...to explore strange new worlds

 



We had a pretty busy and crafty day today and most of it was accidental. This morning when Evie got up the plan was to play a game and do some worksheets together. After lunch I had planned to do a fun art project and that was supposed to be the day in a nutshell.





It started off according to plan. We did a few worksheets and played a game where we threw "meteors" (styrofoam balls wrapped in tulle) at targets. We used a spinner to determine which target to hit. It was a lot of fun and while we were playing we talked about meteors and what can happen if they hit planets or the moon.





Somehow from there our day went sideways in the BEST ways. During quiet time I had this idea to surprise Evie with a spaceship we could play with outside. She keeps asking what it's like in space and how astronauts go into space and it just seemed like a fun idea. I have a TON of boxes in my garage so I pulled a few out and taped them together.







I cut a hole for the door and a little window which I covered with saran wrap and then I used sticker paper, cardstock, and a laminating machine to make a control panel and a windshield complete with Evie's favorite planet in view. I also printed a little flight plan she can write on, a checklist for launch, and a clearance tag for her to get into the ship.








She has a keypad on the inside AND the outside for extra security and some fun buttons as well. It's a little lopsided, a little small, and if I had more time I'd have included some 3D elements to make it more fun but...









She loved it anyway. She wore her astronaut rocket pack and helmet from her Sago space box and I threw meteors and space rocks at her ship as she went up into space.  We ended up drawing some planets on the ground as well to make it more space like and we launched some straw rockets up into the air to see where they'd land as well. 






From there we started playing a little game where I'd stand on a planet and tell her I was an alien and then I'd give her some facts about how far my planet was from the sun, what state it was (gas/solid), if it had moons or rings, and if it were hot or cold and she'd then guess which planet I was from and visit in her ship. She had WAY more fun than I expected with that game and she learned SO much from it because by the end of the day she could tell me which planets had rings/moons, which were gaseous, and which were cold or hot. 






Later in the day we made some smash planets. We put paint on paper plates and smashed them into paper to make planets. After they dried I cut them out and we made a poster board of them. They turned out really cool. This is the paper we set the plates on when we were done smashing them and honestly it turned out pretty neat too! We got some impromptu time with Nana and cousin Emily today too and we got some dinner at IKEA. It was a busy day but a super fun one. Sometimes its more fun to let your plans evolve and change than it is to follow the ones you make. ;)

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