"Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls!
I'm about to wow you with this amazing science magic trick.
What closely as I turn this purple to hot pink by adding this vinegar."
(She pours the vinegar and the children in the audience "wow" as it turns pink)
"Now I'm going to change this purple to blue by adding this baking soda to it"
(She dumps in the baking soda and the children in the audience really "wow" as it turns blue)
"I wish I could say the magic came from me, but the truth is, it came from this special cabbage (she shows the cabbage).
I used this special cabbage to make my purple cabbage water. And It can tell the difference between acids or a base. Thank you, Thank you!"
(She takes a big bow)
A few weeks ago, Melanie came home with a permission slip for the 2014 Falcon Hill Talent Show. She was really excited and told me that she really wanted to be in it. Though Melanie is a very sweet, charismatic girl, she doesn't have any share-able talents yet. She can sing, but isn't always a strong singer by herself. She can play the bells, but still, not enough to put her in front of the whole school to preform. Melanie does, however, have an amazing memory. I think that is a wonderful talent. And, she has been on the stage to speak in front of people before (thanks to church) and is always really good at delivering lines. So, I told her my idea of a science experiment. She was INSTANTLY on board!
We decided on a color changing experiment because those are always so much fun. Cabbage water was my first choice because it not only reacts to both acid and bases in different ways, giving us the "wow" effect twice, but it is clearly not a hazardous chemical. I asked Melanie if she wanted it to be like a magic trick, or a science experiment... explaining to her that a magician never reveals the trick, but a scientist would. She wanted it to be a science experiment and explain it at the end.
Then we wrote the lines. We wanted to be dramatic. Melanie was extra dramatic with her "Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls!" at the house, but by the day of, had toned it down a little. However she did it, it just looked so cute. As for the science explanation, I decided against having her use large words. It would have been really cute to see my Kindergartner explain that the red cabbage is a natural pH Indicator... but we decided that, when nervous, it's best to keep it simple.
Leading up to the big event, Melanie was feeling great and was so excited. The day before the talent show, however, she came home from school as hot as a tamale, and complaining of a headache and sore throat. I got her into the doctor as fast as possible to learn what I had fear... STREP THROAT! Oh NO! The doctor sympathized with Melanie, and gave her permission to preform the day time show with strict directions to NOT touch anyone else's props or person.
So, day of, I brought Melanie late to school, just in time for the show. Her Kindergarten class did the cutest gummy bear dance in the show. They were all dressed up as gummy bears! I loved it! Then, a few acts later, she was up.
The act before her was finishing up, when a teacher runs over and says "She says she has a costume to cover her?" I told her that I had left the costume on her chair. They found it and ran it backstage. At this point, they were announcing her. They must have got the costume to her just in time, because she was putting it on while they were opening the curtains. I knew this was going to frazzle her. Then she went to start, but the microphone was on a stand, and it wasn't holding the mic to her mouth. It had fallen. She tried to fix it, and it wouldn't stay up. My heart dropped. I was so scared she was going to have a break down. She stood there, staring out. Then the teacher working as a stage hand came out. Melanie showed her the mic, the teacher tried to fix it, then whispered in her ear. Melanie took a breath, pushed up the mic, and went for it. I was a very proud mom. I could hear the anxiety in her voice, but even scared, she was brave. After she poured the vinegar into the first jar the entire audience went "wow!" Then Melanie's voice became stronger. Then she added the baking soda to the second jar. The "wow" for the second jar was even louder, including clapping. Melanie started giggling. Her smile was priceless. She tried to quiet the audience by putting her finger to her mouth. She finished with explaining the trick. It was hard for her to hold the cabbage while pushing the mic up, but she did it. Then she stepped aside and did a big bow. It was perfect.
There was also a nigh time performance (for the first time in Falcon Hill Elementary History). The show started at 6. Grandma Smithson, Grandma Traci, and Papa Terry were all able to join our family in watching the show. Once again, Melanie's class was just too adorable with their dance. Melanie did a great job with her act as well. The adults weren't as responsive as the kids, so Melanie didn't giggle during her performance, but she will smiled wide.
All the children did a wonderful job during the talent show. There are a lot of talented kids at Melanie's school. The show ended at 8 pm, and by then, we were all exhausted. Typically bed time is 7 pm and by time we got home, the kids were begging to go to bed. It made our job easy.
When Melanie got home from school today, she informed me that a lot of random people that she has never seen before were coming up to her and telling her she did a good job. I think the talent show was a huge confidence builder. I'm so glad she did it! She was one brave girl!
Here are a few pictures I took today of her costumes from yesterday.
My Gummy Bear:
My Scientist.
Melanie,
You are an amazing person. Thank you so much for being my daughter. You make me so happy. I think you are so brave, and I love you!
Love,
Mom
