We've killed 3 globes in less than 12 years in our home. We just can't keep them alive here. When we started homeschooling, we hung a US wall map, a world wall map, and we bought a globe at an auction. Looking up locations from our reading, the news, and events in our lives was a daily part of our life. We loved our maps!
But that auction globe didn't last long. It starts with a tilt, and a wobble, and then the globe just starts falling off periodically. We start off tightening the screw/bolt on a weekly basis, and soon we're tightening it daily. The earth is slipping off its axis, gaining an unhealthy tilt. I'm sure that changes seasons, tides, puts holes in the ozone layer, and is probably the source of the whole global warming phenomenon.
So, we replaced that globe with another auction globe. This one had a tall wooden stand and seemed like a quality globe, though I'm sure many of the countries in Europe and Africa were out of date. Well, it wasn't long before the earth was falling off its tall maple stand on a regular basis. So we got rid of the decorative maple pole and attached the globe directly to the round base, moving it up onto the entertainment stand instead of the floor. But that didn't last long, either.
So my husband's sister and her family (fellow homeschoolers) gave us a globe for Christmas. A brand new, straight-from-the-store, still-in-a-box globe. I can't recall if it lasted 2 years or 4 years. But I know it didn't last more than 4 years before it just wouldn't stay on its base anymore. It followed the same progression as the previous globes, with loosening bolts and an ever-increasing tilt. I think it's currently stuck in a very dirty closet that I prefer not to look into.
We've been globeless for about 2 years now, and I'd really like another globe. I can't decide whether I should just consider globes a disposable product, meant to be replaced every 3 years ... or whether I should consider investing in a more expensive globe. Would buying an expensive one guarantee that I could use it for ten years at least? Could I find one that would last through 2 yo V's graduation, without getting a second mortgage on the farmhouse?
I probably should consider them disposable ... er, I mean consumable ... homeschool supplies.
But are we the ONLY family that kills globes like this? Please tell me other families have to replace their globes every couple years, too. What about schools? How long do theirs last? I promise we aren't playing ball with them. At least, they haven't ever done it while I've been home.
Still Globeless,
April E.
