Wax Museum

The Wax Museum was another fun activity the kids got to do for March is Reading Month. Back at the end of February each of them choose a "Space Case" (a.k.a. an important person relating to space science) to research and then become for the Wax Museum.

My son wanted to learn more about Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space. (In 1963 - the Soviet Union did it a full 20 years before the US sent Sally Ride up on the space shuttle Challenger.) He and I worked for over a week making his paper mache helmet, while grandma only took an afternoon to cut down a size 2X Tyvek suit so it would fit him. He loved learning that the Russian space agency sent her into space for three days without a toothbrush.

When it was time to choose, my daughter instantly knew she wanted to be Neil DeGrasse Tyson. She has liked him ever since we watched Cosmos, which she loved. I must admit I loved the quote she chose to represent him, "The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it." I think Mr. Tyson would approve; perhaps we should send him a picture...

Dress Like an Alien Day

For March is Reading Month this year, our theme at school was Space Exploration. The vast majority of the activities for the month were science based, but one week we decided to have  little bit of fun with Dress Like an Alien Day. S and K were thrilled and quickly put in their requests. K knew immediately she wanted to be Oh from the movie Home.

Her Boov vest is an adapted version of this pattern and I was thrilled to get help making her nostricles (the antenna-like things on her head)  from a nice woman I discovered on Instagram. She was kind enough to share all the nostricle-making knowledge she learned from making her own Boove costume. Mine certainly need weren't perfect, but K was thrilled with her hat - though she was quite disappointed that we didn't have any lavender face paint.

Much to my dismay, my son wanted a brain slug from Futurama. (Not my favorite show to be sure, but that's a post for another day.) He knows Futurama is not a show I particularly like, so he found the pattern and emailed it to me. Well, how could I say no to that? I know, I couldn't, so he got his brain slug - which ended up being pretty darn cute.

Old Meets New

A few weekends ago I drafted patterns and sewed the bumpers for the school's FRC robot. It makes me smile to think that parts of this modern robot were made on a 1953 sewing machine.

Photo courtesy of Gregg Neville

Happy

Despite the occasional grouchy sounding, "You sank my battleship," the happy sounds of siblings getting along is all I'm hearing right now. So often they're annoyed and frustrated with one another, without the tiniest bit of patience or empathy for what may be going on with the other one. But not right now; right now they are best friends. I just hope that this post doesn't completely jinx things...