Norah checkin' out the gadgets at Trinity's Science Gallery (Dublin's version of a Science museum). This is their gift shop with LOADS of amazing books, science-toys, chemistry sets, gadgets, etc. etc. etc. I was seriously geekin' out here. I was pleasantly surprised by how nerdy I really am. When I say, "nerd" I always mean it in the most complimentary way.
Tiny battery powered robots.
Bug kits, solar power sets, wind power sets, an Air/Water Power set (essentially creating an airplane/car by using that Mentos-in-a-bottle trick.)
The coolest books for kids and (mostly) adults.
3D Solar System and Space!
"Things that go BOOM, or float, fly & Zoom"
"18 DIY Projects to Make"
"18 DIY Projects to Make"
Um, yes please.
Also, "Build your own Paper Robots"!
Oh what's that there? A kids' toy set on learning "Solar Mechanics"!
(1)
(2) (Jeff Goldbloom-esque here)
(3)
Magnetic Science, Physics Discovery, Chem Lab, Bubble Science, Candy Chemistry!! (Man, I can't wait until Norah is 6 or 7)
So since the Science Gallery is only meant for teenagers and up (which it does NOT say on the website, it said there were activities for little kids as well - hence us taking the train all the way there) Anywho...I'm not bitter. Since the exhibits were about pretty advanced concepts, they said to take her around the corner to the MakeShop where they do drop-in workshops on making robots!! (A store put on by Trinity as well) We've walked past this place for almost two years now but it was only just now that Norah was old enough to give it a try. So, we cut through Trinity's campus (2 blocks) and here we came upon the largest chemistry lab I have ever seen! It was this massive glassed in room with windows the entire length of it. It was like peeking in on some top secret lab where they make serums that manipulate our desires, but no one could see us peeking on it....or cared that I was snapping photos. (vivid imagination) Reality is...this is a lab for university students and probably "Chemistry 101" students but still, the expanse of it was like nothing I've ever seen. This is Norah looking at all the stations and beakers boiling with solutions. She really liked it.
Ok, it doesn't look like anything at all but it really was cool to see. You can see two long counters here but there must have been 12 in total. Alright, this is so uninteresting but I'm serious, it was cool in person!
(for the record, I despised high school Chemistry - probably because I went to Renton High school which may well have been worse than the worst high school in the Bronx, where we had two counters for these "experiments" and the Chemistry teacher doubled as the coach of the Renton Football team Or, I should say, was hired as the football coach, as a previous NFL player himself, and then was asked to teach Chemistry since they were short-staffed. He was hardly the type who incited curiosity about the subject, especially so because the board was always covered in "X's", "lines with arrows" and "O's" for the many football plays he was lecturing on.
(for the record, I despised high school Chemistry - probably because I went to Renton High school which may well have been worse than the worst high school in the Bronx, where we had two counters for these "experiments" and the Chemistry teacher doubled as the coach of the Renton Football team Or, I should say, was hired as the football coach, as a previous NFL player himself, and then was asked to teach Chemistry since they were short-staffed. He was hardly the type who incited curiosity about the subject, especially so because the board was always covered in "X's", "lines with arrows" and "O's" for the many football plays he was lecturing on.
The pieces for Norah's Doodle-Bot! This is the set project for 3-4 year olds. For older kids they do projects where you make a speaker/amplifier out of any old thing for an MP3 player (like making a speaker out of a cookie tin, or a shoe box). You can design and build you very own clock! Here is the list of the walk-in workshop options. It's brilliant!
So the Doodle-bot only consists of 3 main pieces (all hot-glued onto a paper cup).
There is the battery pack with two wires - they started out by telling Norah about batteries and charges, and letting her push the two AA batteries into the holder. Next we glued that pack onto the paper cup. The second piece is that tiny gray motor which we glued inside the black tube of plastic, and glued that to the cup. And lastly, in order to make the doodle-bot spin, (I don't QUITE get this part), you glue this plastic piece, on top of the motor piece which is what the motor vibrates against, causing it to rotate ("walk around and draw"). I suppose, if you didn't have this piece of friction, the motor part would just vibrate and the robot would not actually move. Ok, I think I just walked myself through that.
Once it was all glued on we bent the tiny metal ends of each wire coming off the battery pack. We then hooked each of those bent ends into the bottom of the gray motor piece. He hooked the black wire in to show us and then Norah and I gently hooked the red wire into its metal hole. Well, I jumped about 3 feet and let out a "BUhhhah" when it started to vibrate and scared the crap outta me! The guy goes, "Well usually the kids jump at that point, not the parents.... but that's ok" hahaha! So that's the moment they wait for, hooking in that red wire, and instead of the 3 year old being surprised, her dorky mom jumped. haha!
So, away the robot goes! In, not her most creative moment, when the guy asked what she wanted to name her Doodle-bot, Norah replied, "Norah". :) So, this is Norah-bot the doodle-bot doing her first drawing.
The National Library of Ireland (Mimi, you've been here. This is where you go to do all the FREE genealogy research for any Irish roots. Sarah, this is where you and Mimi will spend a great deal of time when you come to visit. It's a gorgeous building with beautiful stained-glass windows, the most intricate tile mosaic flooring you've ever seen, and a grand reading room upstairs (a la Hogwart's in Harry Potter, or - closer to home - The Reading Room at Suzzallo Library at UW - my alma mater) :)
To see that Suzzallo Room, click here. They actually describe it as similar to Hogwart's.
Here's the reading room in the National Library of Ireland:
(credit)
The National Library of Ireland's Café Joly. It doesn't look like much here but this is, quite possibly, my favorite café in Dublin. All museums/art galleries are free in Dublin and each one has a café in the building. Almost all of them are phenomenal. They have decadent baked goods, all made onsite, gluten free options, YUMMMY meals and great coffee. Well, this is our favorite one so we popped in for tea, and a piece of carrot cake. :) Making robots is hard work.
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