Innovative Investigations: Measuring Distances

AIM :
To find out which type of object will fall the furtherest distance and which type will fall the least distance.

MATERIALS:
1. ball
2. plastic spoon
3. metal spoon
4. paper
5. shirt
6. measuring tape
7. electric tape

METHOD:

tape marking standing place

A piece of electric tape was taped to the ground to mark the place from where the objects would be thrown. The objects were thrown one at a time. Then we measured how far it fell. We tried to exert the same force for each object. 

signalling all is ready and subject can now throw object

measuring the distance the object fell

measuring tape

RESULTS:

 

OBSERVATIONS:

1. Was force exerted the same?

Yes

2. Which object fell furtherest distance?

The ball.

3. Which object fell the least distance?

Paper.

- Paper is light so it did not fall far and often spiralled to the ground.

 CONCLUSION:

We learned that the smaller an object is the further it goes. The distance an object falls is determined by velocity/ speed, shape and size of the object (Air Resistance.)  

Mind your Mathemathics

Khan Academy is not a new resource for most homeschoolers and now many a school uses it too. Interestingly some teachers actually assign watching the videos it offers as homework to explain math concepts and later homework worksheets are worked out in class. 

For the younger BAPs watching the videos is fun and attempting the practice exercises online is exciting. Online stickers provide incentive to keep working at those concepts they are struggling with as well as attempt new concepts. IBAP and MBAP are reviewing old concepts and compete with one comparing each other's progress. Insha'Allah we hope they will continue progressing to new concepts of math using this program too.

Earlier I was worried that HBAP (7yrs) would find "place value" a confusing concept, but Alhumdulillah through Khan Academy she found it easy to understand and was eager to repeat the exercises several times even though she attained proficiency level at the exercises in her first attempt. She found the concept of adding two digit numbers simple too, after watching Salman Khan's simple explanation of it.

Alhumdulillah Khan Academy allows me to designate my children as my students and monitor their progress. It's flow charts guide us to which concepts to tackle once the current one is achieved and allow the children to evaluate their progress as well.

We plan to use it to revise Algebra concepts with our two teens (who are busy with Quran memorization and don't have enough time to spend on academic study) and then move on to other avenues of arithmetic as well Insha'Allah . 

Life with Fred

Fred is a five year old math genius who loves his doll and best friend Kingie; his life would seem ordinary - he loves apples, books and fizzy drinks- except that Fred is a professor at Kittens University, Kansas.

With a mind of a child and the thought processes of a mathematician Fred puzzles through life; trying to sip milk from a hand-crafted  straw which creates a soggy paper mess, observing the stars in the sky and looking for patterns in snowflakes.

These books aim at holistic learning; they teach children about Astronomy, Human relations, Physiology, Geography, English and even Arithmetic. Each chapter relates the story of Fred's life and ends with a few questions for the children to answer, so keep a paper and pen handy.

The books are also meant to encourage early readers and are written to be read out loud by the children themselves but we've found that even having a parent read it out can be fun.

Find out more about the books and how to order them at: http://www.stanleyschmidt.com/FredGauss/index2.html