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Big Learning News 7-20-05 |
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join-big-learning-news@zoom.netatlantic.com Table of Contents Math Moment: Heat Index Heat Index Hot enough for ya? If you live in the summer half of the world, heat is no doubt a big topic of conversation ("Mom, I don't WANT to go outside - it's too HOTTT!). Perhaps your local weather reports make it seem even hotter by telling you about the heat index - a little statistic that combines the discomfort-producing effects of heat and humidity. This chart shows the heat index - how hot it feels - for different temperatures and humidity levels: http://www.il-st-acad-sci.org/kingdom/geo1013.html Scroll down to see the chart, and let your kids practice their chart-reading skills by finding the heat index for different what-ifs ("what if it were only 70 degrees but 90% humidity?").. Scroll down even farther to find the unbeliveably complex formula for calculating the heat index. I've been unable to find what all those constants represent, except that the formula is related to the rate at which sweat evaporates at different temperatures. More math resources and our Math Moments archives on our Fun Math for Kids page on BigLearning.org - http://www.biglearning.org/big-learning-math-activities.htm If you and the kids have been spending a lot of time in the pool, you may be ready for some new games to play. Here is a page with tons of simple water games. http://www.gamekids.com/games3.html
Juba This & Juba That: 100 African-American Games for Children by Dr. Darlene Powell Hopson and Dr. Derek S. Hopson with Thomas Clavin (Fireside, 1996). Kids age 9-12 These are good games! Most are simple, clever, and interesting. To play them kids need little more than objects from nature or bits of paper. For example, in one beach game, the players make a small mound of sand to support a vertical stick in the center. Players take turns pulling out handfuls of sand until the stick falls. The player that makes the stick fall is out. The 100 games include outdoor and indoor games for small-to-large groups of kids, musical games, board games, craft making activities, and Kwanzaa activities. Each game has a short introduction that explains where the game originates and how it fits into local culture. More Books for Kids at http://www.biglearning.org/books-nature-activities-for-kids.htm. Web Sites Knot Tying Teach the kids some cool knots - it's a quiet activity that's fun and useful, even if you're not a Scout. These pages have little animations that show how each knot is tied. This one has the knots categorized by uses: http://ws1.coopfish.siu.edu/knots.htm I like this one too, because the animations are well-drawn and easy to follow, and you can view them frame-by-frame if you like: Changing Your E-mail Address? Don't Lose Your BLN Subscription! Sadly, each week, BLN subscriptions are cancelled because the e-mail address no longer exists. If you are about to change your e-mail address, don't forget to resubscribe to BLN! Just send a blank e-mail from your NEW address to join-big-learning-news@zoom.netatlantic.com or fill out the subscription form at http://www.biglearning.org. *******************************************
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