Science Experiment AKA Answered Prayer

The last two years of homeschooling we didn't do many science experiments or projects. Very, very few actually.


Well, this year I committed to using our new curriculum to the fullest. Therefore, determining to do every experiment and project within our capabilities.


You're probably thinking, "Good for you. So what?"


The 'so what' is that for me this is harder than it should be. My mind somehow sees things as harder than they really are. I think maybe it's the perfectionism I struggle with.


Anyway, we had a science experiment to do on Tuesday. It required a d-cell 1.5v battery, a 1.5watt light, and some bell wire. We had none of those things. And I wasn't sure what a 1.5watt light looked like or what bell wire was and where I would find it.


So Monday evening I headed to Walmart. I started in the lighting isle. Nothing. The smallest watt they had was 4watts. I headed to the groceries and called the Hubs. While I was getting some necessities, he looked online and discovered that 1.5watt lights were tiny. Think flashlight lights. Tiny flashlight lights.


So, after picking up some d-cell batteries I headed to the camping section and asked an employee if they had flashlight light bulbs. They did, but the smallest wattage was 2.4. I decided to risk it.


Then, I'm gonna be honest, I kinda wimped out and before really looking down all the isle's I just bought some picture hanging wire bc I knew where that was and it was metal. It should work, right?


Wrong.


Tuesday afternoon, while the kids where playing after lunch I started preparing the experiment. I taped one piece of wire to the bottom of the battery and one piece of wire to the top. Then I tried to wrap them both around the bottom of the teeny tiny light bulb. Nothing. Nada. Zippo. Zilch.

Hubs tried to help, but everything we came up with failed. So I did what I usually do when things aren't going the way I planned and are harder than I expected...I pouted.

Thinking that we were gonna have to do without the experiment, I headed back to my bedroom for a minute and hubs headed back to work. Or so I thought.

While I was in my bedroom, I prayed a rather frustrated but desperate prayer. Lord, I don't know how to do this. I don't know what I need to make this work. Please show me. Please help me.

Then I headed back out to the living room. And in walked my father-in-law asking if I needed help with some electrical stuff. Yup. Hubs had walked next door and asked for help on my behalf while I was asking God.

My FIL knew exactly what bell wire was and happened to have some. When he returned with it he helped me attach it to the battery and then showed me how to roll the end into a circle so I could set the light bulb down into it and then told me to touch the side of the light bulb with the other wire. And guess what?

Well, I'm sure you know. It worked. Beautifully.

And when hubs walked back in the house and asked if his dad had been able to help and then smiled all proud-like when I said yes, I quickly made it clear that it was God who worked all this out. It was God who knew I would ask his help, and it was God who gave hubs the idea to ask for help. And it was all bc of God.

Then I smiled. And I thanked Him and him. And I went on in my homeschooling day even more confident that I am not doing this alone.

Bridget