It all starts with poster board.
Getting mom to drive to the drug store to load up on the thick flimsy is a great start to a great project. Grab a sheet of white, a sheet of neon pink, and if you’re lucky one of those thick cardboard three-folds. Come on, we both know that cardboard added some scientific integrity to your research — the seventh grade equivalent of getting your work published in The New England Journal of Awesome.
Now, it doesn’t end there. Next you’re grabbing markers, spray paint, baking soda, and Styrofoam. Once you’ve got everything together you’re rushing home and getting down to science, people. The carpeted corner of the unfinished basement becomes your lab and it’s time to spend hours putting on lab coats, staring into microscopes, and pour bubbling green liquids into beakers. Also, taping.
Come on and let’s count down some classics:
6. The solar system. Jabbing those spray-painted Styrofoam balls with a straightened out coat hanger is a truly great feeling. As is painting a splotchy brown Australia on Earth and a big eye on Jupiter. If you want to go the To Scale route, remember to leave Pluto at home.
5. Volcano. There are two types of eruptions. First, there’s the Underwhelming Fizz — where you stare deep into the mouth of the fiery beast only to witness some rock-hard hunks of baking soda floating in a pool of strong-smelling vinegar. It’s disappointing, but you can always try again and hope for a Superblow — where everyone stares with wide-eyes as red ooze bubbles and slides down your carefully painted volcano onto the GI Joe townspeople below.
4. The one the kid’s parents obviously did. Also known as robbing your child of the thrill of scientific discovery in exchange for a B+.
3. Growing something. Whether it was lima beans or patches of fresh grass, it was a a classic move to study Sunlight vs. Shadows, Music vs. No Music, or Watering Plants vs. Pouring Coke On Them.
2. Coke is bad. Speaking of Coke, did you have that kid who left a tooth or some nails sitting in it for a month? The groundbreaking research typically concluded with a harsh indictment of the entire soda industry. And maybe a business card for the kid’s dad who was a dentist.
1. The one that didn’t work. Every science fair had a few of these gems. They were sad and beautiful at the same time. Because that down-faced ten year old standing in front of a dim lightbulb was learning how to deal with lost efforts and how to get back their drive after a fall. Keep that chin up, tiger. You’ll get ’em next time.
Yes, beautiful science fair moments were always a perfect close to months of hallway passion, energetic teachers, and long lonely nights cutting construction paper letters with pinking shears. Letting kids learn, letting kids dream, letting kids try and try and try — well, there’s just so much good that comes of that.
As they bottle insects, jab battery wires into lemons, and rub magnets together, you can see the whirring gears spinning with delight. Yes, all that learning just sponges, soaks in, and sticks there forever as the next generation of curiosity seekers tease their buzzing minds forward and forward and forward…
AWESOME!
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Photos from: here
When your kids enjoy the same things that you grew up with.
It could be a movie, a song, toys or a vacation destination. It doesn’t really matter what it is because experiencing their enjoyment brings back a rush of old memories allowing you to experience it for the first time all over again. AWESOME!
My favorite movie is Wizard of Oz…..its also my daughters favorite. We sit and watch it all the time together.
The first time your baby belly laughs.
When your spouse says the same thing at the same time.
driving a car through massive puddles!
The first sip of coffee in the morning! Definately the best!
When you’re thinking about an old friend you haven’t seen in a long time and the end up calling you later that day.
When you decide to take time for yourself, mainly if you did not plan it.
Holding a new born puppy in the palm of your hand for the first time.
Thunderstorms….I like to sit and watch the rain and lightning and listen to the thunder.
#87 – “Experimenting” in the kitchen
Roll up your sleeves and put on that ridiculous “Garlic is a food group” apron: it’s time for The Great Kitchen Experiment! Time to push aside that recipe book and make something of your own design. Whether or not it’s edible at the end of your great foray into the Culinary Unknown is completely irrelevant – the process is the fun part.
Crack the eggs, spill the flour, and make a sticky mess over countertop and cook alike; you are creating something, and that makes you
AWESOME!!
#135 – Thrift stores
Shoes for $3. Shirts for $1.95. $8 prom dresses. They might have been salvaged from the back of Grandma’s closet where it’s still 1958 or the local teens’ Fashion Purge, but there are always treasures to be found on these musty racks. You dig through frills and ruffles, patterns that hurt your eyes and boggle your mind, and fabrics that should be placed in the garage next to the sandpaper, and finally you find it: the Perfect Item. It shines like a guiding star in the Thrifter’s night sky, and as you glance at the price tag, you swear you can hear the angels singing: this sweater is $2.95.
AWESOME!
#219 – Making up new words
My friend and I once determined that there should be a word for the way it feels when you walk barefoot on new carpet. Something about those tightly coiled loops of fibers rubbing against each other was vaguely reminiscent of the sound of a plastic fork scraping the side of a styrofoam cup. After we had walked around in silence for a few minutes, feeling the slight give and take of the brand-new floor, we looked at each other and said, simultaneously:
“Squidge.”
AWESOME!
#245 – Well-done covers of songs
Someone takes an old song and puts a new spin on it; whether it’s changing the key, the tempo, the range, or all three (like when Greg Laswell sings Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun), there’s something new to find in an old, familiar tune.
Other mentions:
Hey Ya – Obadiah Parker
Heartless – The Fray
The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything – Relient K
Feel free to add any well-done covers that you think are similarly
AWESOME!
Ordinary World – Red
#251 – New baby smell
There is nothing like the fragrance of that warm, smooth, and slightly powdery infant.
Snuggle up and breathe slowly, savoring every scented second; they grow up before you know it.
AWESOME!
#260 – Sleeping naked
When combined with #973 (Sleeping in new bed sheets), this makes for the perfect nighttime arrangement – especially on those hot summer nights. You clamber under the covers and luxuriate in the feeling of the cool sheets against every inch of your skin. You feel lighter than air, and free as a bird. Feeling cozy, secretive, and a little silly, you’re ready for a night of
AWESOME!
#304 – Diaries with locks on them
Close your bedroom door and make sure no brothers are hiding in your closet. If you’re certain you’re alone, tug that diary out from its ingenious hiding place: the underwear drawer (where no brother would ever willingly look), under the mattress, in the toy chest, or in the secret corner of your closet. Confident that it hasn’t been touched since you last tucked it away, you pull the tiny key from the chain around your neck and twist open the lock.
When you’ve finished spilling your innermost fears, dreams and speculations to your papery pal, close them safely away with a satisfying “click” of the lock. Your secrets are safe once more.
AWESOME!
#305 – Pulling petals off of flowers
Now, flowers are beautiful and deserve to be preserved in their beauty. But there’s nothing wrong with the occasional round of “He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not” – just make sure the flower has an odd number of petals before you begin, so you can guarantee that He Loves You.
AWESOME!
#316 – Going to a wedding
After you’ve congratulated the couple on their engagement, get ready. There are many steps to this awesome process:
1) The Save-the-Date. Complete with a picture of the smiling couple in an obviously posed shot (she would never look up at him with that simpering, worshipful gaze), the card marks the day so that you can ask it off of work several months in advance.
2) The Invitation. Addressed to just you? Cool. You mark your preference of chicken, beef, or vegetarian for the reception dinner and slap that bad boy back in the mail. You don’t want your RSVP to be late, or the bride will flip (if she’s that kind of a bride). Now, if the invite says “[Your Name Here] & Guest,” it’s time to whip out that little black book and find a friend. It’s best if you can bring someone who knows (and loves) the bride and groom, but who may not have gotten an invitation him- or herself. If that’s not the case, you bring someone who’s okay around large groups of strangers, because there will be a lot. Of course, going stag always has its merits – plenty of new people to meet. It’s a win-win-win.
3) The Outfit. It’s not necessary to match the wedding theme colors, but it’s always fun. Just make sure you don’t look better than the bride – especially if you’re a guy.
4) The Gift. Grab that registry, call up some buddies, and go in on something big. They will remember you every time they eat off their fancy china place settings. Or you can give them that vase they’ve been eyeing. But you want to make sure it’s not just the factory-wrapped gift you’re giving them – they invited you to their special day. You want to let them know how much it means to be there, so you add a little something extra; a memory you have of the couple, or an inside joke to let them know you’ll always remember them as the goofy kids they were.
5) The Roadtrip. If your friends are like mine, they live EVERYWHERE. As far away as we all are, scattered across the country, everyone comes together for this wonderful event. Some have to travel by plane, and others pack up the car for a long stretch on the road.
6) The Wedding. Bring tissues.
7) The Reception. Bring your dancing shoes.
Of course there are variations to every event, but it all comes down to a weekend of love, celebrating two people’s commitment to each other. Nothing could be more
AWESOME!
#338 – THUNDERCLOUDS
You’re sitting at work. It’s an overcast day, but some sunlight still streams through the occasional break in the clouds.
All of a sudden, you notice that the sky has become ominously dark. Where there once was a trickle of light, there is only the looming shadow of what is surely: a THUNDERHEAD.
Miles high, these massive sky-monsters lumber through the air as if they own the place. And let’s face it; they do. No one wants to get in the way of these lightning-crackling beasts.
You might want to take a little break from work, because you’re in for a show. Pull the rolling chair up to the conference room window and curl your hands around your cup of office coffee, because this is going to be
AWESOME!
http://www.jsu.edu/news/july_dec2004/Thunderhead%20A%20-0002.jpg
#340 – Static-shocking someone
In the dead of winter, you’re walking around the house in your slippers and bathrobe. You spy someone reading a book in a nearby chair; the opportunity is too good to resist.
Silent as snow, you shuffle your way across the carpet to where your unsuspecting victim rests. Making sure to get as staticky as possible, you reach out a single finger, and…
*SNAP!*
Another person falls prey to the little lightning you can store in your fingers.
AWESOME!
#343 – When far-away friends come home
Be it years at college, a cross-country trip, or a job transfer; be it six days, six months, or six years; when a friend is away, you miss him.
Then, one day, you get the phone call: “I’m back!”
A little sunlight has returned to your life, and that is
AWESOME!
#365 – Almost getting caught
You’re not supposed to be on the roof, but there you are anyway. You’re laughing and talking until someone hisses, “Shhh!”
Suddenly, your adventure has taken on a new element: immediately, you become a spy. As the security guard climbs the stairs to investigate the noise, your group slinks silently around the corner and down the other side. With wide eyes, heightened hearing, and heartbeats as loud as drums, you make your escape.
As soon as you’re far enough away, it’s time to deem it a close call. You can’t wait to tell the story to everyone who wasn’t there.
AWESOME!
#366 – Getting caught and talking your way out of punishment
“No, officer! We weren’t goofing around! We were just…getting our Frisbee from the roof.”
“You needed six people to rescue a Frisbee from a roof?”
“Well…it’s a very big roof.”
He laughs and lets you off with a warning.
Slightly chagrined, you slink away. But hey: you took a risk. It wasn’t the adventure you had planned for, but it was still an adventure, a great story. And that is
AWESOME!
#396 – Extra credit
You’ve already got an A- in the class, but with a 500-word essay on “Why my teacher is amazing,” you can knock that bad boy up to an A+ and win a few brownie points. Nothing wrong with that.
AWESOME!
#397 – Elementary school science fairs
Top 5 science projects:
1) The solar system. Sure, everyone does it. But there’s something so satisfying about skewering those spray-painted Styrofoam balls onto the rotating rack made of wire coat hangers. As the planets spin around prettily, you feel a sense of power over your own little world.
2) Baking-soda-and-vinegar Volcano. Dye the lava red and make a mess. Always good for a few “oohs” and “aahs”.
3) Plants. So many options here: sunlight vs. shadow, water vs. soda, music vs. no music; grow these bad boys as many different ways as you can, and report your findings.
4) Soda is bad for you. We know…but it’s fun to watch the acid in our favorite carbonated beverages slowly erode away whatever material you let sit for a few weeks. Gross…but scientific.
5) Electricity. Prove that you can light a lightbulb with the static electricity from a balloon! Ask your mom or dad to help you with the wires and connections, but this one is always impressive – especially if you use your teacher’s hair to make the balloon staticky.
Stand by your foam board with pride – you are a Scientist!
AWESOME!
Mold!
Parents around the world shudder as their kids gently swipe a slice of bread across the kitchen floor and then seal it away. Soon a camophlage pattern emerges. Brown! Yellow! Green! White! There sure were a lot of spores on our floor, mom & dad!
#441 – Small-world connections
Mike conducted a church choir. My parents met in this church choir, and got married in the church. Mike sang at their wedding.
Twelve years later, Mike married a woman named Wendy. Ten years after that, I began taking voice lessons with Wendy.
Everyone sing it with me:
“It’s a small world after all…”
AWESOME!
Working out in the pouring rain!
Running through the desert, mud flying up all over the backs of your calfs, not being able to tell you are sweating because the water is streaming down your face, wet hair sticking to your face.
AWESOME!
#431 – Hearing or telling “how we met” stories – friends, lovers, etc
Sometimes it incorporates the Small-world phenomenon:
“We grew up together in California, even graduated from the same high school, without ever talking to one another. Sixteen years later, I’m at a diner in a small town in Kentucky – just driving through – when this nice man offers to buy my meal. We got to talking about where we lived as children…it just seemed too obvious to NOT give it a shot.”
Sometimes it’s very simple:
“We met on the first day of school in seventh grade. I went home that night and told my mother that I had met the man I was going to marry. Thirty years later, here we are.”
“I didn’t like her at first. I was very intimidated by her. But then we were in a group project for our Psych class, and we got to be such good friends. It only made sense for us to be roommates the next year.”
Any way you tell it, it still ends up
AWESOME!
Like in the movie “When Harry Met Sally”!
#424 – Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Maniac Magee, and other chapter books
I don’t care how old you get; Jerry Spinelli is still
AWESOME!
My awesome thing: A 15-minute nap after lunch.
:-)
hee hee….I just did that. :-)
Getting an encouraging message at the right moment.
Everyone has bad days, but there’s nothing worse than living in Murphy’s Law. Everything has been going wrong and lately you’ve been feeling like a failure. Maybe you lost your job, had a bad breakup, or lost someone close to you. You’re feeling really blue and suddenly, your phone starts to vibrate. You open it up to see a text from a good friend telling you to have a great day or not to give up. You smile knowing someone was thinking about you. Suddenly, your day seems a little bit brighter and you can see that light at the end of the tunnel. AWESOME!!
#444 – Huge flocks of birds taking flight
Although very similar to # 979 (anything that can grow wings), there’s something spectacular about watching thousands of birds lift off.
The unhearable signal comes from somewhere in the middle of the flock; is it their leader giving a sharp call, or just the collective feeling of “it’s time to go”? Either way, it seems that a huge black cloud is lifting from the earth; comprised of straining, flapping wings, and feet being tucked safely beneath bodies, the flock whirls and twirls toward the distant skyline, following the pattern of some dance that we cannot know.
We stand and gape, in wonder at this beautiful display of
AWESOME!
#458 – Getting ice cream after the soccer game
It doesn’t matter if you won or lost. Sweaty and straggle-haired, still in your uniforms, the team piles into the van for a cold and creamy treat. You might even see the other team there. You sit outside and slurp on quickly-melting treats as the sun sets.
AWESOME!
#464 – Doodling during class
It’s a mini-escape during a boring lecture, or a way to decorate an otherwise blank page. My personal favorite is the unbroken chain of hearts (right-side up, upside down, right-side up, upside down…). My friend Meg draws bubbles. Emily pens flowers.
It looks like you’re writing, and it usually keeps you from drooling on your desk in sleep. It gets you through the class, and that is something
AWESOME!
Getting your braces off. Ohhh the possibilities!! It feels like a new free world of eating, kissing, and talking normally. Awesome!
Plus, your teeth are so SMOOOOOOTH.
http://1000awesomethings.com/2009/06/15/744-that-feeling-on-your-teeth-after-you-get-your-braces-taken-off/
Winning A Contest.
Because when it’s you that wins, inside you just feel nothing but
AWESOME!
sitting around a roaring fire with friends, talking about whatever you think is important/awesome. sharing drinks and good conversation (maybe some awesome music as well).
When you visit your parents and are greeted by the family dog that is wildly excited to see you.
Followed by a feeling of love/importance.
Like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysKAVyXi0J4
Totally awesome.
When you loan someone your car and they return it with a full tank of gas.
The cars around my house have been shuffled the past few weeks: oil changes and airport runs have had me switching back and forth. So when I got into my car on a bright Sunday morning, I thought that little orange empty light was preparing to shame me into a gas station run. But to my surprise (and delight) my gas gauge was completely full!! Awesome.
My awesome brother always does this and usually gets me a car wash and vacuum, too! He’s smart because now I never hesitate to lend him my car!
I always like to push the button on the corner of sidewalks that goes to the walk/don’t walk light.
Just pushing buttons in general is fun to do.
Choose Your Own Adventure books.
These books were a huge part of my childhood. Never have I ever read a book that was so interactive or controllable or… nerve-wracking. Every time I came to a crossroad, I imagined the possibilities of each choice. Would the mummy be able to catch me if I chose the left path? Would I be able to escape the psychopath if I went out the front door? All going through my mind were these thoughts. Sometimes, I would try the story in different ways to see the outcomes. But I can safely say that Choose Your Own Adventure books give you power. Power to manipulate the story at your own will and command. And that’s
AWESOME!
Being able to give someone the “I TOTALLY just saw that” look
Isn’t it great when you get to be the sole witness to someone else’s “clumsy-ness”.
When you just so happen to be the only person looking in the right direction when someone else can’t quite hit their mouth with their fork, trips over their own feet, falls out of a hammock, runs into the door frame, etc, etc, etc. The other person immediately starts looking around to see if anyone was watching. And for a split second they think they’ve gotten away with it…. but then y’all make eye contact… and they know they’re busted. Then you get to deliver the “I TOTALLY just saw that” look….. and the 2 of you can share a little(or big, depending on the circumstance) laugh at Mr. Coordinated’s expense.
There are wayyyy too many awesome things to choose from. Good luck, Neil! This is going to be too hard to pick a winner.
Re-connecting with friends.
This is such an awesome thing for me, because I don’t get to see some of my friends too much because I moved away a couple years ago. But it’s so awesome because no matter how long it’s been since we last saw each other, we instantly re-connect and act as if we’ve never been apart. Those are the friendships that are simply awesome.
The last bite of the ice cream cone.
If you’ve done your legwork, and generally you do, then that means that the whole time you were enjoying the ice cream at the top of the cone, you were also pushing it down the cone while you ate. This slight amount of pressure, just a little pushing while you lick, will go miles once you’ve reached the cone. Then comes the great part. You get to eat all the way down the cone, full of the ice cream. Then, finally, you reach the best part, the point of the cone, filled to the brim with melty, delicious goodness.
AWESOME!
Evolution
The fact that we, as a race, are, ever so slowly, improving.
Awesome!
Thing that is awesome: taking a nap in the back of a cab. There really is no better nap.
Having a “this is as good as life gets” moment. It could be when you are with your family or good friends and everyone is laughing and you can feel that everything is good, even for just that moment. Or it can be when you are just observing your children having fun and just being kids and you are filled with love and appreciation of the simple, fleeting, happy moments. Any situation that unexpectedly fills your heart and maybe brings tears to your eyes or a little shiver qualifies. And then you say a silent prayer of thanks and think “This is as good as it gets”.
I recently had one of those moments and was wanting to put it on here, but couldn’t find the right way to word it…. Thank you. Your description is perfect and awesome!
brand new socks that haven’t even been washed yet :)
getting to push the button for the elevator :)