Isn't it Cute?

This afternoon, our daughter was making lots of kissy noises and baby-talking to her new favorite things. I've seen kids do this with puppies, dolls, etc. While our daughter might do this with a dog or other cute animal, she would never do that with a doll. I never expected her to do this with a swampy-looking jar, either.

Today was very exciting because of a class for homeschoolers at a local museum. It was a three-hour biology class, which is not what I'd choose for pleasure, personally. To my girl, though, this is bliss. She came home with a plastic bottle that had been converted to a seed growing kit and microscope-of-sorts, telling me all about the worm she selected and worrying that it wasn't going under the dirt quick enough. "Maybe it's scared of me. You don't have anything to worry about with me." The last sentence was in baby talk. They also made aquariums with large canning jars, some sand, small stone gravel, a water plant, 3 small snails ("that I got to choose and put in there," like the worm) and "two baby shrimpies" that the teacher put in for her. Her favorite part? The shrimp. They were the recipients of many kisses through the jar, although they look like something that should be scrubbed out of the jar in my opinion.

We spent at least two hours listening to all that was covered in the class. What sticks out most a few hours later is the part about the yeast. To "wake them up" you get them "a little wet" and "then they start farting and pooping and it smells really bad". I had been picturing bread dough, and I'm sure they used dried yeast that is used in bread recipes. The image might help me avoid carbs for a while. We were also repeatedly assured that fish food was not needed in the aquarium because the got a few flakes to get them started. Apparently, once the food is eaten, the shrimp will start pooping, which will feed the plant. Then, everything will feed everything else in there. That's pretty much word-for-word folks.

Where will the two trophies will proudly be displayed and protected for the foreseeable future? The kitchen table. That will lead to interesting meal discussions as our centerpiece.

This is not abnormal kid behavior. It is her favorite kind of play and one of her greatest sources of excitement. She's not trying to be gross, but simply stating scientific facts in a very age-appropriate way. She wasn't half as excited to hear we are going to DisneyWorld. I think a staff member at her previous school was right when she told me I have a future scientist on my hands. I had a rule with my pre-med roommate that I will have to pass on to my daughter. No science experiments allowed in the fridge.