Lynn Brunelle - Mama Gone Geek: Calling On My Inner Science Nerd to Help Navigate the Ups and Downs of Parenthoo d

Lynn loves being a mom, and she loves science. She relays tale after tale of how she engages her kids in wonder after wonder of the world around themand around all of us. Her science enriches their lives and saves her sanity. Mama Gone Geek will do the same for you.

Bill Nye, the Science Guy

A wonderfully hilarious romp through Lynn Brunelles world, complete with directions on how to turn the most awkward and smelly aspects of parenting into teaching moments. Mama Gone Geek is a memoir and a how-to book on its surface, but it is alsoand more importantly soa testament to the undying love, joy, faith, and protectiveness a mother feels for her family. Brunelles ability to see her world anew, even as she knows precisely how to describe it to her children, is refreshing, touching, and, ultimately, very gratifying. Brava!

Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

Lynn Brunelle is the love child of Erma Bombeck and Mr. Wizard!

Susan Wiggs, author of The Apple Orchard and The Beekeepers Ball

ABOUT THE BOOK

Science is the ultimate parenting tool. After all, its really all about observing, asking questions, solving problems, making mistakes, and trying again and again and againjust like being a mom or dad! Come along with Lynn Brunelle as she initiates you into the joys of geek-style parenting. A proud geek mom herselfand an Emmy-winning writer for the show Bill Nye, the Science GuyLynn has had a love of science from the time she was a child. When she had her own kids, science became like a friend she could lean on for support, helping her make sense of the joy, pain, and uncertainty of parenting. Join her as she infuses her days with science, and shares it, in all its geeky wonder, with her kids.

LYNN BRUNELLE is a four-time Emmy Awardwinning writer for the television series Bill Nye the Science Guy, with over twenty years of writing experience. A former classroom science, English, and art teacher for kids K12, as well as an editor, illustrator, and award-winning, best-selling author of over forty titles, Brunelle has created, developed, and written projects for PBS, NPR, A&E, the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Disney, and ABC. She is a regular presenter of science and art projects in classrooms and schools. She lives on an island off the coast of Washington.

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CALLING ON MY INNER SCIENCE NERD TO HELP NAVIGATE THE UPS AND DOWNS OF PARENTHOOD

LYNN BRUNELLE

ROOST BOOKS

Boston 2014

Note to Readers: The names and certain identifying features of some people portrayed in this book have been changed to protect their privacy. The activities in this book are intended to be performed under adult supervision, with appropriate and reasonable caution and common sense. The author and publisher disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in the activities in this book.

Roost Books

An imprint of Shambhala Publications, Inc.

Horticultural Hall

300 Massachusetts Avenue

Boston, Massachusetts 02115

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Cover design by Jim Tierney

2014 by Lynn Brunelle

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Brunelle, Lynn.

Mama gone geek: calling on my inner science nerd to help navigate the ups and downs of parenthood / Lynn Brunelle.First edition.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

eisbn 978-0-8348-2998-5

isbn 978-1-61180-151-4 (paperback)

1. Brunelle, LynnFamily. 2. ParenthoodHumor. 3. FamiliesWashington (State)Bainbridge Island. 4. Suburban lifeWashington (State)Bainbridge Island. I. Title.

HQ755.8.B77 2014

306.874dc23

2014005578

For Kai and Leothe very beings that put me on the Mama map. That said, I could never have done it without my adorable husband, Keith, coauthor in this life. This book is for him, too.

CONTENTS

MOST PERSISTENT CAMPER

The summer before my fourth grade year was when I learned the truth about myself: I was a geek. I was a nerd.

Did I already have a fascination for science at that age? Hardly. At least I didnt think so. Science sucked. Everyone knew it. Everyone said so. To me science was a yawn. It was those lame kits at school, like boxed headaches, with corks and pebbles and questions like What floats? Duh. I was no science fan at age nine. But was I a geek? Hell yes. And that summer I was about to learn my first lesson that I still carry with me and will hopefully pass forward to my own kids.

Every year, from first grade through high school, when summer tumbled out of spring, I was bound for Camp Ketcha. It was a place of ceremony and of many firsts for me.

At the start of that summerlike every otherwe stumbled off the bus, full of anticipation. Summer was here! We dropped our bags in a heap and gathered around the flagpole in a large circle. We were all decked out in blue shorts and white T-shirts with a navy pine tree and the words CAMP KETCHA emblazoned on our budding chests. Our heads were topped with blue Gilligan hats to keep the Maine sun from burning us fuchsia.

We sang songs, raised the flag, endured a morning pep talk and announcements, and were then sprung free to run in the fields, swim in the tea-brown pond, create macram and papier-mch treasures, or spend time at the horse stable.

The horse stable!

Our days were organized into chunks: the chunk I lived for was my time with the horses. I loved every one of those horses. Spicer, with his round, bronze belly, was perfect for riding bareback. Roper was rust-colored sass. He loved carrots, and if you werent experienced, hed take off running with you on his back. Dipper was long and lanky, brown, with a white diamond on her forehead.

Every hour of every day I made sure my counselors were aware that I had an appointment for the horses and that they were never to forget that I was going riding and What time is it? and Is it time yet?

My zeal for the horses was known camp-wide. There were chuckles and rolling eyes exchanged among the counselors, who didnt realize Id noticed, when I insisted upon knowing the time and Exactly how much longer until my riding lesson?

I didnt care. I had my passion. I was determined to learn everything about these magnificent beasts. I spent hours in the library after camp looking at books about horses. I delved into the how and the why of horses. I found the angular curve of the tuber calcis, where the tibia and fibula ended and cascaded down to the hock and metatarsals, beautiful beyond words. The way the forelocks fell so gracefully over the bony occiputs at the tops of their skulls took my breath away. I just could not pass a horse without reaching out to pat the deltoid tuberosity rounding down from its shoulder. I studied their evolution, dazzled by the fact that fifty-five million years ago they were catsized creatures and stunned that their hooves are actually single toes upon which they balanced so steadily.