Another hallmark in mommy-hood. Erin had a "space" project that she needed to do for science class. The only requirement was that it needed to be a 3D project. Erin chose to build a model of the solar system. Although I don't remember building a solar system when I was in school, I've watched enough 80s sit-coms (Full House Anyone?) to see it as one of those parental stepping stones.
So last weekend we worked together to build a model solar system. Erin wanted to incorporate movement (for an extra credit bonus). She decided to hang planets from foam core supported by a shoe box. She made her planets out of paper and masking tape, then did research online to determine the relative size of each planet and then how to paint them. She took it very seriously and was especially careful when painting and adding detail to her planets.
She also had to write an accompanying paper for her project. I asked if she were allowed to type it, but she insisted that mechanics included neat handwriting and spelling (turns out she could have typed it). She wrote a rough draft which we talked about and then took a long time to neatly write her paper. She was very proud of her work.
It might not be the work of a great artist or future architect, but for a 4th grader she has a right to be very proud. The amount of work, her not waiting until last minute (it was finished 4 days before it was due), her interest in doing the research make mommy very proud too.
