This is definitely an answer to prayer.
Things did not look promising, and she needed to get into the March class. She needs to complete the class before she can pin on the rank of Major. She also had to take the class before her a certain deadline, or she would have to spend 18 months completing the class on-line.
Rebecca got the call last week telling her she was in. We had less than eight days to prepare.
We started breaking the news to Xavier. Momma was going to school for seven weeks. He and Rebecca have really started forming a strong bond in the last few months, so we didn't want to slow that momentum!
Today, after picking him up from soccer practice (which he has Mondays after school), we had to make a stop at King Soopers. When I told Xavier where we were going, he said "I want to buy Momma flowers."
I thought to talk him out of the idea, since Rebecca would have less than 12 hours to enjoy them. I suggested getting flowers when Rebecca came home. Xavier would not be swayed.
Once in the store, Xavier ran around the corner to the cut arrangements and near instantly picked red roses with a spray of Baby's Breath. He did not even look at the rest of the arrangements, though I tried to get him to look.
I then suggested another rose arrangement, one nearly identical to what he had chosen. Nope, he made his choice, and he stuck to it.
