Over the holidays Moomintroll and I worked our way through the book "Multiplication Facts in Seven Days" (by Dr Carl Seltzer). It seems like quite a nice system to learn the tables from 0-9. We filled in a grid first with what we knew, and used the caculator for the rest. We then drew some multiplications as boxes on grid paper (eg. 2x5 is a box 2 across and 5 down). This was good to show that 2x5 and 5x2 give the same size box, just turned sideways, both with 10 squares within them. It also showed that anything times zero is zero - you can't draw a box! And anything times one is the same number.
As a result, we crossed from our table all the x0 and x1 results, as well as the repeats that were reversed. It felt like progress already!
The first day of facts was the squares - so we highlighted them in red. It was good to practise with the Honey Cards Snorkmaiden had made from Life of Fred.
The grid paper was useful to draw the squares, and see that in fact they really were square boxes. Once she felt ready, Moomintroll worked through the 50 questions on squares from the book, using her times table sheet to help her.
Day 2 focused on the seven 2 times facts. Day 3 had four 5 times facts. Day 4 had six 3 times facts. Day 5 had five 4 times facts. Day six had the remaining six 6, 7 and 8 times facts. Day seven was revision.
We've all been going over them fairly regularly. Tan and Moomintroll drew a heat map to see how it was going. Still some sticky facts in red to keep working at! There is also a great site called www.multiplication.com that has a lot of free games, and a mnemonic system that uses pictures and stories to help the facts stick.
In the last days of the Christmas summer holidays we had a visit from Orbi, a garden orb-weaving spider who'd set up her web next to our lemon tree. Her scientific name is Eriophora transmarina. We watched her over a number of nights create her amazing web, which took her almost 2 hours and started in the dark about 30 minutes after sunset.
When she was done building she would sit right in the centre of her web, her red warning colours evident at the top of each leg. Each leg would monitor a separate radial line for any trapped insect.
Here is a video from the first night we found her (after almost walking into the web when going to water the lemon tree. By the way, if you do walk into a web, apparently the best way to get out is to stop, reverse and walk backwards the way you came. The web should just peel away. Good luck holding your nerve with that one!)
Snorkmaiden's iPad has a timelapse function, so we tried to capture Orbi on another night. 2 hours have been condensed into about 30 seconds! Although you can't see the web, you might catch the end of Orbi spiraling anti-clockwise from the centre to the outside laying down non-stick silk. She then spirals clockwise back to the centre laying out sticky thread using the first spiral as a reference.
There's a very nice animation on How Spiders Work which steps through the web-weaving process.
Thinking that it would be great to get a photo of the completed web the next morning, we went out to find it completely gone! Well, not quite completely. There was a single line - the bridge line - connecting our rosemary bush to the neighbour's apple tree. We had to spray the line using Moomintroll's spray water bottle to catch it in the photo.
After some research we found out this was normal behaviour for orb weavers. Often the web is damaged by the night's hunting, so it is taken down and rebuilt the next night. Orbi took her webs down around an hour before dawn. We never saw her do it (perhaps all her secretive night time activity protects her from attack by birds). Orb weavers spend the day concealed near one end of their bridge line. After a bit of hunting we found her hiding place, cleverly concealed at the end of an apple tree branch. Can you spot her?
To see a spider taking down her web, have a look at A Spider Takes Down Her Web, where an American barn spider kindly waited until the sun came up to pack up for the day. What takes around 2 hours to build can be packed up in a few minutes!
So, when you come across a spider's single bridge line in your garden, think of the spider hiding near one end of it and of the busy night ahead!
Yesterday the Snork Maiden started the first leg of her new journey and attended a pre-orientation day at our local high school. She was so nervous in the days leading up to it but as usual she rose to the challenge, mastered her fears and came out all smiles when Moomintroll and I arrived to pick her up. According to reports, everyone was lovely: the girls, the boys, and the teachers. The woodwork teacher held them all in thrall as he manfully demonstrated how not to use the wood burning tool.
The science teacher had them experimenting in the lab with such rare and dangerous chemicals as vinegar and bicarbonate of soda. Amazing styrofoam block prints were artfully designed under the guidance of an art teacher and the day ended with a rousing game of general knowledge a la Million Dollar Minute, complete with nifty hand held devices.
The Snork Maiden is chomping at the bit to start school next year; it's really satisfying to see her so eager and keen to spread her wings. She's ready to move on to the next phase of her life and to see her embracing it with so much enthusiasm makes me so proud!
Someone who is not too happy about the thought of losing her favourite playmate, however, is Moomintroll. She has absolutely zero desire to do anything remotely 'school' related, so yesterday while her sister enjoyed her day, Moomintroll and I went on our own adventure. I devised a list and by incorporating her desire to 'just jump on a bus and see where it takes us', we embarked on our first photographic scavenger hunt.
Just to set the scene, this picture tells you where and which bus we took:
As I was enjoying the ride Moomintroll suddenly pressed the next stop button and we screeched to a halt. Our scavenger hunt began.
1. Something round
2. a tree from an interesting angle
3. your reflection
4. Eyes
5. a green car
6. wheels
7. an insect
8. a barcode
9. water
10. something peaceful
Then my camera suddenly ran out of battery, so I missed out on clouds, an animal and a 6 sided shape. Kind Moomintroll took the last picture for me:
11. a 6 sided shape
I am linking up with Ready Rosie for The Scavenger Hunt Linkup.
It's June already and winter is here at last. What better time for a new Brian St Learning Centre Learning Plan? Winter is not my favourite time of year - it seems to bring out the worst in us - it's dark alot of the time, sometimes the sun barely breaks though the clouds, we're feeling lazy and unmotivated. All we want to do is sit in front of the heater, look at iPods and computers and eat all day long. And we've all been sick. Blecchh! Well, as the saying goes "A change is as good as a holiday", so we've ditched the Table Time, the workbooks and the maths stuff and replaced it with MuBoMaStu: Music, Books, Making Stuff. The girls and I have spent most or our days playing piano, cornet and drums, reading books for the annual home ed readathon, and making things with our needles, hooks and rainbow looms. Our first project was to yarn bomb the letterbox:
Ok, so I did do most of the crochet and knitting, but the girls helped dress the letterbox and the Snork Maiden crocheted alot of the metres of chain needed to wrap the curly metal bits. Plans are afoot for more yarnbombing. Getting everyone reading again is proving difficult. I'm not sure why but it's like they've forgotten how or that they are out of practice. Signing up for the readathon has helped a little with motivation, and read alouds are a favourite once again. We've also been watching alot of classic movies and docos which is a lovely way to while away a rainy afternoon. We started the BBC's The Human Body series and I plan to make Mondays 'Campfire Day' where we will watch and (hopefully) discuss a range of thoughtful short films from around the world via Campfire. So, I think our new plan for the winter season should be a really relaxing yet re-energising time for all of us.
Last night was Just Brass' end of term concert. Both girls performed solos this time. The Snork Maiden even had her own backing band.
The latest craze has been here at our place for some time now. The Snork Maiden's skills are getting better everyday, and I do mean everyday! She spends hours in her room with You Tube and her looms and our house is littered with stray rubber bands. Moomintroll also enjoys looming, but not as much as her sister does.
L-R: Rose Garden; Beaded Fishtail; Chevron; Butterfly (own design)
L-R: Triple Single Starburst (own design); Triple Single; Zippy Chain
L-R: Ten Pin Dragon Scale; Sailor's Pinstripe; Triple Fishtail
After mastering bracelet designs and coming up with her own patterns, The Snork Maiden moved on to bigger and better things.
a bird, Jake from Adventure Time, a Seussian Barbaloot
more bracelets
more bracelets. The THINK bracelets help us to remember to speak nicely to others. Is what you want to say Thoughtful, Helpful, Intelligent, Necessary and Kind? If not then don't say it!
purse
more bracelets..
DNA Double Helix bracelets. These were custom designed to Dr P's specifications.
and some more bracelets..
and finally....
headbands for unruly hair.
So you see, there's no time for maths books and art lessons. There is way too much Looming to do!
Tecoma to Belgrave.
Caught a train to Tecoma, then walked along the rail trail to Belgrave. Bus to Upper Ferntree Gully then train back home.
Kookaburras, Pied Currawongs, giant ants, helicopter tree seeds, morning glory, kangaroo apple, crickets, gooey chocolate brownies, crazy bus driver, skater dude, rottweiler with a bandaged paw, painted power poles, yarn bombing, incense, prayer flags, loom bands, op shopping.
