Last night the kids and I were pondering how to occupy some of our summer days. Knowing that 1) we haven’t done a lot of science-y type things in eons and 2) my kids generally like science-y type things, I suggested tracking down some cool experiments to try.

Number one son – at fourteen – is a tad more particular these days than he normally is. Yes, this sounded good to him, but you know what he really likes? Aerodynamics. And none of that simple Wright Brothers stuff. He wants to learn about the cool stuff – fighter jets and how they work, and did I know that if a fighter jet was even 25 pounds overweight it won’t fly properly? So they shave off millimeters of metal to bring the plane into spec? I am at this point thinking that there is no way I will ever please this child. Aerodynamics? Seriously? The most I’ve ever done with aerodynamics is tossing a banana peel into the compost bin from seven feet away.

Number one son is also easily distracted. Or, what about surf science? At this point I’ve given up on my fun science experiments idea and moved to the computer to start researching. Viola! In a matter of minutes I track down this site from the Exploratorium and then go here.

Soon, number one son is pushing me out of my chair so he can sit down at the computer. And for the next hour he surfed his way around the internet learning to predict high surf, telling me the whole while how cool it was. And this morning he got up and asked if he could check the weather to see if any big waves are coming in.

It’s not exactly what I had in mind, but hey – it works for me! Just so long as it doesn’t require me to get on a surfboard to see just how much he’s learned…