How stuff works: catapults
So P-rock is way, way into how things work. When first encountering a motion-activated hand drier: "How does that hand drier work, mommy? Is it magic?" No, it's not magic, it's just, um, automatic. "What's automatic?"... Then we have a 15 minute discussion on the inherent difference between things that are automatic (air conditioners that click on unexpectedly, the doors on elevators) and things that are magic (wizards and flying horses). I think we've nailed down that "automatic" requires the intervention of some kind of machine, whereas "magic" does not.
And at some point every day, we're treated to a long lecture that starts with "Lemme tell you what. It's sumpin about how X works...", X being the subject of the day, whether lightbulbs or shrimps' legs or - our favorite - anything having to do with dinosaurs.
Apparently, catapults have something to do with dinosaurs (ps: "hopticopters" means, of course, "helicopters").
posted by Auntie J @ 8:08 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Little Einstein already knows that a catapult is a (simple) engine? Except that evidently it requires a spoon - a big spoon to handle dinosaurs... is that cause they're magic?
-p-roc's graMoM
I think the spoon is the part that holds the rocks to throw at the dinosaurs. But maybe not, you never know with these things. Catapults are tricky things. Who knew you needed helicopters and flashlights for their proper functioning?
I suppose the flashlight thing could be for aiming, or maybe they're for use at night?
Mainly, I'm impressed by the use of the word engine. I remember doing British history and them constantly reminding us (in our study of castles and sieges... who knew I had such an interesting education?) that the category is siege ENGINES. So, good for Perrin for knowing his terminology, I guess.
I did NOT know that's how catapults work. Thank goodness for P-Rock- who knows what malarchy Google would've come up with had I looked it up. I'm certain that Googling "dinosaurs" and "catapults" would never end in such genius, let alone including "hopticopters" and "flashlights" in the picture. Brilliant. - Aunt K
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