Every summer the kids each pick a topic to study for the summer. They do a little research and a task each day. At the end of the summer they earn a big prize and we go on a field trip. I think last year Erin did insects and Bry chose fish. (We ended up with 100s of babyfood containers with one bug in each one. Although I did draw the line at gathering dead, washed up fish for further study!) We were able to go to the Toledo Zoo to see their aquarium, butterfly garden and live insect display. An absolutely lovely zoo by the way. We would definitely go back to see the rest that we missed.

This year Erin picked magnets and energy and Bryan is studying the rain forest. So far Erin can explain atoms, electrons, forces, types of magnets and how to make them. She and her dad are working on creating an electromagnet, potato clock and lighting up a pickle. At the beginning of the summer Erin wrote to a magnet factory in Erie. They were nice enough to send her some information and invite her on a tour. We have been having a bit more trouble finding something immediate for Bryan to lay his hands on but he loves to search the Internet so he enjoys the research component. He has a simulated rain forest built in the yard right now. Today he slashed it so that when it dries out we can burn it and see if we can simulate the erosion effect. We're planning to go to Cleveland Zoo for their rainforest exhibit in a couple weeks for him.