Rock the Body

Last weekend our heart led us to "Exploring the Heart: A Valentine's Day Program" at the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Washington DC, and boy did we have fun! It was a nerd paradise as the museum's super-wonderful and super-bright staff did everything from dissect ostrich hearts (see below, man that thing is BIG, look at the purple gloved hand to see what a monster -- it looked like a beef heart) to describe the way fetus hearts grow using 3D computer models. We also got down and dirty with glue sticks and construction paper to make anatomically correct valentine's (see my son hard at work, below). One stamp was made out of an actual animal heart -- the kind of animal shall remain nameless to protect the donor) -- giving the stamp a pretty raw, carnal, punk-rock edge (below right). We also had fun just checking out the museum's regular collection of awesomely gross and fascinating body parts!