Helium Party Balloons

For residents of the province of Ontario (Canada), February doesn’t just mean brutal cold and snow. Statistically speaking, yes those two factors will likely be in play, but February also means Family Day, the holiday created by the provincial government in 2007. While staying indoors with the kids and playing board games around a roaring fire definitely has some appeal at this time of year, another approach is to embrace the climate and make the most of winter conditions. Enjoying outdoor activities together is the approach being promoted by Ontario Provincial Parks.

Winter ski trails at Wasaga Beach Provincial Park (image from parkreports.com, the Ontario Parks blog)

This year, Family Day falls on February 21, and a number of Ontario’s Provincial Parks are already planning activities to be held through the entire weekend. It’s not just for Ontario residents -if you happen to be near the border and feel like an outdoors-themed weekend, you’ll be more than welcome. Among the events currently announced are trail walking and skating to music (on an Olympic sized outdoor rink) at Bronte Creek Provincial Park; skating the 1300+ foot skating path through the woods (lit by candles and the campsites of winter campers) at MacGregor Point -which also boasts a heated comfort station; the Log Cabin Nature Centre, igloo building, snow sculptures, now shoeing, cross country skiing and Snow Snake (a traditional Iroquois game) at Quetico; or how about a Moonlight Ski along the 30km of trails at Wasaga Beach Provincial Park? GeekDads might be particularly interested in what’s going on at Killarney Provincial Park. Beginning indoors on Saturday evening, there will be star projections and astronomy tips followed by a visit to the park’s new public observatory (complete with a 10-inch Meade LX5 telescope). On Sunday, sponsored events include guided snowshoe hikes, skiing, and other educational activities.

No word on Tauntaun spotting (despite the expected Hoth-like conditions), although deer and other wildlife will likely be in evidence at many of the parks.

More information at the official Ontario Provincial Parks blog. Additional Family Day Activity suggestions here.

Quetzalcoatl ADN © Lobata-Chan (Used with permission)

Studying Tattoo Science should be a high school graduation requirement.

Before anyone starts lecturing about how suggestible young people are, or ranting about statistics linking body modification with antisocial behavior, I’d like everyone to get a grip on their knee-jerk reactions long enough to remember one thing: Love them or hate them, tattoos are compelling subject matter. That makes tattoos an excellent vehicle for learning.

What is there to learn from tattoos?

Read the answer to this and other questions over on our companion site, GeekMom.

Photo: Patricia Vollmer

When I was little, I remember my mom making Kool-Aid.  I have pictures around of me wearing my token Kool-Aid mustache.  I even had a Kool-Aid t-shirt. I remember sometimes the Kool-Aid would seem, well, watery.  Did my mom dilute it on purpose?  Boy, I hope she didn’t.  Sometimes, I wondered if she was sneakily reducing my sugar and artificial color.  I do remember telling myself that when I got older, I would never dilute the Kool-Aid!

But guess what?  While I do my best to make the Kool-Aid at home to the recipe, I have to admit I water down the kids’ lemonade and fruit punch at the fast-food restaurant beverage machines.  It’s just instinct, I WANT to dilute!

This diluting of the Kool Aid is now a metaphor I’ve been giving to the crime of watering down — or dumbing down — answers to the questions kids ask. JennT posted earlier this week about the incessant “Why? Why? Why?” questions she receives from her kids and in her line of work.  My kids do the same thing, and sometimes it grates my nerves for sure!  But sometimes embedded in all of the silly mindless “Why?”s is a jewel of a question that my sons are truly curious about.  And when my just-as-geeky-as-me husband or I hear such a question we want to stop and give it our full attention!

And if it’s a science or math question?  Stop EVERYTHING!  Break out the props!

My husband and I had a great professor in college who has a pet peeve about “bad meteorology” to the point he made up a website dedicated to debunking several of the most-basic of meteorology myths.  A quote he said that has stuck with my husband Dave all these years was “Be very careful what you put into kids’ heads because it’s very hard to get it out!.” Dave and I take this very seriously with our kids.

So when our sons ask a question like “Why is the sky blue?,” our approaches to the answer might be a little different than non-geek parents.   For a pair of meteorologists with offspring, we waited for that very question with bated breath, as if it were a milestone like learning to walk or ride a bike!

Read how Patricia explained meteorology to her sons over at GeekMom!