My Very Excited Mother Just Ate Nine. . .: Living History and Homeschooling

by Valorie Delp | More from this Blogger

24 Aug 2006 07:57 AM

Or More Vanilla Enchiladas Made Just After Noon. . .

Or My Very Educated Monkey Just Ate Ninety. . .

Whatever mnemonic device you have used to teach your kids the order of the 9 planets, as of today, it's wrong! That's because a convention of astronomers has decided that Pluto is not a planet. Apparently this sparked heated debate. . .perhaps because they knew they'd have to change their mnemonic devices? In any case, if you're a homeschooler, you should take advantage of this opportunity for learning.

In case you are not familiar with the term, living history is when something happens that completely changes the world as we know it. The space shuttle "Challenger", 9/11, the advent of the internet and cell phones (yes, there was a world before these things), and Presidential elections are all good examples.

I love living history because it helps my kids to understand that they do indeed have a place in history. It helps them understand that I'm not just telling 'stories' but that these things really did happen, just as things are still happening.

In any case, here are a few suggestions for celebrating the demotion of Pluto:

Science & Math Find out exactly why Pluto was demoted. Why is it no longer considered a planet but the other 8 still are?

What other things are in the galaxy besides planets, stars and moons. Keep a chart that describes each item and what qualifies it as such.

Come up with a new way to memorize the order of the 8 planets!

Writing Write an argumentative essay: Do you agree with Pluto's demotion? Why or why not? What do you think about the other proposal that suggested Pluto as well as UB-313 and Pluto's moon Charon be elevated to the position of planet.

Write a descriptive essay about what it would be like to live on. . .

Create a travel brochure describing conditions on each planet or one particular destination planet. Make sure to invent some good activities for your guests.

Art Create a mobile or picture depicting the 8 planets.

Learn more about Valorie Delp

Hello everybody! My name is Valorie and I am one busy lady! When I'm not writing or editing for families, I am busy trying to get my brood of 5 in line.

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mommytotwo (526) 24 Aug 2006 09:14 AM

Thanks! This is a great article. I saw the great Pluto debate this morning! It will be weird for some of us who memorized the planet orders by using a mnemonic device to have to change that! If I were still teaching, I would definitely be using this topic as a lesson today!

Valorie Delp (49340) 24 Aug 2006 06:18 PM

Yes--well, we at closet scientists central spent the whole day talking about dwarf planets, elilptical orbits (which is what technically excluded Pluto from being a planet), how weird it would be to have two moons instead of just one and all sorts of other astronomy. As Murphey's law would have it--I just taught the 9 planets--not thinking they would really cahnge it. Oh well!