Tuesday Mrs Muttrox told me that she have volunteered me to be in the Science Fair. “Come up with something sciency”. I was unclear exactly what was going on. But the kindergarten boy and I had done hovercraft once, so I went with that. This is not exactly high tech science. You cut a hole in the top of a shoebox lid, aim a blowdryer through the hole and you have yourself a hovercraft. It’s pretty neat.
I arrived early to set up. I hit the first roadblock. Apparently this was not a science demonstration by the parents, but a science demonstration for the children. The boy wasn’t even arriving for another hour. Every table around me had trifold cardboard backstops with elaborate explanations of how their experiment worked. I had a kinetic art marble contraption on one side, a potato battery on the other, and a rock tumbler behind me. I had a shoebox lid and a blow dryer. I foresaw the next two hours of humiliation for the overwhelming lameness of the exhibit. I called home and told Mrs Muttrox, “You owe me for this!”
Strangely enough, it turned out fine. Most kids could care less about a potato with some wires in them. Giving them the blowdryer to play with making something actually float? Big winner.