Spongezeus Squarepants, by Man Cub.

So you know that science fair project that drove me nearly to drink* over February vacation? Well last night was science fair. We piled in at the science museum with, like, a zillion other families and their project boards and models. It was packed – so packed that during the awards ceremony at the end, families were dismissed after their students’ categories were called, in order to make enough room for families of the next category’s students. During the actual fair, we were near enough to Man Cub to see what was going on, while we were not permitted to speak with him. Zoe, whose daughter is still in elementary school, was not allowed anywhere near her child during the fair, as the parents of elementary students were ejected from the alcove where the kids were with their projects** so she hung out with us.

Well guess what!

Zoe’s small person and Man Cub are both going to science fair regionals! The first meeting of Smug Moms will convene at writing group on Monday, thank you very much – we were both pretty stoked when the kids presented us with the forms that they were given as invitations to regionals during the fair judging.

Color me thrilled and astounded. There was so much complaining and pulling along to get the project together. All that frustration and aggravation, and now look at what he’s managed to accomplish! It’s pretty exciting. During the fair, all three judges spent a lot of time with Man Cub, asking a ton of questions, and even test-driving his rig.*** He got a lot of positive strokes, and the judge who gave him the form for regionals gave him tons of good advice on how to improve the project for the next round, which he took wonderfully, even writing it down in his project journal.

I’m excited, and at the same time, a little horrified about the work ahead that we’ll need to put in on this baby in a very short amount of time. What I’m hoping is that Man Cub will be bolstered by the positive strokes,**** and feel compelled to get this business done without too much prodding and cajoling from his parents.

Please send good, sciencey vibes our way – we dig in this weekend ♥

***

*How my life works: I came home from science fair last night and attempted to pour myself a glass of wine. What I in fact did was pour myself a glass of vinegar. Happens every time – I pick up a bottle of wine, have a glass, and then forget that I like a glass of wine for long enough that the bottle turns. Ick.
**Seriously! They had the area roped off. Zoe was pining a little, poor thing.
***Which went much better than it did for the poor kids next to Man Cub – everyone was startled when their project sort of erupted and soaked down the judge, Man Cub, and the girl on the other side of man Cub. Luckily it was inert soap foam, but still, as one of them moaned, “But this never happened before!” and the judge shook his head, I really felt for them.
****The positive strokes had a double-edged effect on Man Cub last night. By the time the awards came around, he had really been boosted – judges spent a lot of time with him, some teachers came by to look and talk with him, and in one case, show other students. He was given the invite to the regionals, which will be at the big science and tech college in town. His science teacher came and praised him. So when he didn’t win anything in the end, it was an emotional let down. While he’s fine this morning, he was really sad there for a bit last night.