20 Fun and Games

CHAPTER TWENTY Fun and Games Polymer Chemistry (noun). The part of chemistry that studies really big molecules called polymers. Most plastics are actually just made of humongous polymers. So if you were a polymer chemist, you could study how to make a plastic ball like the kind sea lions play with at an aquarium. "LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR FINN!" shouted the emcee, as the cutest sea lion you ever saw walked right past us. And I mean right in front of us. I could have leaned over and petted him. "Finn is a California sea lion," continued the emcee. "These marine mammals are related to seals and walruses." Wow. I didn't realize that sea lions were related to walruses. That could be one of my super-duper facts. "That's my animal!" I said, pumping my fist into the air. "I mean, not like I own him or anything," I murmured. "I'm doing a presentation on sea lions on Monday."

"That's great," said the emcee. "All the sea lions at the aquarium were rescued. We have four altogether. Biff, Tanner, Laguna, and Finn right here. Sometimes Finn likes to be a whirlybird." Finn started to spin in circles. He was really acrobatic and elegant. "He can't use his eyes, because he is blind." She explained that he had shrapnel in his eyes because he had been shot. That part was really sad. Lots of kids made an ooh sound, including me. But she explained that Finn had adapted really well and was happy and thriving and loved to play with balls, especially a green plastic one. I thought about how it was probably made from polymers, which are really just ginormous molecules. "When we're training the other sea lions, we give hand motions, but with Finn it's all verbal and he understands everything. Don't you, buddy?" And with that, he gave his trainer a high five. It was amazing. Finn certainly didn't act like he didn't know what was going on or where he was going. "Any questions?" asked the emcee. "What does he eat?" asked Memito. "A variety of herring, squid, capelin, and sometimes salmon," said the emcee. "How does he follow the trainer?" I asked. "And swim around?"

"He has whiskers that help him feel around," she said. "He knows his habitat really well because he has it all mapped out in his head." "That's so cool." I thought of the GPS that got us here. It was like he had a mapping service in his brain. Okay, I had my second super-duper fact. Then we learned some things about how sea lions are threatened. Not only by hunting, but they also get caught in nets and plastic. And pollution and overfishing are other problems. Which also made me sad. "Luckily, our animal response team works with conservation partners around the globe to rescue animals like Finn," said the emcee, and everyone clapped at that happy news. The trainer held what looked like a wand with a red bulb, which was for training. For Finn, she would tap him with the bulb and he would lie down. "He feels like a wet horse," the emcee said, as the trainer touched him. "He likes rubs. Especially on his chest. He also likes Jell-O with no taste or flavor. And playing with ice." Oh my. I started to write everything down in my notebook. I had so many super-duper facts. Way more than three. Lifting up a flipper, Finn waved goodbye, and I was waving goodbye too. Even though I knew he

couldn't see me, I was sure he could hear me. "Bye, Finn!" I shouted. That was so wonderful. "I bet you're going to have a lot of questions," said the emcee. "Which is good. Anytime you see a staffer, do not hesitate to ask us anything. Stay sea curious. And you can learn a lot just by observing." She went on to explain that we'd start with general explorations of the galleries upstairs. "I'd recommend starting with either the Great Lakes or the Wild Reef, which you will need to take elevators to get to. It's not an aquarium without a shark tank, and there are plenty of them in the Wild Reef." Then we all turned to each other. "Where should we go first, Mrs. Crawford?" asked Julia. "I think you all should decide what you want to see." "Let's try the Wild Reef," said Birdie, "and then maybe the Great Lakes." "And then the penguins," said Julia and I practically at the same time. Even though the aquatic show had been different from what we planned, it still had been absolutely

amazing. I almost touched a sea lion! "Okay, everyone," I said. "It's time to check out those exhibits." I couldn't wait to find out what else we would see.