Category: Field Trips and Activities

Friday’s Factoid 2 (by Titus and Joel)

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This week we got to see the International Space Station fly over Hawaii. I saw it first coming over the ocean. It looked just a like a big, bright star moving really fast (Joel).

The Space Station is flying over 17,000 miles per hour and is about 220 miles above the earth. It is as big as a football field. 6 astronauts are there right now but 3 will be coming back to Earth on Sunday (Titus).


Teacher’s Two Cents (by mom)

So was it worth getting the whole family up before dawn and wandering groggily out onto the golf course to get a clear view of this man-made object? I say, “definitely yes” and the boys all agree. They loved the adventure of it but I’m just a big fan of anything that helps put what we’re learning into a solid context. The Germans make a distinction between Kennenlernen and Wissenschaft. The latter follows the usual method of gathering facts about a particular subject while the former involves using whatever means possible to really get to know that subject like you would another person. So we got to get to know the ISS a little better this week and had a grand adventure to boot!

Solar System Models

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Picked up a Solar System model kit at a garage sale a while back (no doubt an unused gift from a well-meaning grandparent). It hadn’t even been opened and included glow-in-the-dark paint which made it more-than-worth the 50 cents I paid for it. It was the perfect project for my 2nd and 3rd graders but a little advanced for my kindergartener and preschooler. So I forked over about 10 times the amount I paid for the complex kit for a couple packs of squishy, sticky little balls called “Play Foam.” It lived up to all it’s promises of squishy, molding, shaping fun that won’t dry out or stick to carpet and was the perfect medium for my younger guys to create their own solar system model. A little more expensive than Playdough but can be left out without drying and stepped on without ruining your carpet. Makes nice multi-colored planets which are also great for pelting your brothers with and no black eyes!

Glow-In-The-Dark Treasure Hunt

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In keeping with our little homeschool tradition we had our annual back-to-school treasure hunt tonight. This year’s was probably the most fun ever because we had it out on the golf course in the dark (the year we studied geology and our oldest son had to rappel down an abandoned mine-shaft to retrieve the treasure map is definitely a close second). Each boy’s treasure bag (full of new school supplies and astronomy related games, puzzles, and treats) was marked with a glow-in-the-dark star with his initial on it as well as a glow-in-the-dark bracelet that was the same color as the one he was given to wear. So decked out with flashlights and glowsticks and necklaces they followed the stars (the little plastic glowing kind you stick on your ceiling) across the fairway to their treasures. Of course the Milkyway candy bars and Starburst they found were gone before they even left the green.

By the way, “Thank-You” to Kristin C. who I stole the yearly treasure hunt idea from and who I think got it from Colleen N. It’s great having such clever friends!