Pluto was demoted from planet status a little over three years ago in August 2006.  I don’t know why exactly, but this made me a little sad at the time.  But I moved on and, honestly, have thought very little about Pluto ever since.

Until yesterday…

The curriculum, Considering God’s Creation,  I’m using for Harrison this year for science is outdated, at least where planets are concerned.  They still teach that our solar system has nine planets, and that Pluto is full-fledged and not a dwarf planet.  That’s fine.  I just reminded Harrison of the media events of three years ago and moved on.  But when I was teaching him my tried and true acrostic to learn the planets’ names, I was stumped.  This is the same acrostic that I cut my planetary teeth on a few decades ago.  It’s the same one that I taught Bonny Annie just four years ago.  It works.  Teach them the above, and kids will learn the planets and their order.

Now that Pluto has been stripped, how would you alter the saying?  My very eager mother just served us noodles?  Now that just doesn’t work.  What is eager about serving noodles?  How about My very eager mother just served us nothing?  How bland.  No, she has to serve us something.  My very eager mother just served us naked?  Wrong on so many levels.  My very eager mother just served us nectarines?  Oh brother.  We need pizza!  We need Pluto!

You know, now that I’m pondering this whole situation, I think Uranus would have been the planet to boot.  I mean you can’t mention that planet without getting  snickers….not even to the solitary nine year-old fourth grader at your dining room table.  Without Uranus, the acrostic still works:  My very eager mother just served nine pizzas.  See?  She doesn’t have to serve them to us.  She just has to serve pizzas, otherwise the whole sentence just falls flat.

Okay, who’s with me?  Keep Pluto.  Boot Uranus.

Now, if you’ll please excuse me, I have a petition to write….