Astronomy and Earth Science

As we were catching up on the day's events Monday night (after I got home from work), Nora suddenly asked me, "Mom, what year did Earth start?," or something like that. "Wow," I responded, not expecting that question to have popped up so soon (although we already touched on the birds & the bees, so I kind of had it coming...). "Um, billions of years ago, Nora." "How many billions of years?" she replied. "Um...almost 5 billion, I think...," my brain trying to conjure up distant memories of 8th grade earth science. "And what's earth made of? Where is it from?" she asked. (Thanks, Mrs. Hall and your pre-K lessons in anticipation of Earth Day!) I told Nora we'd look up the information on the internet the next morning to make sure. Sure enough, first thing next morning, Nora reminded me of our plan. So, we went online and confirmed that the earth is 4.5 billion years old, that it consists of a crust, mantle, outer and inner cores, and is about 8,000 miles wide, but that you would have to travel 25,000 miles to go around the earth (Nora learned the word "circumference"). Meanwhile, Caroline sat on the floor spinning the table-top globe, asking where Grandma and Grandpa live... We went on to learn a little bit about how earth was formed (not the creationist version, if you're wondering), and the Nora ran upstairs to create her own version of the solar system, which she cut out and proudly taped to her ceiling (see photo). (Next topic will be orbital paths, as Nora has all of her planets connected to the sun's rays...a floral version of the solar system, if you will). And yesterday, Nora did science experiments all morning from a special kit she has with Posey (our neighbor who was babysitting for the day). So, if anyone is wondering what to get Nora for future birthdays/holidays, think SCIENCE! (As for Caroline, anything that spins or reminds her of Florida would suffice, it seems!) :-) Also, here are pictures of the girls in their pretty new spring dresses that I just picked up from Target (just for fun!).