Math Games

Looking for some ideas to add variety to your math class?  Here are some game ideas.  

• operations with UNO cards - give a deck of UNO cards (without the action cards) to a group of students and have the students draw two cards and add, subtract, etc. the numbers
• bingo - have students fill in bingo cards with numbers and then ask operations questions
• calculate perimeter and area of different objects made out of Lego bricks

The Awe of Creation

Jim Berg on creation:
"We get a small taste of this awe anytime we contemplate the intricacies and magnitude of the natural creation.  Whether a person is looking at the expanse of the universe or the complexities of the human genome, a thinking person is awed with the level of intelligence that brought these materials into existence, outfitted them with their various properties, and created the physical laws under which they thrive and function. 
I think this is one of the reasons that God made the cosmos so vast and locked its secrets into particles and waves that are invisible to the human eye.  He intended for the viewers of His works to be lost in wonder and humbled.  Nature gives us a taste of the infinite - though it is not truly infinite."
(God is More Than Enough, page 113)

A Definition of Science

Mortimer Adler's definition of science:
"The scientific problem is always to describe the phenomena as accurately as possible, and to trace the interconnections between different kinds of phenomena."
(How to Read a Book, page 258)

Interesting Read

A couple of years ago, I read Eli Maor's book June 8, 2004: Venus in Transit.  
In this book Maor discusses not only a celestial phenomenon, but he also explores the history of astronomical exploration.  At 240 pages, this book is a relatively easy read, but by no means simplistic.  
If you're looking for a read for the late summer or just a book to expand your knowledge of astronomy, I recommend this book.  

Some ideas for using Lego Bricks

As I mentioned in my last post, I've been looking lately into using Lego bricks outside of the normal children's play.  
I've been working on getting together some ideas for my high school physics class, and here are a few I'd like to share:

• pressure - find the amount of air pressure exerted upon different Lego bricks (assume standard temperature and pressure at sea level)
• work - build an object out of Lego bricks and calculate the work it will take to move the object 1 meter
• trigonometry - build a right angle out of Lego bricks and then calculate the hypotenuse in terms of Lego measurements

Thinking outside of the Brick

Lego bricks, those brightly colored bricks that seem to be a part of many children's childhood experience.  But, can those bricks have an application outside of a child's playroom?  Many think they can.  

• Lego has set up a website that lists many education activities.  
• Lego has also set up a website that promotes businesses using Lego bricks to brainstorm outside of the box.  

What unique applications can you find for that marvelous Lego brick?

More from Mortimer Adler

As I've continued reading Adler's How to Read a Book, I've been impressed with his succinct way of stating things.

Another quote (pg. 198):

"The best protection against propaganda of any sort is the recognition of it for what it is.  Only hidden and undetected oratory is really insidious.  What reaches the heart without going through the mind is likely to bounce back and put the mind out of business.  Propaganda taken in that way is like a drug you do not know you are swallowing.  The effect is mysterious; you do not know afterwards why you feel or think the way you do."