Taking turns pouring shaped pancakes for breakfast on Saturday started the day with a bit of creativity with the visiting Texas grandchildren. One helped me measure and mix the ingredients from scratch; the others poured and flipped their own pancakes and scrambled eggs in the electric skillet.
Swarming around the skillet they worked the pancake turner, poured the batter carefully into the hot skillet and added extra chips and flavors to their individual cakes.
The success of the morning promised an active day, especially since they each wanted to make a card for their parents on our computer.
But waiting for their turn on the computer zapped the waiting children’s energy within minutes. I reminded them that their grandfather had promised to pay them a penny a piece for picking up pine cones.
They didn’t want to do that.
I suggested a couple other projects we could tackle. They flumped around with the perpetual pout of the bored. I pulled out my trump card.
“In 45 minutes we are going to leave for the Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources to see the Mystery of the Mayan Medallion. If you want spending money for the souvenir shop, you better pick up pine cones,” I said and began preparing to go.
“I don’t want to go anyway,” the most bored declared.
“You have to go,” I said – silently adding to myself, “you said, ‘I’m bored’ one time too many.”
For the next 90 minutes, (no we did not leave in 45 minutes) the oldest two kept my husband busy counting pine cones. He reminded them that if they missed any, he was deducting those from their total. The youngest, however, even with a reminder about the spending money, clung to her turn at the computer until the very last possible moment before she went out to gather up pennies of tree trash.
By the time they had finished gathering up pine cones and gumballs, I heard my husband muttering, “that is the most money I have ever paid to have pine cones picked up.”
True, but it gave them money and cut out the begging and negotiating factor for spending money.
At the museum we explored the exhibit using the museum’s two pages of carefully designed questions directing our attention at each phase of the exhibit. While they found answers, I assembled a “broken” pot around a magnetic sphere.
Racing to read and find the answers permanently switched off the boredom chant.
We spent a lot of time studying the simple lessons on the Mayan hieroglyphics and numbering system. One stick equaled 5, one ball equaled 1; so three sticks and four balls equaled 19.
They took turns figuring out the circled numbers in pictures of hieroglyphics and each crowed with delight as they figured out each right answer.
After making a rubbing of the ancient symbols, we tediously sorted out blocks to interpret one larger picture. A mock skeleton instructed them to study bones to discover that the Mayans flattened the forehead of babies between pieces of wood to insure the look of a superior person.
We found the missing medallion and a secret hole with a surprise for venturesome explorers.
They begged to be able to go and look at the rest of the museum. So, we took another half hour, went back in time and briefly explored the history of oil and how its discovery changed the area.
Of course, they came home with a few trinkets at the souvenir shop, but more importantly, they came home with an improved attitude and a bit of education about the Mayan culture, calendar, numbering system and hieroglyphics.
The exhibit will remain at Smackover through March 8. If you can squeeze in a visit, do so. It is definitely worth the drive and the time.
(Joan Hershberger is a reporter at the News-Times. She can be reached by e-mail at joanh@everybody.org.)