Owen's assignment for "show and share" last week was to invent something or build something using items from around the house. At first, he wanted to make a Tooth-Puller-Outer. We envisioned things made with clothes pins, string, and weights.
The night before he was to present, we still had nothing. I had gone to a Waukee girls' basketball game, and picked the boys up from church where they had been while Heidi was having a meeting there. It was about 6:30. The 8 p.m. bedtime was just around the corner. So on the brief ride home, we talked about what he could make. Tooth-Puller-Outer? No. What about a Student Success Kit? (I was pretty excited about this idea.) No. Then he said it. "I was thinking mini-tetherball." I asked what he envisioned. "Well, you know. Like tetherball, but something we could play at our desk." At first, I was ready to say "no way!" But instead I took the bait and asked how he thought he might do it. He mentioned play dough and a pot. Suddenly, the vision was in my head, and when we got home, out came the drill. He snagged a super ball from the garage and the play dough from the "art section" of the hall closet, and we started working. Granted, the drill meant I did much of the work (and drilling a hole in a super ball is quite interesting), but it was Owen's vision. When we finished, we enjoyed a quick game before getting ready to bed. Fully functional mini-tetherball!
What you see below is the finished product. It was a hit at school, and Owen was thrilled.
The boys like to play it at home, and we think it could mean we're rich. Well, probably not in terms of money, but at least in terms of joyful memories.
Very nice! I like it! So that is what you do in late winter in Iowa to get you through til Spring. Now why didn't we have one of those back in our dorm room in Clinton Hall!
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