Pinewood Derby 2015

One of the biggest events in Cub Scouts is the Pinewood Derby. The boys build their own cars (with parental help) and then race them! It's a ton of work but a lot of fun.

The boys got started working on their cars at one of our pack's derby workshops on a chilly, rainy 37° day. Gene did most of the work with the bandsaw but the boys assisted with sanding, drilling holes, and doing some calculations on weight.

It was really cold!

After making four cars (two speed cars and two demolition cars), the next step was painting, applying decals and a top coat, and finally naming and registering our cars. Here's Henry on Derby Day!

The cars: Henry's speed car, Mr. Fasty

Will's speed car, Starfire

Henry's demolition car, Fireball

Will's demolition car, Skull Crusher

The Tigers raced first. Mr. Speedy came in first in the first heat, but didn't make it to the top three.

 

In the demolition derby, two cars collide, which makes for an exciting race. Here is Henry's Fireball, all set to race!

Boom! Fireball was the winner for the Tigers!

So excited that his car won!

Next up were the speed races for the Bears.

Starfire was good, placing second in each of its heats.

Finally, it was time for the Bears' demolition derby. This was the biggest group of cars to race.

Will's car, Skull Crusher, was actually knocked out of the first race, but it came back to win the loser's bracket and compete in the final round. 

Skull Crusher lost a wheel (see it in the upper right hand corner?) right before the last race. 

Somehow, even with only three wheels, Will's car won the demolition derby for the Bears!

Who knew we could make such good demolition cars? (We didn't!)

The very last race of the day was the top four demolition cars. Will's three-wheeled car was knocked out and he placed fourth overall, but Henry's Fireball beat the other boys' cars to win the pack championship in the demolition derby! Our pack leader said that this was the first time a Tiger had won first place. And, even though Gene helped a ton with the cars, the boys chose their own designs, and Henry was especially particular about how he wanted his cars built.

Award ceremony -- Gene was the emcee for the event and did an amazing job. Will got the fourth place trophy,

and Henry won first place.

We've had a few friends ask for demolition derby tips, but I'm not sure we have any. There was definitely fair bit of luck involved, but I think it's safe to say we'll be using very similar designs next year!  

My demolition derby trio.

That's a wrap on Pinewood Derby 2015!

Lately: Scouts, a Museum and Many School Projects

January is racing by and it has been a busy month for our household!  Here are some highlights of the past few weeks.

Henry earned his Tiger badge along with the rest of his den. The boys worked so hard to finish all the achievements and we are so proud of them! They were awarded their badges at the January pack meeting.

We went to a members' event at the Health Museum to see their new exhibit, "Beyond the X-Ray." The boys were mostly interested in the giant chess set!

For the past couple of months, Will has worked really hard on his third-grade heritage project. He chose to research Portugal, wrote a research paper, made a flag and heritage paper doll, and created a tri-board to present to his class. Last Tuesday, the kids came to school in costume (Will is wearing Pop's carapuco, which Portuguese fishermen would have traditionally worn.) They paraded through the cafeteria, waving their country's flag. 

And then they sat by their tri-boards and told the parent guests all about their country!

The morning concluded with a huge international feast! Each family contributed something, so the kids sampled everything from Indian samosas and Irish soda bread to German stollen and Vietnamese steamed layered cake.

Gene made Portuguese codfish cakes for our family's contribution.

Salt cod can be an acquired taste but most of the kids really enjoyed the codfish cakes; several had seconds (til we ran out!) and a couple asked for the recipe!

The parade, festival and feast were so much fun for all the third graders.  

On Thursday, the whole school celebrated our annual International Festival, featuring food, country facts and performances. The International Festival is always a good time!

Finally, on Friday, our school, along with schools across the state, voted for the Texas Bluebonnet Award. Each year, twenty books are selected as nominees. Students in grades 3-6 in Texas who read at least five of the books are eligible to vote for their favorite. The book with the most votes statewide earns the title of Bluebonnet Book of the year.  

2014-2015 Bluebonnet Nominees

The official winner has not been announced yet, but our school voted for The Neptune Project by Polly Holyoke. Will's favorite was The Expeditioners and the Treasure of Drowned Man's Canyon by S.S. Taylor.

After voting, the kids were treated to blueberry muffins for the Bluebonnet Breakfast.

It's been a full couple of weeks around here!

A Sunday Adventure: Galveston

Our Saturday was busy with work around the house (farmers market, cooking and baking, Pinewood Derby cars, and yardwork) but we worked hard in order to treat ourselves to a day in Galveston on Sunday! After a long string of chilly, rainy days, we were all itching to get out and explore.

We started at the Aquarium at Moody Gardens, which we hadn't visited in almost four years. The boys got in free because of their good grades.

The boys loved the shark scavenger hunt through the aquarium and we stopped and read about all kinds of fish, sharks and anemones. Our favorites were the seals and seal lions, Kemp's ridley sea turtles, and penguins, of course!

 

We arrived at the penguin enclosure right at feeding time. We learned so much from the biologist on duty.

You know we can't skip these cut-outs!

After visiting the aquarium, we ate an early lunch at the Garden Restaurant. The boys love the buffet! We walked around a bit outside. Goofy boys! 

It was a gorgeous day to be outside -- in the 50s and sunny!

Our next stop was Galveston Island State Park. We had never been before and hiking was was exactly what we needed after a big buffet lunch. 

Some of the trails were muddy after the recent rains, and there had been a prescribed burn a couple months back, but it was still absolutely beautiful! We saw a crab and a great blue heron and found many oyster shells.

After our hike, we hopped in the car and drove to the opposite end of Galveston, onto Pelican Island to visit Seawolf Park. Seawolf Park is home to the USS Cavalla (submarine) and the USS Stewart (destroyer escort). Seawolf Park is named after the USS Seawolf, one of the 52 submarines lost during World War II.

We had a guided tour of the Cavalla and learned so much about the submarine. During wartime, 80 men would have been on board. Beds were everywhere, including over the torpedoes!

Henry found a backgammon board in the crew's mess.

After touring the Cavalla, we visited the USS Stewart, a destroyer escort. An anti-submarine ship, the USS Stewart is one of only three remaining destroyer escorts in the country.

 

We wandered around Seawolf Park for a bit afterwards.

And then we ended our day at Fisherman's Wharf with dinner and a view of the Elissa and the boats in the harbor. Our favorite ice cream shop, La King's, was closed but we treated the boys to caramel apples from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. 

What a perfect day in Galveston! The boys had so much fun that they are already asking me to plan our next adventure...