DIY Digestion

This week is the February break for local public schools, so BJ and I have had some really nice one-on-one time. Almost all of yesterday, while BB was in preschool, we went from one thing to another doing stuff he wanted to do. It had been a long time since he had that much of my undivided attention, and it felt like really good parenting to "feed the meter" with him. Plus, it was fun!

We did a few science "experiments," read a bunch of books, did some puzzles, went on a bike ride (well, he rode his bike around "the loop" while I watched and read a book), and just generally enjoyed each others' company. We also finally re-organized the storage of all his art and drawings, which really needed to get done.

But the highlight of the day for him was probably what happened after he declared, "Let's make our own digestive system!"

Yes, the kid remains fascinated with the human body and all its various systems and workings. (He may yet become a doctor, who knows?) He had definite ideas about what this project would involve: a piece of bread to be "digested," and then various baggies, bowls, and containers to represent the different parts of the digestive system. Don't forget the washcloth that he wanted to use as villi, to "soak up the nutrients" like in the small intestine! Or the coffee filter that represented the large intestine, removing the rest of the water. All the important parts of the system were represented, from mouth to anus. That's my boy.

I was so tickled by how much fun he was having that I knew I'd want a record, but I didn't want to break our flow and interrupt with a bunch of pictures. So afterwards I asked if he wanted to describe it for video. He was delighted with the idea! So here you go -- How To Make Your Own Digestive System, According To My Son the Kindergartener: