It's no big secret that Ronnie and I are geeks. Seriously, any couple our age who still get into highly scientific arguments about Physics constants rate pretty high on that scale. Luckily, our children seem to have the same interest in learning everything just like we did when we were young.
They are different yet similar in so many ways. Holly is very imaginative but is also curious about how things work. Sarah loves puzzles and counting, but she also loves to play puppet show. Holly can recall facts she's learned and things that happened a while ago, while Sarah can put together a puzzle with ease even if she hasn't seen it in quite some time. I am in awe of these two bright, beautiful little girls. Which brings me to this week's story:
As you know we just finished up Spring Break, but not without having a little bit of homework to do while on break. A Dinosaur Diorama! I can't tell you how excited I was when I got the first note home about the assignment over break. Seriously, Ronnie and I were secretly doing high 5s because we eat this kind of stuff up!
Alas, it wasn't my project to complete, it was Holly's and she needed to do the work. So,I did what any good mother would do - we headed to the library and checked out some books on dinosaurs. Holly looked through the books and finally settled on the Massospondylus, an evolutionary grandfather of the Brontosaurus. We took our research to the internet and pulled up all sorts of facts about Massy: where and when she lived, how big she was, who her family is, and what she ate.
Then the real fun started, time to make the diorama! Like any good mom, I had also bought some modeling clay, construction paper, paint, and foam brushes. Holly decided to make her models completely out of clay. She made Massy, her nest (complete with eggs) and a volcano. While the clay was drying out, Holly glued construction paper down onto her box. We then got to painting the background to make it more "realistic." Using her books as a guide, Holly painted trees, made the ground a little more muddled, and dressed up her sun. We let it all dry overnight.
She was really excited the next day when we told her she could paint the clay models. She just painted them the way she wanted to, kind of copying the pictures in the book, but not really. Once the paint on the clay models dried, we got everything in the diorama, and with a little help from daddy, got everything secured. As a finishing touch, Holly added "ferns" so Massy could eat and cottonball clouds in the sky.
I don't know who had more fun with the project, her, Sarah who made all sorts of shapes out of clay too, or us guiding her through it. Here she is with her final project. Doesn't she look so proud of herself? I know we are sure proud of her!
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