All she talks about is animals and her goal is to “either be a singer on a stage or work at the zoo” . That dream should change about a million times from now until she is working. Any way, so she mentions Australia. I don’t know what got in to my head but I asked her if she wanted to hear something cool as she got ready for bed. Of course she did.
So I picked a sticker on the wall and said “this is the sun” and then I formed my hands in to an “O”. The thumbs on one side represents Australia, I told her, and the fingernails touching on the other side is us. She was with me so far. I told her how the sun creates light and heat and that is why we have daytime. I explained that the Earth moves in a slow circle all day and when we have moved enough we can’t see the sun any more and it gets dark and a bit colder and that is why we have night. I explained this in words she could understand about three different ways. Her eyes were popping out of her head. I let that sink in. I then went on to tell her that Australia is on the opposite side of the Earth from us, my thumbs, so that when we are far away from the sun and it’s night-time here so we are sleeping, Australia has turned so that they are closer to the sun and it is morning and they are waking up. I demonstrated by turning my hand, the “Earth”, by the sticker or the “Sun”.
I explained that slowly and a few different ways and then asked if she knew what I meant.
“Oh yah, I get it,” she says, “Australians are nocturnal cuz they’re awake when we are asleep. Like bats and some cats.”
Ummmmmm…… I may have explained this concept too early.
Australians are nocturnal like this bat here. 😉
Lol, you’re daughter seems really sweet!!! 🙂