The Secret of the Pharaoh’s Treasure, Part 1

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Alexandria Jones stood outside her father’s tent. The glare of the sun on the rocky desert hurt her eyes. Holding up a hand to shield her gaze, she spotted her dad (the world-famous archaeologist) arguing with the foreman.

Poor Dad, she thought. He was sure this was the right site, but so far he’s found nothing.

She looked down at her feet, where her faithful dog Ramus waited, panting. “Well, Rammy, it looks like Dad will be busy for while. What do you say? Shall we go exploring?”

Alexandria ducked into the tent for her backpack and canteen.

Thump! Something bounced against the side of the tent. Ramus barked.

Alex stepped outside and looked quickly around. No one was in sight. She saw a fist-sized rock beside the tent, with a note tied to it. She picked it up and read:

Ha! The real Pharaoh’s Treasure lies under a pyramid of stones, and it’s mine. You can’t stop me this time! —Simon Skulk

Continue reading The Secret of the Pharaoh’s Treasure, Part 1

Spring Cleaning My Blog Links

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Our whole family is coming down with something again. What a nuisance!

Since I don’t feel up to real cleaning, I guess it’s time to spruce up my sidebar. If you haven’t posted since November or December of last year, you’re outta there. And for those of you who use Blogger — well, I’m sorry, but if I get a persistent “Blogger: 404 – Page Not Found” then you’re gone, too. If you are still actively blogging, please send me an email.

Continue reading Spring Cleaning My Blog Links

Quotations VIII: The Essence of Mathematics

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Our homeschool co-op classes are done for the semester, so this will be my last compilation of blackboard quotes for awhile. I love collecting quotations, however, so I will be treating you to some of my favorites “just for teachers” over the summer. Stay tuned!

It is better to solve one problem five different ways, than to solve five problems one way.

—George Polya

Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.

—George Washington Carver

Continue reading Quotations VIII: The Essence of Mathematics

Weird Things People Search For

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Sometimes I laugh when I read the search engine terms that have led people to my blog. Other times I’m left scratching my head. What in the world are these people thinking? So, for your reading pleasure, I present a few phrases that must have meaning to someone:

man falling off a cliff applet

Well, it sound more dramatic than the cannonballs and flying arrows we used when I took physics.

crazy math challenge free worksheets

As in, “I’m crazy about math”? Or is it, “Math drives me crazy”?

Continue reading Weird Things People Search For

Carnival of Mathematics #6

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Carnival of MathematicsThe new Carnival of Mathematics is up and running at Modulo Errors. Highlights for me included:

Teaching Math
One opinion about when to introduce formal arithmetic (workbooky math) to children. What is the opportunity cost of too-early mathematics?

Criss-Cross Multiplication
An algorithm for two-digit multiplication that is easier for mental math.

Party For Polyglots
A brain teaser puzzle, not too difficult.

Coloring Knots
A topological doodling project.

Thou Surly Bat-Fowling Hugger-Mugger!

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Here is another highlight from my “To blog about it someday” folder: the Shakespearean Insulter. What fun!

There’s no room for faith, truth, nor honesty in this bosom of thine.
It is all filled up with guts and midriff.

Taken from: Henry IV, part I

And if you are interested in actually studying the bard, here are some links you may enjoy:

Shakespeare. Yes, again. And again.
Advice on teaching Shakespeare to children.

Bardolatry
Many links to teaching advice, book recommendations, and more.

Folger Shakespeare Library

Shakespeare for Kids

There is no reason to put off Shakespeare until your student reaches high school. My then-kindergardener enjoyed the Trevor Nunn version of Twelfth Night so much that she wanted to get her hair cut, “So I can pretend to be a boy.” This is homeschooling at its best: each of us learning at our own level — and loving it.

The “Are You a Homeschooler?” Quiz

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

It is spring cleaning week at our house, and I thought I’d do some virtual cleaning, too. So from a folder where I stuff the “To blog about sometime” websites comes this quiz. It claims to determine whether you deserved your high school diploma — Ha! There is no way I could remember anything from that long ago.

So tell me, what did the quiz really measure?

Continue reading The “Are You a Homeschooler?” Quiz

Happy Birthday, Sweet 17!

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Beach partyI described in a previous post our family tradition of hiding one present on each child’s birthday. Today’s hidden present rhyme was more successful than recent ones — the birthday girl was temporarily stumped and needed a hint from her older sister. Can you guess where they found the gift?

As always, the outside of the envelope is the same:

I’m your last present.
Can you find me?
I’m hiding some place
That you can’t see…

Continue reading Happy Birthday, Sweet 17!

Twaddle-Free Math Handouts

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

For anyone who can’t make it to Peoria this weekend but is still interested in my math workshops — and just in case we run out of handouts at said workshop — I am posting my math handouts here. These are pdf files, so if you have a sluggish dial-up connection like ours (ah, the joys of rural life!), you can right-click and save each file as a download.

Continue reading Twaddle-Free Math Handouts