Our daughter came home sporting a science project due the week before school is over (really are you kidding me?) At first glance we thought this isn't so bad all she has to do is create a zoo map a key if you will to a fictional zoo. Several maps from well known zoos were provided as examples, but with a closer inspection of the directions it read more like a 3D zoo needed to be constructed on a poster/foam board base.
A quick call to her teacher with the question "map or 3D map" and the response of "yes" made it just about as clear as mud. So doing what any good parent would do, I sent my husband out on a reconnaissance mission to scout out the competition and to assess what had already been turned in. Yep, just as I had suspected students were turning in all types of 3D zoo maps.
Well this prompted a quick trip to Hobby Lobby , Rural King, Tractor Supply, Toy-R-Us, Target and Walmart. We purchased bamboo place mats to construct the enclosures for the habitats, mini cars for the parking lot, asphalt stair grips for the parking lot, gravel to construct walkways, mini animals for the petting zoo. You know us we are going to do something then we are 100% In it to WIN it!
My husband and daughter went to work using the map they made on PowerPoint as a guide to construction. We had to construct (17) exhibits ( yep that is how many they wanted), and we had to include bathrooms, info centers, animal arena, snack bars, gift shops etc. This thing took over (5) days to construct.We added a few special touches, Lemonade stands, Dippin' Dot Carts, Hot Dog stand with umbrella, water fountains, stroller rental, ATM's and of course handicap parking!
We printed colored photos of animals and our daughter glued them up with toothpicks and hot glued to the foam board. We created an African Savannah to house the (6) large animals and my husband topped it off with a safari jeep "for a more authentic look" and that is a quote. The last phase of the project was to create a key legend, which is what appears on the side of the map. 
At the end of it our daughter was thrilled and said "after it is graded can I keep it and bring it back home?" We asked what she would want to do with it and she said " I just wish I could shrink down to a small person and walk through it!"
My husband helped her transport it to school and set it up in the classroom. Needless to say the arrival of her project was met with a lot of oohing and awing. Thank goodness this project is over, because there is a report on Scotland due for Social Studies. I will be so glad when 7th grade is over next week.....her Dad and I are exhausted!
No comments:
Post a Comment