Practical Math

My son and I have ... A struggle with math and I have to admit that I am not always sure what to do with it.   He's been getting a bit weary with the struggle (as am I). 

We had picked up a math program last year that I thought would work well for him but it has proven, over time, to be far too easy for him, yet I know he has gaps in his learning (as evidenced today when, to my surprise, I learned that he doesn't really get what fractions are)...yet he has done lots of fraction work and done it well!   So... I'm currently feeling a bit floored and flummoxed.

So anyways, the point of this post is about math.. practical math as you can see from my post title, and how needful taking a day away can be.  Susan from Homeschooling Hearts and Minds is hosting the Virtual Curriculum Fair this month and math is the focus this week.

Recently I had to bring a bunny to London, a person from Toronto was planning to come by to get the rabbit, but we live in South-western Ontario where we are prone to winter storms, so bunny needed to travel in something that would hold for a few days, if their person couldn't make it.

ERGO enters a practical math problem.

Our issues:

• Normal rabbit carrier is frozen solid from an unexpected leak
• Bunny will be staying at gramma's so tidyness is very important (measuring lower side height)
• bunny needs sufficient room to move around for health and mental outlook (area)
• Needs to hold food and water dishes for continuity of care (perimeter)
• needs to open and close easily to avoid confusing gramma.

 I'd heard about rabbit carriers being made out of rubbermaid containers so thought that might be the route to go.

Canadian Tire had a sale on containers so off I set.

We came home with two containers (in case we made an oops).

 What we needed:

• a drill with two different sized bits
• jigsaw
• wire for the side
• wire cutters
• zipties
• rubbermaid container
• very sharp knife
• markers
• straight edge

My son asked me "How is this practical math if we aren't actually doing measuring mom?"

I said "Math is more than measuring, it's doing estimation and lines, learning how to use a straight edge and stuff like that".     So we used line of sight, hand measurements, estimation and approximation, and so forth.

He was happy.. he got to use a drill once I showed him how to do a quick up and down with the bit.  He learned how slippery plastic was to cut and so learned to slow down so he wouldn't take mom's fingers with it.

I have to admit, that even though my lad is very good with knives I didn't allow him to do any cutting.   Cutting plastic can be temperamental and using a really sharp knife is a must.  As it was I got nicks taken out of my fingers.

First up.   Taking one piece of wire (taken from an old bird cage) and eye ball it to see what we have to cut back.  It was too wide and a touch too long.

We needed to consider having room to connect it, maintain the stability of the container, and not waste the wire we had.

Using the wire cutters with the wire was pretty easy though dad had to lend his strength to cut through the thick wires.

Cutting through the plastic had dad helping with drilling holes into the corners.  We learned quickly that regardless of what markers I used they didn't hold well on the plastic making it difficult to see the lines, so after helping cut one line with the jigsaw and not being able to see the lines he left me to cut the rest with my sharp blade.

We needed to put two holes close together to hold the wire onto the sides.

We discussed if it was better to put the wire on the outside or inside and had differing opinions until Dad called from across the room.. put in on the inside...keep the rabbit from nibbling on the plastic.  That cemented the decision-making for us.  :)

It proved to be a two person job to attach the wire.   Working from opposite corners we managed to get the job done.

The lad completed the job by trimming off the excess ziptie (to keep bunny from thinking...ooh.. free nibbles here!)   Yes, bunnies can be silly.

This took us about a half hour from start to finish, including installing bunny in her temporary home.

Does she look content?   Hay given, water and pellets when she gets to gramma's.   She should do well eh?   Opens from the top as well as the sides for ease of access.  Turned out to be a good thing as gramma couldn't figure out the side panels at all.

The bedding for those curious, is a mixed shaving and straw bedding.  Safe to use with small animals.

My math weary child was so delighted to use this project for his math work, it inspired him back to doing "regular" math... even though fractions proved more problematic than we thought they would.  :)   go figure.   Sometimes taking a day to do practical math.. even without actual numbers .. is just what a lad needs.

This post is part of the Virtual Curriculum Fair, it's math week .. having fun with numbers.

Please visit my fellow homeschool bloggers who are talking about Discovering Patterns: Math and the Mathematical Sciences this week:

Finding Our Math Equilibrium: Our Plan for 11th, 7th, 5th, and 2nd Grades + Free Printables! by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds
Math Resources and Programs for All Ages by Amanda H @ Hopkins Homeschool
Math (doesn’t) Stink! by Jennifer King @A Peace of Mind
When Math is NOT Your Thing by Michele@Family, Faith and Fridays
Math U See and All the Supplements by Laura H @ Four Little Penguins
Discovering Patterns in Our World: STEM Studies by Laura @ Day by Day in Our World
Junior High Math by Jennifer @ A Glimpse of Our Life
Science & Math for Struggling Learners by Yvie @ Gypsy Road
Maths: a subject in progress by Sarah @ Delivering Grace
Taking Mathematics out of the Textbook by Dana Hanley @ Roscommon Acre
Maths for a Very Maths-y Boy by Lizzy @ Peaches At Home
Practical Math by Annette @ A Net in Time
One of the greatest benefits of homeschooling by Kim @ Good Sweet Love
Math, How I Loathe Thee by Shecki @ Greatly Blessed
Math and Logic in Early Elementary and Preschool {virtual curriculum fair 2017} by Meghan W @ Quiet In The Chaos
Low Stress High School Science and Math by Christy @ Unexpected Homeschool
Are these toys or manipulatives? This is math? by HillaryM @ Walking Fruitfully
When You Don’t Have a Math Plan by Brittney @ Mom’s Heart
Clear Horizons by Lori H @ At Home: where life happens
A Few Thoughts on Teacher Math by Kristen @ Sunrise to Sunset

An InLinkz Link-up

This post will also be linked up on January 25 with the Canadian Homeschooler. 

And They Shall Know...

²⁵ “Thus says the Lord God: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and manifest my holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they shall dwell in their own land that I gave to my servant Jacob. ²⁶ And they shall dwell securely in it, and they shall build houses and plant vineyards. They shall dwell securely, when I execute judgments upon all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.”
Ezekiel 28:25-26

These are the last two verses of Ezekiel 28.  

God has a promise for his people Israel.   "when I gather the house of Israel.... they shall dwell in their own land....and dwell securely"

Think about that.   

Mom, thank you for teaching me...

I've heard that expression a lot this week.  "Mom, thank you for teaching me."

When I re-taught him the continents and where "Canada" fell into that mix.
When I helped him understand that fractions were actually division statements.
When we looked into a microscope and saw what blood looked like and then saw the blood cells MOVE.
When we sat down together to edit chapter two of his story.

It's been a bit of an odd thing hearing this so frequently.  I'm guessing the lad missed learning things when I was so ill before Christmas and then having two weeks off over Christmas.

It's SO good to be feeling mostly back to normal again.   So very very good.

So what has our week looked like?

Monday: 

• Most of his schooling he did before he got to grammas, why you ask?   Because my lad has taken up the cause of sewing lately and his gramma helps with cutting out pieces.   They sit and sew and chat together.  Little stuffies are born.  Veritas Press history and bible, math, human body, astronomy, all done.
• He did his reading at Gramma's and played a game (chess I think though it might have been sorry).

Tuesday:

• Learning about Canada ... we started with where Canada was in the world.   On the 3rd largest continent, 4th most populous continent, two mountain ranges, a great plain etc.   All the basics.
• We worked on difficult angles in triangles and learned a disconcerting fact, the lad is VERY determined that fractions aren't a division question or problem, they are just parts of numbers.  Still working that one through.  :) I'm going to guess though it's a terminology issue though as he does his fractions quite easily and he has a tendency to be very particular about words and how they are used.
• We had a great deal of fun editing the second chapter of his book.   Complete with misspellings and horrid punctuation.  He knows better with the punctuation but is too lazy while he's writing to worry on it because "I can always edit it with you mom".     (me rolling eyes)
•  
  

  Wednesday

• Foodbank day so no on-line materials done.   He's required to do his schoolwork and to help when asked.  Today he mostly did his schooling but also helped with putting away potatoes, onions and tossing mis-given food (food that should have tossed but went to foodbank instead)
• Math... today fractions into mixed numbers, percentages and decimals.   I was mixed up with my percentages today (head not into math) so we had an animated discussion about how if I was teaching in a school I would deserve a stern talking to.  :)
• at home we did our astronomy because "Mom, I know you like to learn this too but if I read it out-loud to you it takes too long!!"
• Our breakfast book "Tirzah" we read at lunch time since breakfast didn't happen at home today.  We scavenged at the foodbank.  :)
• Excitement prevailed when ... Mom scratched open a scab and we looked at blood under the microscope.  BOY fun times!!   Dad even got in on the action.   We managed to even get it hooked up to the computer which was cool.

Thursday

•  Astronomy was a source of fascination today.  We have picked up our study in Apologia's Astronomy course again.  Today we were learning about real-life comets.   This video fascinated and elicited an "OH WOW" from the lad.   We spent longer with the wow factor that we didn't move on as far as I had planned

 

• We started an art project based on the Canadian Rockies.   The project we wanted to do didn't pan out much to my lad's delight, so he did what he really wanted to do.. a mountain that will be coloured using pencil shading.   He's gotten the outline done, we'll work on it more tomorrow, and I started an experiment in using tissue paper to create an abstract mountain art. 
• He worked on the grammar part of chapter one of his book.. ACED it.  :)   It was like a test to see if he could see what changes we made and why we made them.   When it came to making one of his sentences run more smoothly we had a good discussion about what sounded better and why.
• Math was a lesson I pulled up from Khan academy but I couldn't find any practice tests to go with it so kinda just said "That'll do" (he didn't complain one iota!)   We are looking at a different free math program called MEP Math.   A quick look has me thinking it makes more sense... easier to figure than Khan anyways.  Anyone familiar with it that can give me some ins and outs?
• Here's the start to my abstract art project.   It's going to be few layers thick I think.. I want to do a silhouette on it, add some sticky out flowers and a boat to it as well..it's a way for my boy to see different art in action without worry that something he will do will be a bomb (and ergo wasted time in his opinion and therefore a hard nut to crack at times).    Be mindful of this.... it is still a work in progress FAR from done.

Friday

•  I LOVE our Fridays.   So relaxed yet busy.  
• Today we enjoyed the cats being silly with the birds at the feeder.   You should have seen his tail switching and twitching and the jumping at the windows.

• we made a DaVinci clock and worked more on our art projects.

• we also fed the snake whose been out wandering today.  She eats MUCH less in the winter than she does the rest of the year so we only feed her when she's out and about wandering.   She doesn't eat as much at one time either.  

Reviews
 Out of the Spin Cycle: Devotions to help the busy mom.
Trials, tears and triumphs.   I reviewed this for a friend.
SchoolhouseTeachers.com.   Homeschool Crew Review

Word Prompt
Monkey in the Middle

Devotions
 Sidon Be warned.
King of Tyre, Lamented, Destroyed.

Variety
Art Series: Beatrix Potter: A great art book all about Beatrix Potter
 Recipe: Scotch Scones.  I like them the lads are less enamored.
Introducing Blogging the Alphabet.   A linky Amanda and I are hosting.
Hymn Study: God of our Fathers.
Field Trip: Ontario Science Centre.  
Connections and Thankfulness. blog posts I liked and things I am grateful for
2017's here, what's in Store. goals for the new year

                                 Linking up at the people below.

2107 It's here...what's in store?

The Crew Round-Up this week is all about Goals for the year.

I have to admit, I don't tend to make a lot of goals.   I tend to take the year as it comes and make plans in my head about what I want, but you know how plans are?   They build upon each other until you reach overload (at least that's how it tends to work for me).

So I make longer term goals with small steps leading up.

This year goal planning is in flux because hubby is needing to find new work, we may end up moving by year end, my life might end up looking quite different.   So most goals are dependent upon that.

Monkey in the Middle

You know the game right?   

Monkey in the middle.. three people playing, two on the end are tossing something back and forth that the one in the middle wants?   Can be played in fun, but can also be played in a teasing manner? 

Being a middle child is sometimes like being a monkey in the middle.

The oldest ones are more experienced and old enough to not want to share with the bothersome younger sibling, and the youngest ones are so used to getting their own way that helping out the older sibling doesn't occur to them.

I am a middle child.  Can't say it was all bad, could be a lot of fun, being older and younger at the same time.   Teasing and being teased, always someone to play with, but hard when you need downtime as there's always someone around.  :)   BUT with families you take the good with the bad, you make a way because you want to fit in.

Lately I've been reading from Ezekiel, and right now I'm in a section where there are judgements against the nations surrounding Israel.   And I think about how Israel so badly wanted to fit into the nations around them.  How badly they wanted to fit in with gang.

But that's not what God wanted for them.  God wanted them to be HIS people, called to HIS way and HIS purpose.  He didn't want them fitting in with outside sources.

He calls the church to be family.  And how many churches try to fit in with outside sources.   Changing the church to fit society.

Will the church need to sit back and watch judgement being poured out on those sources just as Israel did?   Will the church need to learn again that the Lord himself is GOD and there is none other?

Just something to ponder late on a Thursday night.  
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This is a five minute Friday post.    Visit us at Kate's blog eh? 

Review: SchoolhouseTeachers.com

Affiliate Links are used in this post. They cost you nothing & help me with my family needs. 

I've been a member at SchoolhouseTeachers.com for so long I can't even really remember when I started, I know it was from before I started working with the Homeschool Review Crew.    I have used different program with them throughout the years and each year they add more courses to their Yearly Membership.   

Recently I wrote a post talking about the courses I am planning to use with my son this year, You can find that post here.  It will be good to round out our studies with these interesting courses. 

I got to reading through some of the other courses, looking for anything that might interest me and guess what?   I found a couple.

This one on Digital Art and Product Designs for Small Business. 50 Lessons once a week to put my creative skills to good use learning to make better graphics for my blog posts.   Doesn't that sound great?   I feel rather inadequate sometimes as I lack confidence and natural eye for making graphics.

I have a lad who enjoys history so I've been questing around for a history program I can use once he's gone through all the Veritas Press history program.    To that end I've discovered a what I think will be a good gap program.   This Day in History.  Learning on new history fact a day/week depending on how I use it.   Just the kind of thing to intrigue the lad.   

It's actually rather hard to choose as there are over 300 courses that you can take.   ALL for one low yearly fee.

Just look at all these different categories!

 
Divided into Elementary, Middle School and Highschool for your ease in finding courses that interest you.    I am thinking they might want to offer some adult courses as well, though I have to admit those grade 12 courses are intriguing.  :)

SchoolhouseTeachers.com has never let me down in the quality of what they offer.  They have so many different courses to choose from, that you can even use one to compliment another.

Their recent upgrade lends itself to a beautiful website, that is easy to navigate. One of the nicest features is the "can I help you" customer support button.   Ready and willing to help you at varied times throughout the day.  One night I was working at it was past 9 pm. and someone was there to help!  I was stunned!   Kind helpful people willing to help you find just the course you want.

The Homeschool Review Crew has been busy reviewing this company and it's yearly membership.   Do check them out by clicking the image below or by following this link.

Social media Links: 
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOSMag/
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Google+:  https://plus.google.com/118111005169451277551/posts

Discount Promotion Graphics

Beautiful new look, easier to use and over 300+classes and tutorial videos to help you get started.

Join during SchoolhouseTeachers.com's Super Christmas Sale and Save!

Use Code:CHRISTMAS for $9.95/month or CHRISTMASYEAR for $90/year.

50% discount on upcoming price increase ends: 15 January 2017

In mid-January,  SchoolhouseTeachers.com is having a price increase. The promotion is to LOCK IN NOW at the $9.95/month rate so that you save 50% on the NEW prices. In about a week and a half this same monthly service will be $19.95/month--approximately twice as much!

So if you are considering membership.  Click here.  Please don't delay, you don't want to be stuck with the higher membership fee.  :)

Field Trip: Ontario Science Centre

One of our favourite places to go is the Ontario Science Centre.  We don't go as often as we'd like, but we do go and have fun.   Our most recent trip we brought along our International Student.

Highlights of our Time

Our competitions against each other with the row boats.   We all competed against each other in different formations.   It was a hoot.  :)   I had video, but it turned out blurry.

We discovered this beautiful picnic spot.   AND while we were picnicing and relaxing in this green spot we were able to listen to "the maple leaf forever". 

the music area:

We saw a variety of wildlife.

Two joys.

One: seeing two boys take sheer delight in creating music with touch panels.   This area is a basically a large box with white panels with colour sections.  As you touch the colours different noises at different levels and tones would play.   The boys laugh and bounced around like a couple of young fiends   Good to see them having fun.

Two:
This quiet, unsure of himself yet lad, wasn't sure about doing much anything else.   I caught him though, playing this drum.  Checking out the different sounds depending on where he tapped it.
This is taken just after I caught a first glimpse of his marvellous smile. :)  I regretted moving so that I could get a better picture of what he was doing.

Let's see what else can I pull out from this trip to the Science Centre.....
I thought this was neat:  Seeing this image of multiple babies in the womb...  :)

Anyways, we saw and did so many things, I can't list it all.  
Suffice it to say, we had a great day.

January 11th edition of Connections and Thankfulness

Starting a new thing, not sure how often it will run, probably bi-weekly.   Showing some posts I liked during the past week or two, along with listing moments of gratitude.

Connections with Others

1. UsSchooling.  I love the tone and the thought in this blog post.   Instead of calling your style eclectic... call it US schooling.  

2. Friday Boxes. I used to, with my lad, write down one thing we were thankful for every day.  Became part of our routine but sometimes it was hard to come up with something.  I really like this idea of writing down one good thing (or more) of each week on a slip of paper, saving them and then reading them out at the end of the year.   I think we'll start doing this.  Will be lovely to do I think.  :)

3. Making a Change.  I liked this post of Lori's...I love her flexibility in how each of her children operates best.   Made a lot of sense to me it did.  :)

4. Is reading Hereditary.  I just thought this was an interesting question to ask.

5. Loving Languages Every Day.   I just liked this post.   Just keeping reading eh?

Moments of Gratitude

1. "Mom, can I help you with anything?"   I love hearing those words from my boy.  or even better "Mom, is it okay if I vaccuum?  Mom, can I sweep the floor"?   Why do I love that more?   It means I don't have to think of some way to honour his words, he's come up with the idea on his own.  :)

2. Snow and Cold.   I know it's odd.. but snow and cold mean health.  Means germs die.  Means no funerals or extra meals.  Means nothing is fretting people wise.

3. Clothing and it's options.   The fun of watching my boy run around in the snow... with SHORTS on!!!   Makes me smile and shake my head and be glad that everyone has been created differently.  AND it creates conversation starters with other people... like the fellow at the foodbank asking "what's with the shorts?" and the lad talking with him about how he loves shorts and loves the cold because it means he isn't hot.

4. A talkative husband.  Oh my... it's so interesting seeing the stress start to roll off his back and he talking it seems all the time.  I'm having a bit of time adjusting to that.  It's just so very odd.  I like it, but it's a bit of an adjustment.

Want to join in?   Go ahead and link up.   Be polite and link back to THIS post.   Visiting others and commenting is always a welcome thing. 

Art Book Series: Beatrix Potter

I talked about this gorgeous art book early in December last year.   I just LOVED reviewing this book and find it an absolutely wonderful book that tells us all about Beatrix Potter. 

Review: Out of the Spin Cycle

40 Devotionals awaiting to lighten your load as a mother.   

Jen Hatmaker writes with humour and real-life stories to bring truth to bear, and a heart bent to hold a struggling momma close.

This book is a hand up to mommas, teaching what is most important.   Knowing the hearts of our children and turning those hearts toward God.

More important than laundry.
More important than getting it all right.
More important than healthy children (as in no medical issues)
More important than doing everything for them.

Teaching them to see God's heart in the life of their mother.

And teaching momma that she doesn't have to do it all or know it all, all she really has to know is... the heart of the God who made her. 

Some of  the devotions have a bible passage at the start, others have the passage mixed within the devotional.  The passages seemed like they fit as opposed to be taken out of context (pet peeve of mine).   Each devotion has a least one question to help the reader think through the thought presented AND a step of action.

One step out of the spin cycle call to action was this "Think of a concrete way to teach the character of Jesus today. Find a way to demonstrate his love, his presence, his joy or his protection". 

Recommend it?   Yes. I didn't see anything that caused me to raise my eyebrows or set my spirit a questing after truth.   If you need some encouragement and truth spoken into your life, this book may be just what you are looking for.

Title: Out of the Spin Cycle - Devotions to Lighten Your Mother Load
 Author: Jen Hatmaker

Pages: 175
Type: Christian Devotional
Style: paperback 

Reviewed for Nuts about Books

Amazon.ca: Out of the Spin Cycle: Devotions to Lighten Your Mother Load
Amazon.com: Out of the Spin Cycle: Devotions to Lighten Your Mother Load

Recipe: Scotch Scones

So I am hopeful I made these correctly.  I've never seen scones like these before (always been flat irrecgular shapes), but the recipe called for balls...

The recipe below.  :)

Sidon, be warned

The Lord God is finished dealing with Tyre, today it's Sidon's turn to be warned.

Destruction is headed her way so that they will know that GOD is the Lord God.

“Behold, I am against you, O Sidon,

I have to admit, I find this line interesting.    God is against Sidon BUT his plan is to manifest his glory in their midst.  

 
    and I will manifest my glory in your midst.

 So that they will know that HE is the Lord.

 
And they shall know that I am the Lord

This way when judgement comes there will be no excuse. They will simply know that it is from the Lord God himself.