Fostering curiosity in kids (and their parents) since 2011

Posts tagged ‘cats’

“Can cats smell stress?”

One afternoon after a rough day at school, The Ten-Year-Old tried to calm herself down by picking Canelo up for a hug. He was having none of it. The Ten-Year-Old was disappointed when Canelo ran off instead of giving her the reassuring head-bonk she was looking for, but as always, her curiosity won out. “Mommyo, can cats smell stress?”

“Did Isaac Newton invent the cat door?”

During a recent bout of Family Togetherness While Reading Different Books Time, my ten-year-old daughter had her mind blown by a passage in Amazing Cat Facts. “Whoa, guys, it says here that Isaac Newton invented the cat door.” For once, I was dubious. So I set aside my book and surreptitiously double-checked the story on my iPhone. Did Isaac Newton really invent the cat door?

Throwback Thursday: “Did kittens get their name in Britain?”

Sometime last year, The Five-Year-Old discovered the highly informative children’s book series “The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That.” The books relay all kinds of fun facts about the natural world in a Seussian rhyme scheme. The lively presentation has convinced The Five-Year-Old that words that rhyme have some special connection, if only she can find it. Recently, my daughter realized that kitten rhymes with Britain. So naturally she wanted to know, “Mommyo, did kittens get their name in Britain?”