Four is a Magic Number

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Do not, I repeat, DO NOT play with a Slinky while using headphones. The result, as CJ found out, is a knotted spaghetti of wires.

CJ tried, and failed, to untangle it. I gave it a go but quit when I was ready to take a knife to the Slinky and/or the headphones. Miraculously, Christian managed to get them separated.

About 10 minutes later, I found CJ playing Slinky while wearing his headphones again. Needless to say, I put a stop to THAT immediately.

ANY WAY THE WIND BLOWS: Science class in Shoreline was fun, as always. Today we were learning about how to measure the wind. To get started, we went outside  - with bubbles. That was enough to bring the Major Squirrel out in the kids. Lordy, once they knew bubbles Bubbles BUBBLES! were involved, let's just say, the thinking caps and listening ears were on a bit crooked. :/

However, I think most of 'em did finally get the drift (pun intended) that the bubbles they blew were all floating in the same direction due to the prevailing wind.

Once back inside, the kids learned a new learned a new word that's fun to say - anemometer! And they each got to make one, too. The supply list was simple - a cardboard square, a couple of drinking straws, some tape and four small plastic cups. 

They had a blast (pun intended) testing their anemometer with a blow dryer wielded by their teacher. You can barely see CJ's aeromometer spinning here. It's going so fast it's just a blur. Good times.  

THE ROOT OF THE MATTER: Today we took a closer look out our carrot growing project in the Root-Vue planter. And lo and behold we saw (are you sitting down?) ROOTS!  Spindly lil' white things, it's hard to imagine they'll bear fruit (er, vegetables).

Beloved reader Undine suggested in a comment on yesterday's blog post that we might consider thinning the herd, so to speak, to increase our yield. I think that's spot on advice, and so tomorrow we'll partake of some judicious pruning.

FOUR SCORE: I can't tell you how many times in the past couple of days I've thought, "Damn you Schoolhouse Rock! Why didn't you make a catchy tune to help people memorize their four-times-whatever?!"

We're now doing double digit x single digit numbers in math, and really the kids are mostly OK with it - until there is as problem involving 4 x something. They simply haven't memorized their 4s and it's really slowing them down.

So, at the kids' urging, I went searching on YouTube for some catchy multiplication of 4s songs. What we found were mostly HORRIBLE. There were songs that were sappy and not memorable, There were some that were downright annoying. After listening to way too many, we finally found one to the tune of "Row, Row, Row your Boat," catchiest and/or least annoying. But it's still not great, like say, this ...