[Arona Posts: 513 Status: Offline The house didn't fall on me. It fell on my sister.]

Right now, I feel that's the size of my brain.

I need, for comparison, something that is the size/shape of a walnut that kids (5-8) would easily know. Ping-pong/golf balls are double the size of a walnut, even if kids knew what they were. The base of a chocolate kiss is the size of a walnut, but it isn't round. I'm about ready to hit the bottle over this, so I thought, hmmmm, rum balls!...which, course, I can't use.

Walnuts are a smidge bigger than 3/4".

It doesn't matter what it is--a food, a toy, something in/on a car, something common in classrooms....

If something comes to me after I hit "send," I really am going for the bottle. It seems likely, though, I'll hit it if doesn't, too.

  Any donation you can make to stop this self-abuse is appreciated.

[Sheri D. Posts: 89 Status: Offline]

Marbles?
Gumballs?
Grapes?
A dandelion before you blow it?   


Good luck! I'll keep thinking...

[LTMadison Posts: 119 Status: Offline Cover art avatar by 2020 WWW]

I have a black walnut tree next door and an army of squirrels planting them all over my yard -- I found one this weekend stashed on top of my grill's propane tank. When they are in their natural state they're typically larger than golf balls. Even when they're peeled and bagged in the supermarket they're far from half the size of ping pong ball (which would be, what, a standard marble?). More like ping-pong balls, actually. Is this some sort of dwarf walnut tree?

[Anne Marie Posts: 3,029 Status: Offline VAMPIRINA has arrived on Disney Junior! WWW]

Are you thinking of unshelled walnuts?  In their shells, they are certainly the size of a ping-pong ball.

[Arona Posts: 513 Status: Offline The house didn't fall on me. It fell on my sister.]

So much for Googling, then! That's where I got the size of walnuts (that you'd buy in their shells in grocery stores) and ping-pong balls, etc.

There's no walnut tree in the story. Just walnuts in their shells. But no one knows they're walnuts yet.

I Googled the size of jawbreakers, but several sources listed them typically as twice the size of walnuts, too.

Gumball might work??? Too small??? I like the dandelion, too, but have to look up what that white, puffy is called...hmmm...but then kids might not know that. Kids might only really know dandelions, though, as that white, puffy thing!

If I used ping-pong ball, do kids still know what they are? I guess the size wouldn't have to be "so exact" since a kid's mind just needs the approximation...it's not like I'm using a basketball to deliver the concept of its size.

Thanks, Sheri and Madison.

[Arona Posts: 513 Status: Offline The house didn't fall on me. It fell on my sister.]

Anne Marie...guess it's obvious I don't buy nuts in shells.

So ping-pong ball seems to be it...as long as kids still know what they are. (They must. It's not like we're talking about a defunct toy from ancient Greece.)

[carterhiggins Posts: 52 Status: Offline K-6 librarian, PB/MG author, blogger WWW]

What about a bottlecap or a pinky toe?

(Oh, in a shell. Carry on!)

[ButterflyGirl Posts: 511 Status: Online @kidlitSarah sarahfloydbooks.com]

You could go with a description that is twice the size of X, or half the size of Y. "Twice the size of a green grape."
 

[Meredithmiller1 Posts: 21 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

Your nose, a quarter, a cat's paw, a cherry tomato, a dandelion

[Franzilla Posts: 1,146 Status: Offline Gah! WWW]

I have nothing useful to add, but it did make me laugh when I read this. I write a lot of health news for the over 60s and so 'walnut-sized' to me will forever be the size of a man's prostate gland. Ha ha ha.

[Marcia Posts: 531 Status: Offline Never Too Late To Be What You Were Meant to Be WWW]

We have walnut trees and I was thinking the same thing--gumballs and marbles are way too small. Maybe a jawbreaker? Golf ball or ping pong ball works for me, too.

[Arona Posts: 513 Status: Offline The house didn't fall on me. It fell on my sister.]

Yee-haw--thanks, everyone! You guys rule. Google, not-so-much.

Oh, yeah...and special thanks to Franzilla. It was one thing when my mind kept drifting to rum balls when writing a PB. Now walnuts have an entirely different visual for me. Yep. Thanks. I'll return the favor one day.... :

Here's how that set of sentences read substituting prostate glands for ping-pong balls: One day walking around the park, I noticed pigeons pecking at small, hard balls on the sidewalk. Most balls were the size of prostate glands. And every ball looked wrinkled.
 

[Betsy Posts: 2,505 Status: Offline PICKY EATERS WWW]

Personally, I like cherry tomato. But what came to mind was--"the size of an eyeball."

[Arona Posts: 513 Status: Offline The house didn't fall on me. It fell on my sister.]

Kids do love things that reference eyeballs! And using cherry tomato would mean I wouldn't have to use the word "ball" again as I would have to do with ping-pong ball. Hmmmm.

[Franzilla Posts: 1,146 Status: Offline Gah! WWW]

Here's how that set of sentences read substituting prostate glands for ping-pong balls: One day walking around the park, I noticed pigeons pecking at small, hard balls on the sidewalk. Most balls were the size of prostate glands. And every ball looked wrinkled.

Oh my goodness, I just snorted so hard my daughter asked me if I was okay. Just too, too funny.

[Arona Posts: 513 Status: Offline The house didn't fall on me. It fell on my sister.]

 

[ruecole Posts: 475 Status: Offline MG Writer WWW]

How about a plum or an apricot? Same size and shape even.

Hope that helps!

Rue

[Arona Posts: 513 Status: Offline The house didn't fall on me. It fell on my sister.]

Continued thanks to all!

Rue...I used to do rabbit rescue. 

[ruecole Posts: 475 Status: Offline MG Writer WWW]

Arona, that's great! I have two rescued rabbits who appreciate all the hard work rescuers do.

Rue

[Pons Posts: 3,423 Status: Offline]

Quite often cookie recipes say to drop walnut-sized bits of dough onto the cookie sheet to bake. That's my best shot. Also, I've definitely seen a lot of walnuts bigger than 3/4 inch.