My Stars!

Today we finally got around to the astronomy field trip that finishes the last of the school year. I took the children to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

We looked through the whole first floor of the museum. Some of the galleries don't hold much value for me, but we had lots of time to spend before our planetarium show was to begin, so we looked. The kids enjoyed making potato heads in the forensic anthropology exhibit. It was wonderful to spend lots of time in the Human Ecology gallery. It is beautifully set up and holds lots of interest for the kids and adults. This is one of the most dramatic displays there. And I like the tableau of the howling coyote in front of the cliff dwellings and an eagle with aerie off to the right. We also spent some time admiring the mineral and gem displays. I'm fascinated by the way these agates look like miniatures of what we might find in the art museum next door. Of course, the gallery with the assembled dinosaur skeletons is unforgettable. I think it made a big impression on the Engineer! Here the girls are invited to touch a dinosaur bone. Since my last visit to this museum was some 25 years ago, I did not know there were galleries downstairs to view. There, we saw lots of birds and plants from around the world. The kids took particular interest in an albino robin. The outdoor live animal collection was also new to me. We saw many owls, hawks, eagle, foxes, frogs, deer, turkeys, raccoons and a joyful otter put of a swim and dive show for us too.

When it was time to enter the planetarium, we relaxed in the seats. Before the show starts, multiple choice questions are projected onto the dome. I was pleased that the Engineer was able to correctly answer most of the questions himself. I guess he enjoyed his astronomy class this past year! The Artist and her friend were sitting out of my hearing, but I'm sure they knew the answers too.

We enjoyed the program, "Far, Farther, Farthest". After identifying some constellations visible locally on clear nights (that's your cue to laugh, we have few clear nights) this time of year, we went on to identify some specific stars and planets.

Then we saw photos that have come back from the Hubble telescope, and learned how astronomers use parallax to measure the distances of these stars from the Earth. At the end of the show, the instructor asked if anyone had requests for certain stars or constellations to be pointed out. The kids were spellbound, and when the 45 minutes was over, they were astounded. The Artist said it felt like 5 minutes.

Waiting for Polaris

We're still waiting. Let's hope it is not as tedious as waiting for Gadeaux.

We've enjoyed some wonderfully warm days this week, but the accompanying low cloud cover and the ambient city light around 8 pm hindered our spying Polaris. If fact we've seen nothing but airplanes and Venus, and the occasional star that I can't place because I know so few of them.

Eventually this science project will be finished. I hate having unfinished work hanging over my head, and it bothers me to have this unfinished, but it does not seem to bother the Artist too much.

For now I'm thankful our old oak trees are late to get their leaf buds each spring (compared to other types of in our area).

The Artist is curious to see how her device determines latitude compared to actual results she will look up on the Internet.

In the mean time, the Artist has begun a fun project -- a hook rug kit. She is looking forward to seeing how we will turn the finished project into a rug or a pillow, she's not yet decided which.

And the Engineer has made great use of his Legos. He followed the directions in the booklet to make this fantastic car. He did need help locating pieces and occasional help snapping pieces all the way into place, but he largely did this on his own.