Knitting Needle vs Yarn Size

Each and every time I begin a new knitting project, unless I make a special trip to the store I am missing something. Sometimes the yarn I want to use is thicker or thinner than what the pattern calls for and sometimes I don't have the required needles, but it's usually no problem.

Sizing knitting projects is just math proportionality. There are four main variables: yarn weight, needle size, number of stitches and stitch gauge. Stitch gauge refers to how tightly or loosely the project is knit. Since we each have our own tendencies for how much tension we place on the yarn, this variable is difficult to adjust.

When I created this hat I learned an important lesson about modifications. The pattern called for DK weight yarn and I wanted to use worsted. Since the yarn was thicker, I compensated with smaller needles. Although the finished hat was the proper size, the lace pattern within the hat wasn't quite as nice as the one in the book. This was because I violated a knitting rule of thumb for yarn vs needle size.

Lace weight - size 1 and smaller needles
Fingering weight - size 1-3 needles
Sport weight - size 3-5 needles
DK weight - size 5-6 needles
Worsted weight - size 7-9 needles
Heavy Worsted weight - size 9-11 needles
Bulky weight - size 11 and greater needles

I used size 3 needles which were really too small to use with worsted weight yarn. For this particular hat, it would have been better if I had used larger needles, but cut out some of the stitches to create the proper size. I'm very satisfied with the hat, but will probably compensate differently if I make another one.


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Bloom Designs

Napier's Bones - Multiplication Activity

We made a paper set of Napier's Bones and learned how to use them.

John Napier was a mathematician who created a set of movable tables to perform calculations. The technique is a form of lattice multiplication and is explained in the video below.

Although we only used Napier's Bones to multiply a one-digit number times a multi-digit number, they can be used in multi-digit multiplication problems, division, and square roots.

My son is a figure-it-out kind of kid. For a different way to practice multiplication I asked him to figure out what Napier's Bones were and then make a set.

After they were complete, his next challenge was to figure out how to use them. Hands-on, and different math activities keep him engaged and learning.

More of our hands-on math activities can be found on our Math Page.

This post is linked to:

Montessori Monday
Relentlessly Fun
Fourth Grade Flipper

Celestial Navigation - Tracking the Big Dipper

Week 6: We tracked the big dipper's movement across the sky.

Celestial Navigation is a technique used by pilots, ship captains and other navigators to determine their location on the earth using the horizon, sun, moon, stars and/or other celestial bodies.

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch is a fictionalized book about Nathanial Bowditch, an actual 18th century celestial navigator. Despite challenges throughout his life, he was able to self-educate himself and develop new and improved navigation techniques.

One of the first steps to learning celestial navigation is understanding the how the Earth, moon, sun and stars move around each other. After finishing an astronomy unit in which we became familiar with the phases of the moon and learned to recognize several constellations, we tracked the big dipper's movement across the sky.

Because of the Earth's rotation, the sun appears to travel from east to west in a circular orbit across the sky. The same is true of the big dipper, except that it is closer to the center axis or the North Star. (At least it is for us living in Germany, during the winter months.)

The drawing shows the sky as it would be seen from laying on the ground. The center point is Polaris or the North Star. The lowest big dipper is sketched as was seen at 9:00. The green big dipper is the location it was seen at 11:00. The red dipper was drawn at 1:00 and the second purple dipper was drawn at 2:00.

The completed sketch looks like a clock which shows 24 hours. Since it is only dark about one half of the night the other half of the clock is blank. The oval shows the portion of the sky that was visible to us at 9:00 and was drawn so we could talk about the location of the sun at that time.

This activity was completely new to me and I learned several things that should probably have been obvious. I suppose I had just never thought about them.

• The time of night can be approximated based on the location of the big dipper just as the time of day can be approximated based on the location of the sun.
• The big dipper and all the stars follow the same path as the sun does across the sky. Everything moves in a circular counter-clockwise rotation about the North Star.
• The big dipper moves from east to west during the months of February and March just as the sun does.
• In the summer the big dipper moves from west to east, but still rotates counter-clockwise.
• All the stars move in a circular counter-clockwise rotation. If the big dipper moves from east to west Cassiopeia moves from west to east because they are on opposite sides of Polaris.
• The big dipper is visible all year round. Some constellations appear and disappear during the course of the year.

Instead of depriving the kids of sleep for an entire night, the drawings were created over the course of several nights. Each night rising a few hours later to take a peak at the stars.

Although this activity could be done with any constellation at anytime of year, the winter months of January and February turn out to be the best ones for several reasons. First of all, it gets dark much earlier, so kids don't have to stay up so late at night. Secondly, it's much easier to see that the big dipper follows the same path as the sun as it moves east to west in the winter. The big dipper is a great constellation to track because it is easy to find and is close to Polaris so is visible all year round.

Of course all of this depends on your location on the Earth. I have no idea how this works in the southern hemisphere.

This activity helped created a better understanding of the relationship between the Earth and stars. Perhaps in the future we will learn to use a sextant and celestial tables almanac to determine our location based on angles and mathematics. It will be an awesome practical application of math when we get there.




To see our other Astronomy activities, please visit our Science Page.

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Roman Review

Week 12: We did a crossword puzzle to review what we learned about the Ancient Roman Empire.

 Here are some of the questions to the crossword puzzle.

Scroll down for the answers

1. The Romans enjoyed chariot racing at the _____________?
2. Emperor that had a wall built at the northern end of the empire to keep out barbarians.
3. The Roman Empire was mostly on this continent.
4. Huge domed structure built as a temple to the Gods.
5. The Romans were famous for building these to help their armies travel quickly around their large empire.
6. Architectural design feature constructed by Romans and seen everywhere in the empire.
7. Fought animlas and each other to entertain huge crowds.
8. Two wheeled cart pulled by a horse and used to race.
9. Made from; volcanic ash, limestone, sand and water.
10. Famous public bath built for the average citizens.

This was a fun activity because my husband participated.

1. Circus Maximus
2. Hadrian
3. Europe
4. Pantheon
5. Roads
6. Arches
7. Gladiators
8. Chariot
9. Concrete
10. Caracalla's Baths

Entertaining and Educational - Chinese Paper Cutting

This link-up just keeps getting better and better. The quality of projects linked up is outstanding. Here are a few from last week.

With all the velcro, learning to tie shoes sometimes seems impossible. Life with Moore Babies had a truly brilliant idea. The girls tied ribbons around their stuffed animals. They had no idea they were learning to tie their shoes. They were just playing and having fun.

Our European winter has been unusually mild. We haven't shoveled in Germany yet, but I know that's not the case for those of you in the US. So if you need an excuse to go outside and play, or do some science, try making Frozen Soap Bubbles.

We haven't studied Egypt yet. Maybe next year? The kids at All Things Beautiful are making the planning easy with their great variety of Ancient Egyptian projects. Be sure to visit.

We are always trying out new crafts, so Chinese Paper Cutting caught my eye. They are fun, make beautiful window decorations and allow creativity to blossom.

Thanks to everyone who linked up and took time to visit the linked-up posts.

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Best Boy Books

My daughter loved all these stories too, but the main characters in each of the following are boys. Adventure filled and high-energy characters make these a great set of boy stories.

Homer Price
Homer looks forward to meeting a super hero, but is perplexed when he sees him again after the show and he can't fix his own car problems. In one story in this series of stories a doughnut machine produces an immense amount, and another story details the competition for the biggest ball of string.


Henry Reed, Inc. (Puffin books)
On Henry's summer break he tries many different scientific experiments and money making schemes. Selling worms, catching rabbits, stopping traffic are all part of the hilarious stories of the entrepreneurial Henry and his neighbor Midge.


Capyboppy
When an animal loving child adopts an exotic capybarra things don't go quite as planned. The Capybarra grows large and is a very curious animal.


The Whipping Boy
In this medieval tale, a prince and his whipping boy go on an adventure outside of the castle. Learning how to operate in society and escape danger the two become friends and learn much about the way others live.


The Master Key, An Electrical Fairy Tale Founded Upon the Mysteries of Electricity
Written by L Frank Baum, the author of the Wizard of Oz, The Master Key is a story filled with adventure. When Rob, a young boy, experiments with electricity he touches the master key and a demon appears. The demon sends him on adventures with new electrical devices. Many adventures ensue delighting the reader and making us all think about the effects of technology.

To see our other favorite books including our favorite girl books, please visit our Reading and Arts Page.

This post is linked to:
123 Homeschool 4 Me

* I did not receive any compensation for this recommendation. I'm just a homeschooling mom who has found many products that I like. If you're interested in the products I recommend on this blog I want to make it easy for you to find them. 
** I am an Amazon associate and receive a small portion of the sales on orders made after clicking in from this site, which I promptly spend on homeschooling books and supplies for my children.

Wire Valentine's Day Bracelet

Creating wire jewelry has been a fun handicraft for both of my girls. My eleven year old has made several bracelets and necklaces independently.

My six year old an I made this bracelet together. I created the heart shaped bended wire pieces and she selected the beads and colors, then put it all together.

We followed the instructions in Wire and Bead Celtic Jewelry by Linda Jones. I think these projects make nice gifts.

This post is linked to:
We Made That
Blooming Designs On-Line

* I did not receive any compensation for this recommendation. I'm just a homeschooling mom who has found many products that I like. If you're interested in the products I recommend on this blog I want to make it easy for you to find them. 
** I am an Amazon associate and receive a small portion of the sales on orders made after clicking in from this site, which I promptly spend on homeschooling books and supplies for my children.

Math, Aerobics and Dance

Have you ever considered teaching math through dance? Since I discovered Malke's Math in Your Feet blog over a year ago I have thought of dance in a whole new light. Malke is a dance teacher turned math teacher. In her special classes students learn to think about math through dance in terms such as symmetry of movement, feet patterns, and degrees of rotation in turns.

I've always participated in dance classes and two years ago I taught aerobics. As part of my teaching I was responsible for choreographing routines. Here are some math skills I used in conjunction with aerobics and dance:

1. The music is comprised of patterns which repeat every eight beats. The eight beats repeat further for four measures at a time. Therefore, designing steps that repeat every eight steps and combinations of steps in groups of four works well with the music.

2. Some patterns begin and end with the same foot and some result in a switch of feet. Making a distinction between the two is important for designing routines on the fly and when there is time for choreography.

3. Moving while dancing to make patterns with the other girls is very mathematical. Two photos above the girls are in a V-position, later they danced in a circle.

4. Kicking leg height - Most girls in this picture are kicking to 90 degrees.

For a very different and creative way to teach mathematical vocabulary and concepts through dance be sure to visit Math in Your Feet.

This post is linked to:
Hip Homeschool Hop
Tried it Tuesday

* I did not receive any compensation for this recommendation. I'm just a homeschooling mom who has found many products that I like. If you're interested in the products I recommend on this blog I want to make it easy for you to find them. 
** I am an Amazon associate and receive a small portion of the sales on orders made after clicking in from this site, which I promptly spend on homeschooling books and supplies for my children.

Astronomy Unit Study - Rocket Crafting

Week 5: We learned about the history of space exploration and then crafted rockets, satellites and space vehicles.

Man on the Moon (Picture Puffin Books)is one of my personal favorite picture books for young kids (preK-3rd grade). It tells the story of the first moon landing in a way children can easily understand, but manages to include some technical details.

Buzz Aldrin is one of the three heroes in the book and he was recently scheduled to visit our local air force base. His new book Look to the Stars is a children's book packed with details on the history of space exploration. After listening to my friend Amy's presentation based on the book the kids set out to craft some space equipment.

Using toilet paper tubes, egg cartons, tape, glue, rubber bands, aluminum foil, pipe cleaners and paint or a similar set of crafting supplies many designs are possible.

Cardboard egg cartons make wonderful nose cones for rockets.

Redstone Rocket

He is surrounding the nose cone with aluminum foil.

Rocket on the launching pad

Mars Rover

A newly designed satellite

Another Satellite

Unfortunately Buzz Aldrin's appearance was cancelled due to health reasons so we never got to meet him. None-the-less, the kids had a great time crafting and learned quite a bit about exploration.

 

This post is linked to:
The Bender Bunch
Relentlessly Fun

* I did not receive any compensation for this recommendation. I'm just a homeschooling mom who has found many products that I like. If you're interested in the products I recommend on this blog I want to make it easy for you to find them. 
** I am an Amazon associate and receive a small portion of the sales on orders made after clicking in from this site, which I promptly spend on homeschooling books and supplies for my children.

Rome Unit Study - Roman Empire Song

Week 11: We learned a song about Rome and talked about the end of the empire.

The Roman Empire was in the state of decline for many years before the time most historians consider the official end. When Rome was powerful, one main source of income came from conquering. Each time an area was conquered, the city of Rome would gain wealth in the form of slaves, gold and other assets taken from enemies.

Rome expanded like a balloon being filled with air. Eventually, Rome grew so big that the gaps between soldiers on the boarders grew large enough for enemies to penetrate. At this time the effort was focused on keeping enemies out of Roman territory as opposed to conquering new lands. Since lands weren't being conquered, no new wealth was coming into the city. In addition, the trend of using foreigners as soldiers continued to increase.

Inside the city money was being spent on pet building projects for emperors to increase their own popularity such as bath complexes, market places, theaters and temples. There were many programs such as free grain rations, which gave handouts to the poor. The spending habits coupled with the lack of new income put the empire into a state of bankruptcy.

After a while, the soldiers did not receive their pay. The government tried to rid themselves of the problem by setting a trap for their own auxiliary soldiers. Many died, but the ones who survived were angrier than ever. A group led by the barbarian Roman trained soldier Aleric, marched into the city to collect what was promised.

Several other barbarian nations entered Rome and after it had been sacked a number of times, Odavocker, a barbarian from the north took over the western empire.

Roman Empire Song
During each week of our Rome Unit Study we added another verse to a song to help us remember what we learned. The last week we talked about the fall of the empire and sung the entire song. 

I wrote this and taught it to the kids. Please feel free to use it for personal or classroom use. It's to the tune of "This Land is Your Land".

Rome was founded
By divine twin brothers
Romulus and Remus
So long ago
Tarquin the King was booted
and they formed a republic
The Roman Empire lasted 1000 years

We're talking about Rome's land
2000 years ago
From the plains of Africa
to the Rhine and Danube
From Dacia and Panonia
To the Pyramids in Egypt
The Romans ruled the Mediterranean Sea

Ruled by two consuls
Elected by the people
Censor, quaestor, adile
Worked in the government
There was a senate
Of ex-officials
The government was a republic

5000 soldiers
Made up a legion
There were centuries
Of 100 men
Led by tribunes
They defended boarders
Against the ferocious barbarians

Rome fought Carthage
In the Punic Wars
Hamilcar and Hanibal
They fought at sea
Hannibal crossed the mountains
With all his elephants
Carthage became a retirement communitee

Slavery was essential
To the Roman empire
Housekeepers, craftsmen
Doctors and teachers too
Captured in war time
Birthed by their mothers
Julius Caesar almost became a slave

In 79 AD
Mt. Vesuvius Erupted
Herculaneum and Pompeii
Were both destroyed
People were unaware
That danger threatened
Frozen in time forever with eggs and bread

Trajan's Forum
Caracalla's Baths
Hadrian's Pantheon
and the Colosseum
Concrete and Arches
and lots of slaves
were the keys to Roman building success

Chariot Races
Thermal Baths
Toys, games and pets
They went to school
Aqua ducts carried water
Mosaics decorated houses
Girls got married when they were 12 years old

Rome split in two
East and west
Goths filled the army
Rome couldn't pay
Huns threatened the Goths
Vandals attacked from Africa
The west was close to fall

Odavocker
and the Visigoths
came to Rome
To collect their pay
Immigration
Played a role
The west died and the east lived on

This post is linked to:
Living and Learning at Home
No Time for Flash Cards 
The Chicken Chick