The weight of gravity

Today my son just learnt about buoyancy and gravity. My heart sings!

So I was packing up and putting some old clothes downstairs in the storage room. 

I came across an old book of mine, it was a tiny thin book on "Space". 

So I brought it up. When we moved in two years ago I thought I would not pull that out until Sam was about 6. Close enough.

When he came past me he went straight for the book.

By the third page, we talked about gravity, and how Isaac Newton discovered it.

We talked about buoyancy. I brought out a little pot. We floated and sank toys and talked about why balloons didn't fall down like apples if we dropped them.

We talked about the escape velocity for Earth. I tried to work out how to describe to Sam how fast 11.2km per second is. 

Can you think of a place far from here?
S: China.  

*Quick math scribble*

S: Do you know that at that speed we can get to China in 12 min?
Wow. That's fast. 

Yes it is.

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It's amazing how kids are good at pattern recognition.

Sam found some pictures of space shuttles. He remembered seeing these in another book.

And then some pictures of the lunar module.

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I had to go to do some yard work. Sam had loads more questions for me. 

It seems a shame to have to leave the hungry child.