Third graders at Spokane's Balboa Elementary School ranked the planets as an Earth Day salute.

Here is a sampling of their work.

"I think that Pluto should be first because it is a dwarf planet and it should get hotter," wrote Blythe.

Apparently she viewed this planet placement business in literal terms.

A young scholar named Nathan was thinking along the same lines.

"Mercury is too hot. It needs to be last and cool down."

A kid named Elijah suggested that whatever arrangement works best for "astrnots" is fine by him.

Isaac wrote, "I like Saturn the way it is."

I suspect many of us feel that way.

Lilly ranked Mars No. 1, in part because it is red.

One of Tatum's priorities is to keep Earth and Venus side by side.

Emily would like to see the sun in the middle. So I suppose that amounts to a vote for the status quo.

Another youth, whose name I can't make out on the sheet of paper, wrote "People live on Earth and they need to be warm."

So true.

A kid named Maddix used the first letters of the planets to create an acrostic poem based on his or her ranking.

Pluto's

Noodles

Such as

Micnoodles

Vs.

Jimmy's

Excellent

Mother

Undead

Ceydar wrote, "I think the planets should be in alphabetical order."

Here is Jake's acrostic stack.

U

Slurp

Juicy

Pizzas

Unlike

My

Eager

Not

Very

Mother

Vivien, not a kid you can accuse of being a homer, ranked Uranus No. 1 because of its color. "Earth is my second favorite planet because I live on it."

OK, maybe a little bit of a homer.

Joey placed Xena at No. 1.

Never heard of Xena? Where have you been?

Zoe ranked Saturn No. 1 on the strength of moons and rings.

Brayden had Earth at No. 3 but admitted it is the "only livable planet."

Natalie wrote, "Jupiter is my favorite planet because it is the biggest planet."

Mia installed Earth at No. 5, but noted "It's the only planet that has the gravity to keep everything stay on the Earth."

Not sure about that. But these kids have studied all this more recently than yours truly.

And Zech has Xena at No. 1. Why? "Xena is the name of my dog."

Thanks to Balboa's Hilary Davis and  Sarah Dueweke for sharing these fine reports.

Happy Xena Day.

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