SpaceCraft Virus

His science assignment entailed making a functioning model of a spacecraft virus.

Aaron recycled a toilet paper roll, yogurt cup and translucent prescription bottle for the body, neck and head of the virus model.

Then based on Aaron's concept description, Mom used duct tape, a pencil and plastic lid to form a circular, revolving release that attached onto a pencil and fit inside the toilet paper roll. This mechanism would hold the virus "babies" (i.e. lentils) in the head until (the pencil was turned and) they were released out the end of the body into the blood stream.

With that working, Aaron used other household goodies, such as glitter piper cleaners and cotton balls to finish the detail work (collar, tail fibers, baseplate, body texture, etc.) on the virus model.

In the classroom, Aaron explained the model's parts, demonstrated the release procedure and earned 100 percent. At the period's end, students put their heads down on their desk and voted for the most creative model.

"Guess who won?" Aaron asked when he came home from school today. I rolled my eyes, "YOU?"

"Yep!" he reported noting his ingenious combination of "garbage" earned him a place in SpaceCraft Virus history – in his teacher's digital-
photograph collection. Aaron said, "Some day Noah might see my model in seventh-grade science class!"