Nuclear Energy

As I was writing about our party, I realized I had not yet posted about our science class on Thursday. We were studying nuclear energy. There's not too much exciting to report. We did a lot of reading. The most interesting part for me was reading about the Manhattan Project and learning some of the other names involved (other than Albert Einstein). There were some worksheets that the kids took home, including a word search. Each family was also assigned a different biofuel to read up on and report about next week (to finish up chemical energy). The project for the day was to build a clay model of a nuclear power plant. We used modeling clay that you can bake to harden it and keep as a souvenir. Two of the models turned out quite well. The others all came apart in at least one spot. I'm actually surprised they didn't turn to dust due to the fact that I started painting my son's bedroom and forgot they were in the oven. Ooops. Oh, and for those that were worried, the sushi came out quite well - so bring your appetite next week ;-) For those that don't know what I'm talking about, you really don't want to. This week we will be talking about thermal energy, if I can find a thermometer. Anyone know where I can get a cheap one (or borrow one)?