Science Day

TEDDY Science Day was a blast for my son and daughter this spring. They both loved participating in the experiments. The bouncy ball station was a big hit followed by the candy blood components station. Our bouncy ball actually lasted a few days even though it flattened out and had to be reshaped several times. My favorite was the strawberry DNA followed by the lava lamps.

In addition to the experiments my son enjoyed helping me at the Science Day. I brought him early to help setup. He was eager to assist and watch all the TEDDY staff getting ready. He also volunteered to stay late with me as opposed to leaving with his sister and dad so he could help with the cleanup. Since he was about 4 he has been very interested in what I do at the TEDDY events even if it was just putting food out. It was so enjoyable to be able to go through the experiments with my son and daughter and watch the other TEDDY children have a good time.

A lot of planning went into the TEDDY Science Day and it was fun to see all the TEDDY staff get so involved. Almost everyone was on an experiment team. Teams were first assigned an experiment but then had to figure out all the materials that would be needed, cost for the budget, write instructions, and create posters. The creativity was awesome! Some of the posters will be displayed in the clinic rooms and hallway starting this fall. We hope this will be an event we will run once a year as TEDDY is always trying new ways to keep you and your child engaged in our study. If you attended we hope you had a great time, if you could not attend we hope to see you next year!

My son’s “job” with TEDDY

My son has enjoyed many parts of participating in TEDDY over the years. We have been lucky because blood draws have been easy for him. He is someone who thrives on being the center of attention, feeling special, and TEDDY visits are all about him. He loves playing with the toys, using the Kindle Fire during the visits, and picking out prizes. This past visit was even more exciting

because one week before his appointment he spent an evening with me in the Wal-Mart toy section picking out new toys for the playroom and clinic rooms. He asked every day that week if the next morning was his TEDDY visit because he wanted to play with the Transformers he picked out for the clinic.

A benefit of participating in TEDDY is he/we are paid for participation for visits, stool samples, and completing diet records. Thus far my son has not been actively involved in the payment from TEDDY. We set up a bank account for him when he was 6 months old and put all his TEDDY checks in that account. Over the years he has received over $1,000! We were able to use $500 of that money to start a college 529 savings plan last year. Now that TEDDY will be switching to paying in cash for in-person visits, my husband and I are excited for this opportunity to teach him about his “job” with TEDDY. Participation in research is key to learning more about the science of a problem or disease, but it takes time and effort on the part of those who participate in the study. Many research studies pay subjects for their effort, just like TEDDY. My son is old enough to understand money and has a goal to save up for another Transformer. He does extra chores to earn money for his Transformers, but at his next TEDDY visit we are excited to teach our son how his job with TEDDY pays him cash. We will help him divide the money to purchase the Transformer, deposit some in his savings account, and add some to his Christmas gift wallet. We know that not only will this be a good learning experience, but he will be even more excited to go to his next TEDDY visit.