DOG DAYS MATH

Boy, is it HOT out there!!!  If the temperature outside is 100 but air conditioning keeps the atmosphere inside at 85 degrees, what is the percent change when you come in from the heat?     (100-85)/100........(the original amount minus the new amount) divided by the original amount).......the amount of change divided by the original amount.....The air inside is 15% cooler than the air outside.

In times of extremes, like in the weather, even the kids are aware of numbers.  What a great opportunity to demonstrate a few math concepts like percent change.

Here's another one.  The days are getting shorter.  Yesterday the sun rose at 5:14 and set at 8:24.....that's 15 hours and 10 minutes......910 minutes (multiplication).......tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:16 and set at 8:21.....that's 15 hours and 5 minutes.  [These are simple arithmetic problems and the times are only samples and not accurate.]  Students can look up sunrise and sunset on the computer and do the math on the calculator.  Now, calculate the percent change.  For what portion of the day is the sun up?  (tomorrow: 905/1440)  Can you use ratios to predict the number of minutes of sunshine the day after tomorrow?  next week?

Interested in health?  Take your temperature orally or in the ear.  One reading when you're outside in the heat and another when you're inside an air conditioned space.  Is there a difference?  What about your temperature when you're sitting in the sun versus sitting in the shade?  Do you have one of those forehead temperature readers?  Is there a difference in your skin temperature inside? outside? in the sun? in the shade? Doe sitting in the pool lower your body temperature?  Will pouring water over your head lower the body temperature?  How could these observations apply if you're an athlete working out on the football field or soccer field in this heat?

You may feel more comfortable sitting in front of a fan, but is there a difference in your body temperature just because of the moving air?  Take your temperature with and without the fan.

Is there a candy thermometer in the kitchen?  How hot will a bowl of water get if you set it in the sun?  Will a smaller container get hotter?  more quickly?  glass versus metal?

Will warm water heat up faster than ice water if identical containers are set out in the sun?  Will boiling water cool off at the same rate that warm water heats up if both are put in the sun?

These are teachable moments because even the youngest students are aware of the extreme heat.  Whatever the student's age, there are math and science questions that can be related to today's extraordinary weather.  What questions can your kids come up with?  And how can an answer be found?.....The Teachable Moment for The Normal Genius in each of our kids!!

PAINLESS SUMMER GEEK

It's three weeks into summer vacation.   ARE YOU BORED YET?


While I'm not so out of touch that I'd EVER suggest a reading program over the summer as a voluntary, go-to, engaging activity for any other than the most stalwart student, there are ways for parents to introduce a little geek into normal leisure activities.

Take television watching for example.  There are frequent literary references in shows that the younger generation watches.  The Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy are fraught with allusions to famous quotes especially from the more intellectual characters.  Does your student know what that phrase means or where it came from.  Lisa Simpson saying "A rose by any other name..." can make Shakespeare relevant.

Video games are another popular diversion which can provide cultural reference resources.  My kids played Civilization in their teens.  Many of the character and location names stem from actual people and places.  Familiarity with the terms can create historical reference points.

Vocabulary building may be the easiest summer activity.  Did you notice that the swimming pool at that high school is called the 'natatorium?"  Why was that car named 'Intrepid?"  What words are used in commercials to make you think the product is superlative?  Parental use of a vivid vocabulary can establish contextual clues to new words: "What a beautiful azure sky!  The blue is so crisp and clear."  "That salesperson was certainly ingratiating.  She went out of her way to please us."  The trick to contextual definition is to explain the word in the following sentence.

A car game that was a favorite in our family involved changing the wording of common street signs by using alternative vocabulary.  "Slow - Children at Play" can become "Proximity of youth in the performance of spontaneous gratification impels immediate deceleration of moving vehicles."  The same game can be played with advertising signs or with compliments (or insults that require no profanity).

If every situation is a learning opportunity, parents can sneak an education adventure into even the most mundane occasion.