Last COSI Visit Ever

This was a bittersweet day. We've enjoyed coming out the local science museum, COSI, for years, from even before Alex was born. It has cemented its place in our lives with the enjoyment our children have gotten out of it.
We came again today, for probably the last time. They needed Toledo area voters to approve a levy measure in the November election to raise the funds to keep it afloat. But the levy measure failed and unless a last minute savior swoops in, they will be closing their doors at the end of the year.
We didn't do everything there was to do here. Just our favorite things. We took lots of pictures and made a few more memories. We hope that something happens to save COSI, but if not, it place in our lives will pop like this bubble was. Not the biggest loss this year, by far. IT seems lately that the only constant thing in our lives is change.

Big Machines 2007

After the race we went to COSI for Big Machines Week where they bring out heavy equipment for the kids to check out. They climbed all over several display models and had fun pretending to drive them.
Then they each got turns "driving" a bulldozer and a backhoe - actually the machines were stationary, but they got to use the equipment to move some dirt under the supervision of a construction worker.

Then we went inside and found the machine that let Aaron and Alex switch sizes. They switched back after a few minutes - Alex couldn't stand having his little brother look down on him. :)

Extreme Science at COSI

Today we went to COSI as a reward for Alex being extra-good lately. The kids got to make bubbles, make faces in a time-lapse camera, balance in the wacky gravity room, and watch a presentation about the extreme science of combustion. They blew up balloons of hydrogen, lit several salts to see what color they are when they burn (copper is green for example), and made dry ice glow by burning magnesium inside it.