Popsicle sticks

The weekend before last we got the kids some popsicle sticks for building wonders of the world. At first we bought just a bag of one hundred. Thirty quiet minutes after the kids started, they had used all one hundred. I helped, of course, as I tried to build a balloon powered car. So, we found ourselves back at the hobby shop, forking over green for tongue depressors: this time a box of 1000 popsicle sticks. With 1000, the kids went berserk. Spurts of glue, shavings of wood, paint on the floor: it was beautiful. They consumed the whole weekend crafting; they were quiet; they fought surprisingly little. Austin was amazing. He built a right shapely birdhouse. It was really cool to see. Siobhan definitely has a flare for creativity. She has no fear in making something, and I consider that a great gift. I hope she holds onto it. This weekend Austin started a marble track for a simple machine project at school.

Popsicle sticks. Think about this for a moment. We could use these things to our advantage. Why don't we ship a pallet of popsicle sticks to the Palestinians, Israelis, Iraqis and the U.S. soldiers. Peace would be instantaneous and bound with the unbreakable bond of elmer's glue.