Boo!

Images of Fall

Cookie Math

Another yummy idea from Math Wise!

We compared Brand A with Brand B. Which ones have more visible chips? We all agreed that they looked pretty similar.



Here are the backsides--Brand A appears to have more this time.



Which brand is thicker?



Which is heavier? It's hard to estimate weight by hand, but the scale confirmed that Brand B (the thicker cookie) was heavier.



Now to see how accurate our chip estimates were...



Brand B won the chip count. But Brand A won the taste test!



We didn't get around to making a graph, but we discussed the data and talked about estimating, measurement, and finding averages. We really enjoy all the projects in this book!

Crazy Busy!

Goodness, we've been busy! I feel like our lives have been on fast forward the past few weeks. Here is a bit of what we've been up to lately...

Making spooky art...(there is something seriously wrong with this guy!)



Reviewing multiples...(this sea monster has been showing up for school lately. He's very attentive.)



Setting up our Rainbow Ants... (A super cool kit, by the way!)



Here they are still cold from the fridge...



and after they warmed up a bit.



Visiting a fun pumpkin patch...







And a cool historic farm...



Super took this one--isn't it awesome?



Playing Tic Tac Toe with algebraic equations... (An idea from LessonPathways.com.)



Spicing up our writing with adjectives and adverbs...



Celebrating fall birthdays...



Reviewing patterns in fractions...



Having a few "Kids are Teachers" math lessons...



Playing fraction games...



Painting scenes from Norse mythology...






Plus a couple of scout events, a trip to the zoo, lots of playdates, a really cool art co-op, a visit from Nana and Papa, karate and guitar lessons, and DAILY LIFE!

And in the middle of it all, this happened...



Fortunately, it was fixable. (And now I have a case to protect it the next time I'm awkwardly getting out of the car with a bunch of stuff in my arms and my purse opens and my phone goes crashing to the pavement!)



Gomie says, "When are we going to slow down and take a break?"

Fantastic

This is beyond awesome!

Watermelon Math

This terrific idea comes from MathWise! Over 100 Hands-On Activities that Promote Real Math Understanding, by James L. Overholt and Laurie Kincheloe. This is one of my favorite resources for great math activities.

First, we gathered our supplies:



Then we talked about different ways to measure our watermelon. First, we put it on a sheet of paper, and used a straight edge to make a mark at each end. This gave us the measurement of the straight line from the stem to the end.

But...how do you measure something that curves? Well, both kids suggested using the tape measure from the sewing kit, but I wanted it to be a bit more challenging! We tried using the metal tape measure, but of course, it didn't conform exactly to the watermelon's shape. It did give us a pretty good estimate.

Then we wrapped a piece of yarn over the melon, cut it at the stem, and measured the yarn. Ta-da! An exact measurement! We did the same thing for the circumference of the watermelon.




We compared the pieces of yarn, and noted the difference in the lengths.




Then we took turns holding the watermelon and estimating its weight. We also picked up a five-pound bag of sugar and a one-pound package of butter for comparison.

Once we had estimated the weight, we wanted an accurate measurement. But our little kitchen scale can't handle something as heavy as a watermelon. And if we put the melon on the bathroom scale, we can't see the dial. What to do?


First, we weighed Super on the bathroom scale. Then, we weighed Super holding the watermelon. Then we solved for the unknown. If Super's weight is known, and Super plus the watermelon is known, then how can we find the unknown? Subtraction!

Once we cut the watermelon, we were able to find the radius and diameter. (We put a bit of plastic wrap over it first.)


Have you ever wondered how much edible watermelon there is compared to rind? We did. How could we figure it out?

Well, we each ate some watermelon and saved the rind. We found the weight of this bowl.

And then we put our rinds in the bowl. We found the weight of the rind with the bowl and then subtracted the weight of the bowl. As it happens, we ate exactly one-fourth of the watermelon. So, we were able to multiply the weight of this rind to get the total estimated weight of the entire rind.

The book also suggests doing activities with the watermelon seeds, but I could not find a seeded watermelon anywhere! That's OK, we'll be doing some pumpkin math soon, and I'm sure we'll find plenty of seeds then!

Autumn, Moose, Peace