Since the dawn of time, first graders at CHEMS have had to create a dinosaur diorama each spring. There is a check list to complete: dinosaur molded from clay (or something!), dinosaur name on the top of the shoe box, 5 dinosaur facts on the back of the shoe box, child's name and teacher on one side of the box, and a fabulous dinosaur habitat created inside the shoebox. How many first graders can do this independently? None! I'm sure the teachers are well aware of this fact and I'm sure the point is to spend quality family time creating such a prehistoric marvel. Unfortunately, this is not the Galbraith family idea of quality time together!
Now, let me preface by saying: We were rock stars when Alex had this project! Seriously, we bought the fancy clay that had to be baked. We walked over to the lake to gather realistic looking artifacts. We actually had Alex familiarize himself with the facts and read him a book on his chosen carnivore. We suffered from a condition known as over-achieving. This is fairly common amongst parents of first born children and is spontaneously cured upon the birth of the second child.
Carter's T-Rex was made out of left over model magic from Alex's cell membrane project. We didn't have enough left of one solid color so we mushed a bunch of colors together to create a very realistic tie-dye effect. Russ gathered "nature" from our backyard because Carter was too busy watching "Big Time Rush. " And I printed off 5 facts from the internet and stood over him as he copied them. No need to understand...just write!
When all was said and done, Carter was thrilled with the end product (he loved the broken off toothpick teeth). And Russ and I are just hoping WE get an "A."
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