Saturday, March 31, 2007

Rather a creative start to the week with last Sunday seeing K and B keeping themselves very busy. K made this fabulous area for her smallest model horses (they're called "mini-whinnies") and B decided to design his own robot wars style car having found a really good game on the PC which had given him the inspiration. Luckily I'd found, during the packing, the base and wheels of a small pull back car, so he decided to use this as his base. We all put our heads together to think of good gadgets to add to the car, drawing on Bs understanding of how things can move using wound up rubber bands, spinning discs using wind power from blowing on them or good old cogs and wheels. All his use of Knex, Lego and forces work we've done recently and in the past came to the fore - brilliant! It was also a learning curve. B started off drawing the kind of car he like to produce. They he built one out of thin card and, after a few angry words (to put it lightly), he realised the wheels would need to be much sturdier to support the body of the car. On the Monday, as K and B were still very much into their craft activities, they spent the morning continuing from where they'd left off the previous evening. B built his car using clay and plaster of paris (a latest faze - it makes very strong things!) and added tiny spikes to the front using mini nails. A hole was left on the roof ready for a spinning gadget.
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Our latest maths poster, "all about numbers", is taking it's time to be filled! I'd planned on covering mean, median and mode this week but we've only managed mean. Started off playing a racing game with B designing a race track on the table using various bits from around the house. B used toy racing cars, K used her model horses and they each took it in turns to race around the track with the other timing and recording the results. Used all this to learn averages (mean) and made a chart with the scores showing the workings out. BBC have this site on the subject which K and B also enjoyed using.

With P away in Aussie at the moment, we dusted off our "track the Daddy" book and read about the country and noted some interesting facts. He's taken a Flat Traveller with him and has been good enough to take it with him to some places of interest, as well as work I believe - what a love he is. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketKs long lost Flat Chocolat (not chocolate as K always points out) returned home from the States - it was nice to see him again and read about his adventures.

On the project of light, we made a fun and simple pinhole camera (check out this site for something a little more advances - would like to have a go in due course) and then looked at how our eyes see objects. B remembered the names of the different parts of the eye from his recent visit to the Light and Optics exhibition at the local museum. He even looked up on the internet the correct name of the white part of the eye - mighty impressed. B wondered if any humans ever saw things unside down (ie their brains had been damaged and weren't able to translate and alter the images) - interesting question. Allie, our cat, since having his stroke last summer, hangs his head to one side as he walks. B wondered if this was to correct a wonky image. Answers on a postcard please to ...

We've been bowling this week too and swimming. As K's no longer doing lessons, due to the move, I put her through her paces and then she managed to do forward and backward flips underwater. Wish I was as brave as her. I lost my nerve in water thanks to a rather gruesome and mean swimming teacher in senior school. B's getting there too. He did excellent back stroke but just won't take they armbands off yet. K and B had friends over for our last sleepover in this house. It's been pretty busy this week. Oh and we're hoping to exchange contracts early next week. The removal company have a long list of people waiting to confirm the very day we wish to move, so it's first come first served and I'm feeling a little nauseous about getting in there first!
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