On Saturday we went to the first of two open days at Kentwell. The name open day is a bit misleading – it was really a long registration process, for doing it later in the year. Katy might blog about it in due course, and there are some photos on Flickr.
On Sunday A was tired from the day before so I took the big 3 to church, which I definitely needed, while Katy got A off to sleep and did some jobs. Then home for a quick lunch and back out to a physics thing organised as part of science week. The decision as to who should go was settled by J having a behaviour meltdown – he stayed with Katy and A to do more jobs, while I took the middle two.
It was packed like last year, which wouldn’t have worked with J’s mood so I’m glad he stayed at home. We met up with Fiona and D and S and had a good time making rockets. (There was also a planetarium, which was good but pitched at J’s age and above, so a bit boring for younger people.) The rockets were simple things made of paper and masking tape, but you could really launch them outside thanks to compressed air and PhD Student Power. A poor cold PhD student put the rocket on a vertical tube, pressurised air in a container at the bottom of the tube using a bike pump, then the children had a proper setting-off-the-mining-explosion-like device including a red button to press.
K’s stayed in the air for 5.75 seconds and so got onto the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car style leader board. L managed 4 seconds, which was very good considering the strong and random wind. K also did a parachute for a Kinder Egg (mostly to eat the egg afterwards), which was launched on top of a different kind of rocket. Photos on Flickr.
Then, back home to pick up the others and go off to have tea with Fiona and family, which was very pleasant.
