SOCS-I Minstrell (Explaining the "at rest" condition of an object)

So, I have to say I was glad to have a shorter assignment tonight.  There must be something about reading heady articles at night in the summer time as a teacher, but I am finding it really hard to concentrate.  Anyway, this article was a nice easy read I could agree with.  I always have a ton of difficulty with the normal force, or as my kids all call it (regardless of what I call it) the "Natural Force."  Anyway, I spend a lot of time talking about it, but nothing seems to help.  I am not sure why I never thought of it, but having kids come up to the front and hold out their arms while I put books in them seems AWESOME.  I mean, how obvious, and yet this simple demo has eluded me for years.  I am excited to do this next year.  I think my students will immediately see the connection.  Maybe I am just fooling myself though :)  This year, in our discussions on the normal force, it came up that contact forces kind of don't exist.  I asked what our skin is made out of.  They said protons, neutrons and electrons.  Then I asked, what about the table.  Same answer.  Then I said, do you think these things interact with one another?  Then I asked, so....do you think you can actually "touch" anything?  They absolutely freaked out!  It was awesome, and it continued to be a topic of conversation all year.