Science in the Kitchen

The McKinley science fair is coming up, and my two researchers are at work. There has been lots of stuff going on with timers, ice cubes, red food dye, lettuce leaves, apples, lemon juice, and water. Not all for the same project, mind you.

I wanted to do an experiment where we made simple sugar cookies, then we systematically make them a few more times, each time leaving out one ingredient, to see what it does to the finished product. What's not to love about that? Cookies, plus cooking, plus very sensory results. That would be great.

But that idea was resoundingly refused. Mysterious.

Well, no, not mysterious. I made the mistake of showing too much enthusiasm for that idea, so it became my idea, hence it could no longer be their idea. Because they are busy becoming separate people from me.

I totally understand that. I remember creating the same distance with my own parents.

I get it, but it still makes me sigh.