Kari Kidrowski was one of my elementary BFFs. We both attended Dunkerton Elementary School. One of the biggest rights of passage back then was the 5th and 6th grade science fair. Everyone had to team up with one or two other kids, pick a topic and present our speech to the junior or senior high kids. So Kari and I paired up to do some research on our topic: Mold.
Kari’s mom is a rock star. She took us to Anderson Erickson Dairy (on her own time) to see how they used cultures to make things like yogurt and cottage cheese. Best of all, Kari’s mom let us grow mold on stuff in jars in her refrigerator. We did it for weeks.
It was very disgusting and very fun. The big day came, and to our surprise Kari and I were the first 5th graders to ever WIN the 5th and 6th grade science fair.
Kari’s mom is a rock star. She took us to Anderson Erickson Dairy (on her own time) to see how they used cultures to make things like yogurt and cottage cheese. Best of all, Kari’s mom let us grow mold on stuff in jars in her refrigerator. We did it for weeks.
It was very disgusting and very fun. The big day came, and to our surprise Kari and I were the first 5th graders to ever WIN the 5th and 6th grade science fair.
At work recently, we took a personality test to identify our strengths. My top three:
1. Communication – You find it easy to put your thoughts into words.
2. Woo – You love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over.
3. Competition – You strive to win first place and revel in contests.
1. Communication – You find it easy to put your thoughts into words.
2. Woo – You love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over.
3. Competition – You strive to win first place and revel in contests.
I believe #3 all started with the 5th Grade Science fair. The following year, Kari and I had a new area of research. Here’s a photo. The location of Kari’s head makes our G-rated topic look a little more R-rated.
The topic was Glass.
Some time later my mom (another rock star) made a giant crawdad out of a bottle of bleach for another school project for my sister. Oh, if only we had social media in the 80’s - if I had that photo now it would definitely be on one of my Pinterest boards.
My hope for the future:
1. I am the kind of mom who lets my kids grow mold in my fridge for a good cause.
2. I am able to make a bleach bottle into a crawdad if needed.
3. I’m still able to laugh at photos of myself no matter how old I get and that I have many friends to laugh with me.
Some time later my mom (another rock star) made a giant crawdad out of a bottle of bleach for another school project for my sister. Oh, if only we had social media in the 80’s - if I had that photo now it would definitely be on one of my Pinterest boards.
My hope for the future:
1. I am the kind of mom who lets my kids grow mold in my fridge for a good cause.
2. I am able to make a bleach bottle into a crawdad if needed.
3. I’m still able to laugh at photos of myself no matter how old I get and that I have many friends to laugh with me.
Thank you Colleen for sharing this photo. L to R: Colleen Magee-Buhler, Me and Stephanie Albertson Pershing.
Science
So much mold
Thinking, talking, winning
Rock Star Helpful Mothers
Crawdad
So much mold
Thinking, talking, winning
Rock Star Helpful Mothers
Crawdad