So today we...well actually it started yester...a long while ago. Quite some time ago while at the Dollar store I saw these bags of foam balls. I thought, hmmmm...these should be good for something. I remembered Brittney (SIL) mentioning wanting to make planets with Matthew, and these would be great for that so I grabbed them. I put them safely in the bottom of the school drawers. Then forgot. Months went by, found them organizing and again remembered what they were for. But now we needed paint. MORE time goes by, Brittney finds an awesome craft book at the library full of fun ideas. We need paint for them. Suddenly I remember I need paint! We FINALLY get it. Also at the library they had Magic School bus with a Solar System episode. Matthew has watched it every day (except Sunday) since we got it, most days more then once. He loves Uranus "the sideways planet" with a ring, and walks around muttering "sulfuric acid" (clouds on Venus). He is super CUTE!
Yesterday we started painting. It was very fun. I helped Rachel and Brittney helped Matthew so it was so much easier then trying to help both at once. We didnt get TOO messy, couple of times the balls got dropped and bounced across the floor, but tempra paint cleans up pretty easy. We were kind of in a hurry as Dad was getting home early (4pm) so we could go out to my Mom and Dads for a visit.
Side note: REALLY wanted to practice shooting my walther .22 but it was raining and wet and Matt ended up cleaning out the van and changing the oil and discovering a leak in our transmission.
Today, we hung them up. It was interesting trying to figure out HOW we were going to hang them, and then actually getting the thread through the balls. It was mostly a job for Brittney and I. And the hanging was all Brittney, ok the kids helped by handing her the planets as she went. A while ago I found glow in the dark planets and stars at the store and decided to put them up while she was up there. Matthew got the planets and Rachel got the stars. I think the planets turned out pretty darn good. When we do it again I think we will make the sizes more accurate (at least in comparison to each other). Fun day. We will see how long they last hanging just within reach, but for the few dollars it cost, it was super fun!
Do you still have pictures of YOUR solar system? The one that WAS to scale? That was a pretty big project for you at that age!
ReplyDeleteSomewhere I saw one....of course I had lots of help from dad. Also, when we hung them up along the railroad track to get the to scale distance it took so long we left them overnight and someone ripped most of them down. The picture I have has only a few of the smaller ones and paper cutouts for the others. GRRRRR. Gets me all upset to think about it! How old was I anyway? Second grade would be 7?
ReplyDeleteAlso, Matthew knows all the planets in order, inspired by our project and the corrisponding library movies (magic school bus and bill nye)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it awesome what kids can learn! Its bizarre, I've known all the planets and many of their properties (though admittedly I still forget if its neptune then uranus or uranus then neptune) since I was in grade school. I went to a teachers conference with Sarah, I'd say less than 10% of the teachers there knew BASIC info on the planets. I was baffled! How could that be! I think a basic knowledge of astronomy and dinosaurs should be an essential base for elementary school teachers. Its one of the easiest ways to capture the interest of many kids. (not to stereotype, but probably most of those kids are boys. I don't know what would capture the interest of girls as much...)
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