Half an Hour With My Sharp Little Man

I'll post more soon about what's been going on in our lives, but for now, here's a brief, simplified recap of our car ride home tonight (approximately 30 minutes)...

Jacob started asking why people put lights on just about everything except for plants. Greg asked what he meant. He said like on buildings. Greg explained that lights help people see and also help deter burglars. He explained that some people want to break in and steal things so they can sell them, and that if it's dark they're more likely to do it because no one will see them. Greg then said in the wintertime, it gets dark around 5:30, which lead to...

Jacob asked why the days are longer in the summer and shorter in the winter. Greg explained that it depends on how the earth is positioned in relation to the sun (much more discussion about this, but I can't remember the wording). First, Jacob asked, "Oh, so does the earth spin faster in the winter?" He ended up talking about seasons and asked if snow is just rain that comes during winter and freezes because it's so cold out. This led to discussion the shape of snowflakes and how the shape affects how it falls.

I mentioned to Greg that while Jacob and I were in the mall, he asked about a sub shop there. He said, "Why are they called subs?" I said it was short for "submarine," and that it was because they resembled submarines because they're long and thin. Jacob paused, looked confused, and said, "But... submarines have a thing like this (and did a detailed outline with his finger in the air) that sticks up so they can see and a propeller like this (another detailed outline) on the back." I tried explaining that it was just because they were both long and thin, but he didn't seem to buy it.

Greg told Jacob the thing that sticks up can actually go down into the submarine so you can't see it at all outside and that a cover goes over it. (He also told him it's called a periscope.) Jacob asked how boats float. Greg explained that it depends on how much air something holds and that boats are shaped to hold a lot of air. Jacob said, "So, if you turned the boat upside down, would it sink?" Greg said, "Well, if it still had air under it, then no... but most of the time it's a little sideways and water goes up in it and pushes the air out, so it would sink."

Greg said sometimes ships sink when they get a hole and then water comes in and fills up the ship. Jacob said, "But what if there are two holes and the water keeps going out the other hole? Would it still sink?"

At some point the conversation went to torpedoes and missiles. Jacob asked if submarines had them and then said, "Because missiles are in the air and torpedoes are in the water?" He asked questions about if a torpedo missed ("Would it sink?"). Greg said it would and that sometimes people aimed wrong. Jacob said, "So, it would just slow down and then sink?" He also said things like, "What if it had a sensor or a camera on it and the submarine had a sensor on it, too? Could someone control it?"

This kid and his brilliant mind. He blows me away. I'm so glad his dad remembers all of his science lessons and I'm so glad he remembers them well enough to explain them to a very inquisitive five-year-old.