Dismembered Polymer Body Parts, Days 2 & 3

You saw how tiny the dry polymer body parts were in my first post about dismembered body parts.  Polymers absorb the liquid quickly, some more quickly than others, but all absorb pretty fast.  Our dismembered polymer body parts, packed away since last October and dry as bones (body parts. bones.  I crack myself up sometimes!) wasted no time in starting to soak up the water and grow.  Think about how they looked on Day One.  Now look at Day Two!

I had a little trouble getting a good picture on Day Three as the cat seemed to consider herself one of the Halloween decorations and refused to move out of the way. She also believes that those dismembered body parts are going to eventually end up in her supper bowl; I can tell by the way she wraps her body around the jar and WATCHES them. My apologies for the quality of Day Three’s picture, but the cat rules the house and she was there on the table for the duration.

This is Millicent, and she wasn’t letting any pumpkins, skulls, tombstones, dismembered body parts, or strobe lights get in the way of a good nap.    You can sort of see the body parts and the alligator in the jar behind her.  Sigh.

Polymer science is one of my favorites – can you tell?

Our Insta-Snow is a polymer, and it reacts instantly when water is added to it.  Our water jelly crystals are also polymers, and while they react more slowly than Insta-Snow, it still doesn’t take very long for them to turn into beautiful “gems.”  Our Water Gel, which is one of my very favorite polymers, also reacts quickly, and in a different way than our usual showstoppin’ polymers.  The potential for practical jokes is definitely there.

In just a few days, those dismembered body parts and the alligator that wants them for lunch will completely fill the jar.  I love having life-size body parts in my living room in front of the picture window for all the world to see.

Sometimes, on Halloween, little kids will cluster at my window, gazing in horror and amazement at the body parts floating amidst the strobe lights and sound effects of my home.

Sometimes I make cookies shaped like noses, fingers, big toes, and brains.  I expect a call from Gordon Ramsay any day now.

What?

Jane Goodwin is a professor of expository writing at Ivy Tech Community College, a hands-on science teacher for College for Kids, a professional speaker and writer, and a social media liaison  for Steve Spangler Science.  She wanted to be a ballerina and an astronaut, but gravity got the better of her.