Science!

Michael rushed to meet me at the door today. He could not wait to tell me that he had memorized the first 14 elements of the periodic table. I did not know that he knew about the periodic table. But whatever, no time for questions, because he proceeded to recite the first 14 elements. He did not have them down pat. But close. And (get this), he even looked up pronunciation of the elements he was unsure of on his iPad. Wow. When he gave me the chance, I asked if he is studying chemistry in school. "No. I got the book from the library." Okay. He then started telling me facts about different elements. For example, the atomic weight of hydrogen (or maybe helium), the fact that many elements are formed from bombarding one element with nuclei or atoms of another element, that Einstein has an element named after him, that a certain element, if cut up into very small pieces, will combust if it comes into contact with oxygen, etc. He sat down with his book on the elements and kept reading and offering little bits of information. It was great. Will Michael's new-found interest in chemistry be lasting? Obviously I do not know. But either way, it is fun for now.