When the Package is More Interesting Than the Contents

Some days I never know what might come in the mail.  Bills, letters from the grandparents in California, and the usual junk are sure things but packages are always a welcome surprise.  This morning FedEx greeted us with a huge box.  Marked perishable and containing many more stickers than any usual package, Little Miss Techie and Captain Computer were instantly intrigued.   

We cracked open the box to find it filled with a Styrofoam cooler.  We lifted the lid and…

Jackpot!  Two chunks of dry ice the size of thick telephone books and a cardboard box full of something that we cast aside for the time being. 

Dry ice spells instant science lesson, a teachable moment that must be seized upon immediately before said ice disappears.  So with words of caution to the children about the dangers of dry ice, my husband filled a sink full of water, pulled up 2 chairs for the kids, and slipped on oven mitts to grab the dry ice to plunk in the water.  The bubbling water, smoke-like rings that floated above the surface of the water, creeping fog that spilled on to our kitchen floor, and coolness mesmerized my children better than any television show.  Blowing into the sink and having the cool fog hit their faces elicited peals of spontaneous laughter.  It was hands-on science at its best.

Eventually the dry ice disappeared.  Over dinner, the children talked about how amazing the dry ice was and wondered when more would come in the mail as we ate the rest of the package’s contents with our meal. 

When not playing with dry ice, Leticia makes recommendations about technology for children at Tech Savvy Mama and gives DC area activities an educational twist as the Being Savvy Washington DC city editor.