Recently my BFF Kate came to visit, which, for many reasons, was wonderful. A bonus from our time together was Kate asking if I had heard of Astronaut Chris Hadfield and subsequently showing me a video. As I recall, most of my leisure time in the pregnancy of 2013 was spent on the couch playing Candy Crush, so this was my first introduction.
Because I love space exploration, I read his book and proceeded to watch more of his videos from the space station. The greatest part is that Rush and Tate jumped right in. They are old enough that they were interested; they were into it with me. Hurray!
We spent a few nights following dinner with a dessert of YouTube, watching videos on how to brush teeth in space or how to sleep in space. After watching How To Make A Sandwich in Space, we started making Astronaut Sandwiches. These sandwiches, consisting of a tortilla, peanut butter, and honey, are a superb addition to our lunch routine because not only are they tasty, they are fast, cheap, and space station approved crumb free.
During the week, I found them playing with their shuttle toys.
And last week included Fake Mustache Day at school, so Rush and Tate chose not just any mustaches, but astronaut mustaches.
It’s just so exciting to have someone, a few someones, to obsess with. Want to talk about astronauts again? The shuttle? Space station? You do! Great!
The following few pics are actually from last April, but they were never posted here. (Please see above reference to Candy Crush.) Houston may be unbearably hot in the summer, but that’s balanced out by being able to run by NASA any time to look at the Saturn V.
These are the kind of things that make home schooling sound fun. (I’m not planning on home schooling.) We would read A Man on the Moon and visit NASA and finally make it to the observatory at Brazos Bend. We would do any math, because it is rocket science and all math is relevant. We would solve physics problems involving keeping the space station in orbit. (That sounds equally like something I would have seen on a high school physics test and way too complicated.) We would make one of those scale models of the solar system where the planets all rotate around the sun in their proper orbits. We would silk screen T-shirts that say, “Pluto, Never Forget.”
Then our Space unit would end and I would have to send everyone back to regular school. I just don’t think I could rally for a lesson on cellular mitosis.
We eat those sandwiches all of the time! Glad to finally have a good name for them - up til now we've called them "Winnie the Pooh sandwiches" which sounds like it's made of Pooh meat.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth here, I totally am with you on Homeschooling, of course do if before they are old enough and then you have the summer for a couple of amazing themed weeks before they head back to learn the other stuff :)
ReplyDelete