Getting Colder On These Morning Walks

Mist and Ducks
Photo-A-Day 2.0 #00684

Our morning walk was pretty chilly today. There was a slick layer of frost on the wooden bridge that is pat of the Riverwalk. We penguin walked down that bridge to prevent falls. While we were walking along the river the mist was rising and the sun was coming through the trees. A Pair of ducks floated along down the river and it looked really nice. so I stopped and snapped the photo above.

that serene moment was quite a contrast with last night. Crazy night at work which also included a capture of a live mouse in the house. Our cats are useless when it comes to mousing. James brought the mouse up to Eva’s room. She thought it was dead but it was just pretending. I trapped it and then it got out and went right under the bed. Thank goodness we have Eva’s bed propped up on risers. I cleared things out from under the bed and was able to capture the mouse in a container and bring it outside. Once I got back in the house and to my computer and back to work Facebook gives me this ad.

mouse ad

I think they even got the same mouse that I captured for the picture. So very freaky.

Building STEM LAB Kids’ Walter the Walking Robot

Walter is Decorated
Photo-A-Day 2.0 #00683

STEM Lab Kids sent us a free review unit for Walter the Walking Robot to assemble and review. Opinions are our own.

Today was a home day for the kids in their hybrid schooling. Usually this means that Andy completes all his work quickly and spends lots of time in front of screens. For the most part I let him because I have my own work to do and can’t be entertaining him 24/7. Today was a little different because we had an activity to do together that did not involve screens at all. Together we assembled Walter the Walking Robot from STEM Lab Kids. You may remember that this Summer Andy and I worked on the Copper Tape Circuits activity from STEM Lab Kids. This is a new product from the same folks.

Walter the Walking Robot is a kit that kids can assemble on their own and then decorate. The materials included in the kit are a motor, screws, laser cut wooden pieces and stickers to decorate Walter. He even has googly eyes! The product is for ages 12 and up but again, I like to let Andy enjoy a challenge and help out when I am needed. Andy did really well assembling Walter by himself, but I did help in some of the trickier parts of the assembly.

building Walter

Because Walter is a walking Robot he has gears that need to be assembled just right. Over-tighten them and he won’t move. Keep them too loose and he won’t walk straight. There was plenty of trial and error to get things just so. Luckily the pieces are precision cut and the instructions are clear and easy to follow. We had no major hang-ups during assembly. Once Walter was finished then came Andy’s favorite part. He got to decorate Walter. He gave him Googly eyes, shades and a big tongue. He also opted for the more Robotic looking hands for Walter. There are actually 3 options for hands included. Long arms with human hands, short arms with human hands and long arms with robot hands. Andy liked having those options to choose from. The kit also includes the batteries needed to power the gearbox.

The whole kit retails for $39.99 but it is on sale with free shipping for $29.99 on the STEM Lab Kids website. The kit also comes with extra screws and a mini screwdriver for putting the set together.

Walter is Built Time to Decorate