Another 5th Grade Marine Animal Project
Our second 5th grade marine animal project has finally been complete. Unlike her older sister's teacher Olivia's teacher did not allow the students to choose an animal. This is both good and bad. Good for making it less of a spectacle of decision and argument for the selection. Bad in the sense that kids will not be nearly as motivated to DO the research for an animal they are not excited about studying.
We were assigned: Goose barnacle
This is a BIG project. Each student is required to work on multiple mini projects to be included into the final collective project. The best part about this assignment is the choice. There is a list that indicates how many of each level project must be completed to receive full credit. They were required to write a research paper and could choose an assortment of other written and creative projects. Of course my little artist wanted to create a 3-D model of a Goose Barnacle. Based on what we learned about this animal the model seemed to be the most troubling to complete. In the end it was the easiest part of the project.
Because a Goose Barnacle is a worm-like crustacean making one was tricky. She wanted to use clay but we concluded that the clay would be too heavy to stay put. After careful consideration we decided that to get the mold-ability of clay and lightness needed to hold shape that the Crayola modeling magic was just perfect. Model magic is a model foam that once dry is light and somewhat durable. Olivia selected the proper colors to form the body of the Goose Barnacle and then we chose some yarn to replicate the cirri.
After we collected our supplies she set to work rolling, flattening, and shaping the barnacles. While the pieces were drying she went outside to find a good rock to affix her barnacles to.
The next step was to glue the yarn around the edges of her animals. This part I did since the only glue that seemed to work was hot glue. She trimmed the proper length of yarn for each barnacle while I gently glued the yarn.
All it took was a good blob of hot glue and a gentle touch to hold the barnacle firm. We had to do this very slowly so that the hot glue could dry somewhat before moving on to the next one.
I say she did a fantastic job making them look rather real. Maybe a bit more colorful than nature would make them but the form was quite good. She was so proud of her finished project.
For info on Goose Barnacles check out this website: Arkive Goose Barnacle
These are very odd filter feeding animals and are considered a delicacy that tastes similar to lobster.
We were assigned: Goose barnacle
This is a BIG project. Each student is required to work on multiple mini projects to be included into the final collective project. The best part about this assignment is the choice. There is a list that indicates how many of each level project must be completed to receive full credit. They were required to write a research paper and could choose an assortment of other written and creative projects. Of course my little artist wanted to create a 3-D model of a Goose Barnacle. Based on what we learned about this animal the model seemed to be the most troubling to complete. In the end it was the easiest part of the project.
Because a Goose Barnacle is a worm-like crustacean making one was tricky. She wanted to use clay but we concluded that the clay would be too heavy to stay put. After careful consideration we decided that to get the mold-ability of clay and lightness needed to hold shape that the Crayola modeling magic was just perfect. Model magic is a model foam that once dry is light and somewhat durable. Olivia selected the proper colors to form the body of the Goose Barnacle and then we chose some yarn to replicate the cirri.
After we collected our supplies she set to work rolling, flattening, and shaping the barnacles. While the pieces were drying she went outside to find a good rock to affix her barnacles to.
The next step was to glue the yarn around the edges of her animals. This part I did since the only glue that seemed to work was hot glue. She trimmed the proper length of yarn for each barnacle while I gently glued the yarn.
All of her barnacles ready to be glued down to the rock. I showed her how to use the hot glue gun and let her get to work.
All it took was a good blob of hot glue and a gentle touch to hold the barnacle firm. We had to do this very slowly so that the hot glue could dry somewhat before moving on to the next one.
I say she did a fantastic job making them look rather real. Maybe a bit more colorful than nature would make them but the form was quite good. She was so proud of her finished project.
For info on Goose Barnacles check out this website: Arkive Goose Barnacle
These are very odd filter feeding animals and are considered a delicacy that tastes similar to lobster.
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