How cool is this?  It is called Earth Ball and it is from a company called Orbis (http://www.earthball.com/orders.htm).  Earth Ball is a graphic ball featuring the latest NASA satellite imagery and it has a feature that shows “Night Glow cities” - basically, glow in the dark populated city areas.  As a mom, I think this is such a cool educational tool and as a teacher candidate/future teacher I can think of a ton of lesson plans and uses revolving Earth Ball, particularly with elementary students and those with special needs.  The larger, meter size one is a little out of a new teachers salary, but the smaller ones are reasonably priced.

I have an ever growing list of resources that I am compiling so that when I have my own classroom I will have the resources handy.  This goes to the top of the list.  I love the idea of incorporating the Earth Ball with on-line technology; NASA has a great teacher/student website that would tie in nicely with lessons revolving around the Earth Ball.  Social Studies and science would be “hands on”, no pun intended, with this teacher tool.

As a mom, what child doesn’t like a blow up, oversized ball?  This would be great fun in the yard, and you could tie in educational lessons with the kids being none the wiser.  The smaller ones would be awesome in a playroom or in a space themed bedroom.

I have been working this summer with my 5th grade observation teacher and helping her set up her classroom and I look forward to aiding in the fall, mini teaching in the early spring and finally - student teaching in late Spring.  This time next year, hopefully, * fingers crossed * , I will be setting up my own classroom!  In the meantime, I will be subbing while Iching can.  Hmmm, I may even pick up a couple of small Earth Balls to put in my substitute teacher bag in the off chance I am left with a classroom with no lesson plans.  It would be great to pull out and create some impromptu lessons on our home, planet Earth.