Reading with my Kids Little brother (reading over older brother's shoulder): any real body must extend in four directions: it must have length, breadth, space, and time. There are really four dimensions. . . the three planes of space and. . . time. Little brother: So, does that mean our bodies are four-dimensional? Older brother: No, a 2D object can exist in a 3D space. Is that right, Mom? We're 3D, right? Me: We're 3D at any one moment in time. But I think what the author is saying is that over the period of our lifetime, we're tracing a four-dimensional path through time. Big Brother: But if time is a 4th dimension, then . . .

are we passing through it? Or are we occupying it? Wouldn't we be occupying a dimension? Little brother: Ooh, if we're not moving through time, is time moving through us? Me: You know what, it's time to go to bed. Both: Mom! Me: Well, I'm no quantum physicist, but maybe if you keep thinking about it, someday, you'll figure it out. Then you can tell me all about it. For now, bedtime. Both: Aww

This week's book was the Time Machine by H.G. Wells.

#conversationswithkids #momsky 📚💙

Me: Why can't you laugh in Hawaii?
Kid: Because the coconuts crack up at all the jokes first?
Me: Nice. But actually, you can laugh. It just has to be A-low-ha
Kid: Har-har

#conversationswithkids #dadjokes #momsky

Conversations with Kids Kid (down with a fever): Mom, how high can a fever go? Me: Temperatures above 40˚C (104˚F) in humans gets dangerous. Kid: Why? Me: Well, humans are homeothermic mammals. Meaning we maintain our body temperature at a constant level and start to see cell damage and organ failure at temperatures higher than 40˚C. Kid: But I thought all mammals were like that. Are there mammals that can raise their temperatures higher? Me: Some mammals employ heterothermy. The body temperature of the fat-tailed dwarf lemur for example can vary by ~25˚C (45˚F) in a single day. Some bats can do it as well. Kid: Whoa. Why would they need that?

Me: It's to help them survive a wider variety of conditions. Hibernation is a type of heterothermy - an extreme one. But some mammals enter something called "torpor" based on day-to-day conditions, storms, flood, famine, really anything that makes it hard to survive. Kid: They must have really different body chemistries from humans. Me: Yep. Evolution took so many different paths to solve the same problems. There is no single "just right" Kid: Do you think it's lonely for them when they fall into torpor? Me: Oh, if the animal is a social sleeper, like a bat or a sugar-glider, they might enter into torpor with their social group. They wouldn't necessarily be alone. Kid: That's nice. You don't want to go through scary things alone. Even if you're able to sleep through it. .

Wish you all a happy, healthful weekend. Here are a couple of articles that relate to today's post:
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23636180/
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
🧪👶 #momsky #conversationswithkids #reading

Why are spiders so good at the internet? It's coz they're such good web developers

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

If you’re interested, here’s an article on the many different types of webs spiders weave: www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/spi...

#momsky #spiders #dadjokes #conversationswithkids

Kid: Mom, sometimes when I catch a ball, I feel like I catch it before I consciously see it. Me: Ever heard of blindsight? Kid: No? Me: So, in the 1970s, scientists noticed something strange. Some patients who are clinically blind could still detect motion and respond to things in front of them. For example, they could navigate obstacles with much more skill than what could be explained by pure chance, even though they insisted they couldn't see anything. . Kid: Were they only partially blind? Me: Nope. They were completely blind, but had specifically sustained injury to their primary visual cortex - the part of the brain that interprets signals from the eyes and gives us conscious visual experience. So, they couldn't see. er partBut then, how. . .? the brain that can detect moolder, deeper parts of the brain that can detect motion and help us orient to things without involving conscious sight. They don't create the "picture" we experience when we see, but they can still steer your actions. eye. MWhoaep. Pretty eye-opening, right? My kid rolled his eyes at that one. I'll let myselKid: See this, Mom? This is me rolling my eyes at that one. Me: Ooh, you got me.

🧪Well, here's the reference for today's conversation: academic.oup.com/nc/article/2...

#momsky #conversationswithkids #funny

Wish you all a wonderful week ahead.

#conversationswithkids #momsky #dadjokes

Today's conversation was more of a thought experiment—just shooting the breeze with my kid and imagining what the vast universe out there might hold. There are no peer-reviewed papers out there saying anything of this sort.

#conversationswithkids #universe #momsky 🔭 #funny

If you're interested in reading more about spider vision, this is a great article on the subject:

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32898492/
🧪🕷️ #funny #momsky #conversationswithkids

So much of our understanding of the human body has come through the difficult process of studying those who have tragically lost a particular faculty. Here's a reference for this conversation: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29510103/

#momsky #conversationswithkids #science🧪

Yes, yes. I know this is wild speculation. But we had fun doing it. Here's a reference for it: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

#momsky #moms #parenting #conversationswithkids #kidswhoread

There are many old proverbs (especially about animals and the weather) that have proven to be true when approached scientifically. I should clarify that the book I'm writing is definitely NOT about vampires.

References in the 1st comment.

#parenting #conversationswithkids #kidssky #science

Kid: Mom, remember how you said some people are like carbon and become diamonds under pressure? Can other things become diamonds too? Me: No, sweetheart. I'm afraid only carbon can become diamonds. But you know, other things can become just as extraordinary. Kid: More amazing than diamond? Me: There's a planet called Awohali. It's made of this exotic ice that forms only under pressures 30,000 times stronger than what we have on Earth. This ice doesn't melt even though Awohali is closer to its sun than the planet mercury is to ours. Kid: Whoa. A planet made of burning ice? Me: Yep. So, if we're talking about people...

under pressure, I'd say that depending on what you're made of, you can become anything - a diamond, burning ice, coal, petroleum, various other rocks and gemstones, all unique or useful in their own special ways. Everyone's made of something different. Pressure just brings it out. Other kid: You know what else forms under pressure? Black holes. So, if the pressure is too much, you could become a black hole and suck up everything around you! Me: I mean, that's one way to handle stress... Not one I'd recommend, but definitely a power move... Kid: Now I have that song in my head Under Under pressure. dun dun dun dun dun dun.

I must say, I'm quite pleased that these kids like Queen. For those of you finding my channel for the 1st time, I post on little observations my kids and I make, often with a bit of a science bend. We also post on books we're reading.

#conversationswithkids #moms #dads #parenting #science

Yes, Big Kid in the conversation below was admonished for calling his brother a dummy. And little kid was duly admonished for calling him a dummy back. I edited it out of the pages below since I try to fit the Conversation series in 2 pages.
#conversationswithkids #science🧪 #moms #kids #astronomy

A few weeks ago, the kids became interested in old weather proverbs that still hold true. This conversation hurt a little. We recycle, we compost, we vote for those who seem to care for the environment. And ultimately, I can only hope for the best.
#conversationswithkids #moms #environment

I haven't been able to find any reasonable theories as to why people may have developed lucid dreaming. I don't think we quite understand it yet. I did end up adding a lucid dream sequence to the book I'm currently writing, which was fun.
#conversationswithkids #moms #science🧪

The latest post in my sleep series. My children experienced jet lag for the 1st time on a recent trip, which led to many fun conversations on sleep- why we need it, how other species sleep, etc. Today's topic: Why we dream
#conversationswithkids #kids #moms #sleep #stem #science #dreams

We had this conversation when were passing by some callery pear trees - which to me, smell like rotting fish. I'll go back and forth between this series and finishing up the sleep series over the next couple of months🧪

Have a great weekend everyone!

#conversationswithkids #momsky #science #parents

The book I'm working on is a young YA fantasy with many fantastical elements based on real-life science. So, I had to post this conversation with my kids. I'm off to get some REM sleep myself now. Wish you all a good night.
#conversationswithkids #momlife #science #teenmom #dads #moms 🧪💙📚

Another post in the sleep series. Hi. I'm a scientist turned writer working on a teen fantasy novel with sciencey themes. I post on books & this conversation with my kids series.

#conversationswithkids #conversationswithmykids #hagrowler #science #dreams #momsky #dadsky #moms #dads #booksky 🧪

Happy new year everyone. Wish you all a wonderful 2025 ahead.
We have a couple of reviews for books we read over the holidays, and more posts on conversations my kids and I had on the topic of sleep coming up over the month of January. Looking forward to seeing you all around
#conversationswithkids