Unplanned Science: Inner Earth

Much of today did not go as planned.  I have been all over the creation this week with the kiddos and I have had a terrible cold and so I was looking forward to spending Friday at home.  Instead I spent the morning with five kids at the doctor's office (we were just there earlier this week for the great Ear Wax Removal Expedition that involved six kids because my sister had a babysitting emergency) because Emeline has an ear infection.

Not restful.

When we got home I stuck the three youngest children in bed and then Miriam worked on the quilt top she's sewing (more on that later) and Cowen did his first sewing project.  While we were sewing two boxes showed up at our door.  Yay!!  Nothing breaks up a rainy day like new school stuff!

I'm going to post in more detail about the contents of the boxes but in one of the boxes was this model of the earth.

It isn't as cool as I was hoping--it is made of foam and none of the pieces are removable.  Despite that, my two oldest children examined it closely and asked me about the different layers.  I explained how hot it is inside the earth and a few other things from my limited knowledge and then Cowen asked, in a very irritated voice, "How do people know all that if it is so hot?"

When I don't know the answer to something I always turn to my most trusted homeschool resource: youtube.  What else?

My children ended up watching Inside Planet Earth in its entirety (broken up into ten minute sections because it's youtube).  The movie is a Discovery Channel feature presentation and their website describes it thusly: An Inside Planet Earth DVD, uses startling special effects to give you an up-close and personal look at the Earth's fiery core. Enjoy an unimaginable view of the glowing iron ore seams, luminous diamond caverns and the magnetic field that keeps us safe from deadly radiation. The Earth DVD is an amazing view of the world split wide open, which gives us a never-before-seen view of the amazing planet we live on! 

The kiddos loved it!  I am always amazed at how curious they are about everything.  Especially science things.  And so, like so much of my life, the best laid plans went awry but in this case it turned out pretty cool.  I highly recommend Inside Planet Earth.  Good stuff.  I don't recommend the earth model even though it did lead to greater light and knowledge.