6ichthusfish

Jelly Bean Maths Challenge...

I decided to set the chidlers a fun home-school maths challenge involving Jelly beans.  In this home we LURVE Jelly beans with a passion... so getting their attention was easy (especially when I said the Jelly beans could be eaten afterwards... I know how to motivate my kids!)  I split them into two teams. The twins in a team & Roman & Smurf in another team.  Roman & Chef always like to work together if at all possible so I chose the teams as a bit of a change & also Smurf got to learn some new computer skills as well as hard maths!

The challenge was to find out how much math-ish stuff they could do with a 100 gram bag of Jelly beans and to present their work attractively for a wall display.  A pretty open-ended challenge.  Chef & Tiger-girl worked together collecting data & presenting it on a poster...

    

 

They put 'flaps' on their poster to hide some of the answers.

Maths stuff covered by both teams included...

Probability, ratios, estimating, percentages, weight, length, piecharts, pictograph, bar graph, mode, median, mean & range aswell as Geometry & Algebra. 

Seriously.

Roman used Microsoft Works spreadsheet to produce a pie chart, which he showed Smurf how to do too.  They chose to present all their findings as a long thin poster, printed-out from the computer.

 

The 'Zorro' looking 'Z' at the bottom of their poster is shown below in close-up with pasted text so's you can understand what the picture's all about! (maybe)...

 

No 11. Geometry.

If jelly beans are arranged into lines and angles, how can we prove them congruent? First let’s understand some definitions.

Parallel Lines: Two or more lines that are the same distance from each other, all the way along their lengths.

Transversal: A straight line that crosses over two or more lines.

Interior angles: Angles that are on the inside of two lines.    

Exterior angles: Angles that are on the outside of two lines.

Congruent: Angles or lengths that have the same measure.

Corresponding angles: A pair of nonadjacent angles lying on opposite sides of the transversal.

Supplementary angles: Two angles whose sum equals 180 degrees.

 

If a transversal intersects two parallel lines, then the alternate interior angles are congruent.

(Angle 3 = angle 6) (Angle 4 = angle 5)

If a transversal intersects two parallel lines, then the corresponding angles are congruent.

(Angle 1 = angle 6) (Angle 2 = angle 5) (Angle 3 = angle 8) (Angle 4 = angle 7)

If a transversal intersects two parallel lines, then the alternate exterior angles are congruent.

(Angle 1 = angle 8) (Angle 2 = angle 7)

If a transversal intersects two parallel lines, then the interior angles on the same side of the transversal are supplementary. (Angle 3 + angle 5 = 180 degrees) (Angle 4 + angle 6 = 180 degrees)

 

 ^^^ 'Big Kid' maths is like another language!

 

There was also some personal & social skills involed... namely... 'getting along with your partner', showing tolerance, listening to someone else's ideas, being patient (and long-suffering occasionally)... basically all the fruit of the Spirit as outlined in Galatians 5:22 (!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yep... Jelly bean maths was interesting, educational & character-building   :)

 

Kitchen Wall Art Gallery...

All the children have finished their artwork in response to various artists and the display  is up on the kitchen wall...

 

Smurf's work was so heavy we had to use panel pins to hold it! 

The twins both chose to respond to the same artwork 'Pottery' 1969  by Patrick Caulfields (see below) this artwork looks simple until you study it.

 

It was interesting how their approach and finished work turned out so different even though they were responding to the same artwork.  Tiger-girl really captured the 'chock-a-block' overlapping feel of the work and Chef captured the sizes of each item getting bigger as your eyes travel from top to bottom.  Both of them really tried hard with the perspective change which we termed 'looking up at' 'looking straight at' and looking down on'. There are three destinct 'layers' when you study it. 

I've already posted about Roman & Smurf so here's the twins and how they responded...

Firstly, they decided on what subject matter to have in their artwork.  Chef chose different containers and Tiger-girl settled on fruit (after trying to draw toy ponies but it all getting very complicated with their legs overlapping and the whole perspective malarky).

 

 

Once they had drawn each thing from all three perspectives (phew) they had some reference drawings on which to draw from as they built up their overlapping images on their large sheet of paper...

   

We discussed the colours that Patrick Caulfield had used and they chose the medium they wanted... Chef loves water soluble oil pastels (which he bought with his own money a coupla years ago) and Tiger-girl chose acrylic paint.

 

Again, they tackled this stage in a different way.  Tiger-girl filled-in all the negative space in black paint then chose one appropriate colour of paint & 'dotted all around' but Chef started at the top and worked his way down... colouring with the water soluble oil pastels, then using water on a paintbrush on each container, turning his paper so he didn't smudge his work (being a left-handed dude).

 

 

It was quite a lot of work (!)

 

Finally, the end was in sight...!

The final stage was going around each shape with black felt-tip in response to the black lines on the original...

 

 

Here are the finished artworks in response to 'Pottery' 1969 by Patrick Caulfield.

'Containers' 2009 by Chef...

'Fruit' 2009 by Tiger-girl...

 

It's good have some colour on our beige walled house  :)

   

Art response...Roman...

As I mentioned before, Roman doesn't really like drawing so I'd picked out a piece of art for him to respond to which was conctruction based rather than drawing based. However, he chose to respond to Gilbert & George's work called 'Deatho Knocko' 1982...

 

He began by choosing some images of Roman soldiers from his PC game...

 

Then he printed-out, re-sized and cut out the images he wanted to use.

 

He selected the predators shark & ray in response to the spider & fly on the original artwork.

 

Roman decided on the scale for his grid, which he then drew onto a large piece of acetate...

 

He decided on the composition and transferred his images onto his acetate grid...

 

He wanted to use poisonous plants but setted for nettles & thistles.  His finished work was a great response to the original...

 

It looked really good when held up to a window...

 

Tiger-girl & Chef have not quite finished their artwork yet (they both chose to respond to the same painting).. more tomorrow...

 

 

Art response...Smurf...

We did some creative work yesterday.  It was so good to do some art with the children.   A few years ago, while visiting the TATE (probably Liverpool but can't be sure)...I picked up a box of cards with an artwork photographed on one side & some chat about the artist & the work on the other side.  Nothing remarkable there, but there are also some suggestions included for how to make your own artwork in response to the artists work and some thought provoking questions.  We've used the cards before, all responding to the same artwork, but yesterday I decided to pick out four cards, with a wide range of pieces, which could be responded to in different ways. Roman isn't that keen on drawing and I'd specifically chosen a piece which was more 'construction-ish' than 'arty' (if you know what I mean!?) I was amazed that he didn't chose that artwork to respond to!  We sat & looked at & discussed each of the four photos of artwork, (I love to hear what they think about things)... then they chose which one they were enthused to respond to.  Smurf didn't surprise me when he chose to respond to Karel Appel's 'Questioning Children' 1949 (see below).  It is a very colourful piece of art & it's also 'in relief' and Smurf told me he felt 'gluish' & 'paintish' (!) so that was perfect for him.

 

So, to begin with, Smurf collected up some boxes to glue onto a large piece of cardboard.  He arranged them just how he wanted...

 

PLENTY of PVA glue was involved in the sticking of the boxes... (notice how we moved off the carpet into the hall!)

 

Once glued down well ...I don't want stuff to fall off once it's on the wall... he coated it in gesso to give it a good base on which to paint... 

 

He chose the same colours that the artist had used on their work and we had another look at the photo of Appel's 'Questioning Children' and a chat about his ideas.  He decided on 'Angry Monsters' as his response.

Gesso doesn't take long to dry so he went straight onto the painting bit...

 

You can see 'Angry Monsters' beginning to take shape below...

 

He worked for a long time and enjoyed the activity.

 

Here is smurf's 'Angry Monsters' 2009 in response to Karel Appel's  'Questioning Children' 1949.

 

 

Making medieval style shoes...

Looking back, I remember this as one of the most challenging homeschool activities we did as part of our EPIC Adventure.  We made our own medieval style shoes as part of the work related to the Tanners Guild.  Firstly we looked at how a modern boot is assembled, then we researched pictures of different medieval shoes and sketched some ideas...

 

Then we worked out our own patterns... (Roman's foot!)

 

We used some thin fabric to make 'mock-ups' of our shoes,  

We made the mock-ups by just stapling the pieces together, trying it on & drawing any modifications onto the fabric itself. 

 

Below is the mock-up for Roman's boot.

 

Once the pattern pieces were modified, the children chose mock leather or felt or suede-ish stuff to actually make their shoes.

 

Smurf LOVED using my old Singer sewing-machine & got really good at it.  Sewing mock leather is not the easiest thing to sew on as your first attempt (!)

   

Smurf had chosen to design a 'Poulain' type shoe which was so long and pointy that medieval people had to tie the point of the shoe up! He enjoyed this activity so much, I remember it was past his bedtime but he really wanted to finish the sewing.

 

A finished shoe...

   

All the children made a different style shoe, out of different materials.

It was challenging but they learnt a lot!

Here's a few photos I took at Walsall Leather museum on a trip we had...(it was free too)...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we're big picnic-lovers, a day out is not complete without one!

 

Medieval Guild activities...(4)

We had a fantastic day out near Dudley when we were learning about glass making. Behind Chef is the 'bottle-kiln' where glass was fired at 'The Red House Glass Cone' museum.  Obviously this kiln does not date back to medieval times (!)... but the process of glass making itself has been around since Roman times in this country.

 

 

Smurf is looking at really old Roman glass...

 

Roman was pretending to be a glass-maker with the old tools etc...

 

Smurf then copied Roman....

 

We were all intrigued to watch the glassblower at work...

 

 

 

Down the road at another museum called 'Broadfield House' we saw stunning examples of glass objects, from many time periods.

 

The variety of glass was amazing...

 

 

Roman had been studying Newspaper articles at the time and wrote this totally fictitious article...

 

Smurf & I worked together (I helped him) to write a poem about the glassblower that we saw at work.  We looked at photos that we'd taken on the day, collected together some descriptive adjectives & adverbs and after some chat about poetry not having to rhyme (!) we produced this poem...

The Glass-blower at work

 

The Glass-blower

generously sprays

the black, soggy

newspaper,

he's ready to

shape the orangey

scorching glass.

He rolls the long,

heavy, blowpipe

forward

and back, non-stop.

 

He wants the glass

to grow but not to

crack... and so... he

lunges at the furnace

to get the glass piping hot.

Then blowing really hard,

twirling very fast

the red searing ball

expands.

 

A dripping

wooden plank,

charred by fire

flattens the base

of the vase, ready

to stick to the pontil.

The Glass-blower widens

the neck of the vase.

Gravity is his friend.

Tapped off and caught

then put in the Lehr to cool.

The vase is finished.

 

by Smurf & Mum

Chef wrote a letter thanking the museum and Tiger-girl wrote a fictitious interview with a glass-blowers apprentice.  I've found that it works well for us when each person produces different types of writing.  We seem to cover more & the children learn more somehow.

Medieval Guild activities... The Potters Guild...

Having decided upon the 3 'Guilds' of 'Potters Guild', 'Tanners Guild' & 'Glassmakers Guild' we then studied in more depth about the different Guilds.  To enhance our understanding of medieval pottery, we went to Hanley Museum in Stoke-On-Trent to find out about the techniques & glazes etc. of medieval pottery.

 

 

We then had a go at designing and making a model of a medieval plate.  The children drew designs on paper, having studied photos we'd taken of different plates. 

   

It was interesting to see the symmetry of the designs.  Then they tried 'slip-trailing' onto cheap terracotta plant pot holders from a DIY shop...

 

Once dry the slip-tail was a dark toffee colour & they just filled in the spaces with acrylic paint, using natural/earthy colours like we'd seen at the museum... 

  

 

Their medieval-style plates...

 

The children each made a poster to tell about their experiences...

 

 

  

Loking back at these activities, I'm so glad I can be a part of their education    :) 

Medieval Guild activities... (2)

Here's another post about the work we did about Medieval Guilds.  In the previous post I mentioned that we sorted ourselves into 3 'Guilds'.  We designed & made 'Guild Emblems'.  Below, Smurf is in the final stages of making the Guild emblem/banner...

   

Making them involved researching the various tools used by the different Guilds/trades then designing a recognisable banner for their particular Guild.  Below, Roman is drawing around the templates he designed.  He is drawing in pencil onto the fabric, so that next he can paint over the pencil lines.

 

 

Once the paint was dry, the children put letter stickers onto their emblem/banner.  Because the fabric was an old curtain it already had wide loops at the top, so Chef just sawed 3 lengths of dowelling and we called it good.

 

We hung the Guild emblems in the schoolroom.

 

Medieval 'Guild' activities... (1)

I thought I'd post some more about the work we did last year. We did an  EPIC Adventure for 7 months from January to July 2008.  An amazing & inspiring woman called Karen Kindrick had home-schooled her big bunch of kids back in the 1980's and has since put together a down-loadable learning experience based on what she did with her own family years ago.  The emphasis is on hands-on, practical, memorable learning experiences and we loved it!  Yes, as the mother, I had to prepare activities & research outings and get equipment together but I can honestly say I enjoyed it.  I also had to make sure that maths was covered separately.  Karen is from the USA & as far as I know we are the only UK family to have done an EPIC Adventure but there is a members parents forum & Blog which I found really helpful & encouraging.  Our present curriculum is different as we had to go back onto the UK accredited system so that Roman could get actual recognisable qualifications.  Most of the fun stuff we did was part of the adventure and any credit must go to Karen Kindrick. 

As part of the adventure, we divided our 6 family members into 3 Medieval Guilds.  Roman & Husb were the TANNERS GUILD, Tiger-girl & Chef were the POTTERS GUILD & Smurf & I were in the GLASSMAKERS GUILD.  We learned about how the various Guilds used to meet at Guild Hall & prepared then acted-out a Guild Hall meeting.

To prepare for the Guild Hall meeting the children made guild aprons (pattern from Karen Kindrick) to wear over their costumes.  They had to follow the instructions & measure/cut carefully.

 

 

  

We also 'aged' the documents we'd be using, by tearing, swabbing with cold tea then adding sprinkes of coffee granules...

 

 

Husb presided over the Guild Hall Meeting and acted very pompous really got into the role(!)

 

   

 

Smurf was very interested in melting the sealing wax and sealing the documents.

 

  It was a chilly day to pose in the garden with our signed, sealed & aged documents...

 

I would definately recommend an EPIC Adventure to any homeschool family.. we enjoyed it     :)

 

 

Looking back to our History Project last year & Valentine's Day...

This post has been linked to Homemade Thursdays  at the blog Ship Full O'Pirates.

I've had my mind on the past quite a bit recently & was thinking about how this time last year (February 2008) we did a project on The Middle Ages and The Renaissance.  I made us all simple Medieval style costumes which we wore as part of our learning experience.

 

I wanted to keep the costs right down so started by looking around for what we already had.  For example we had a dressing up costume for a pirate already & as it was big enough for Roman (the kid with the least clothes because he's the eldest) so I adapted it.  Chef ended up with the trousers and with some bootlaces sewn in a criss-cross style the pirate tunic looked medieval enough for our purposes.  I had an old curtain that was beige and made Smurf's tabard & Chef's cape (if you look closely the bottom edge of Smurf's tabard was the top of the curtain).  Then I got as many super-cheap tops from the Charity Shop (Goodwill) that I could in browns, beige and white & chopped away with my scissors.  For our purposes I hemmed as little as possible (the frayed look just added to the costume).  By layering the clothing things looked better.  Finally, I sewed Tiger-girl & myself an apron & made a muffin cap for her too from a white bed-sheet.  I always think that hats make you feel like you're dressed up so I made a Tudor style round hat for Chef out of upholstery fabric from an old chair.  This item took the longest to make but he loved it.  Smurf's Robin Hood style hat we already had.  Since we wouldn't be leaving the house dressed up I wasn't worried about shoes.  The boys made their own swords & daggers. 

One of the fun things I remember doing during this project was when Husb researched all about the life & inventions of Leonardo DaVinci and dressed up as Leonardo. We hired him a super costume & he visited us doing 'character in role' so that the children could ask him questions about his life etc.  Husb has a background in drama & was absolutely brilliant!  Husb, as Leonardo, explained all about his famous notebooks (using dodgey props that I'd made..)

 

I wish you could hear the dodgey Italian accent he was talking in!

 

It was amazing all the facts that Husb was coming out with! 

 

The chidlers wrote some of his quotes in mirror writing (which is how Leonardo wrote in his notebooks)...

   

We read our mirror writing... 

 

 

Tiger-girl & me  :)

The whole family dressed-up...  

Great memories & loads of learning.  This was just a small part of our project and we did loads more activities, had some great outings & learned cool stuff about the Middle Ages & The Renaissance.

 

As for Valentine's Day...

I woke-up to a full English breakfast in bed on Valentine's Day... a total surprise...Husb had even cooked fresh mushrooms & tomatos (my faves).  He'd written me a funny poem (I'm a sucker for poetry - especially from the chidlers or Husb).  Then Husb & I had a lovely day out, just the two of us.  We went to Birmingham... wandered round the markets, went in Borders, Waterstones & WHSmiths bookshops.  We dawdled around Selfridges...  Husb drooled over the dohnuts & I pawed all the stationery (yes, I know I'm wierd!) then i took him for a Starbucks Coffee.  We got a passer-by to snap this pic of us on the balcony outside Selfridges...

Then we went out for a meal.  I had steak, salad & jacket potato.. YUM doesn't quite cover it.  I am so blessed.