Math Challenge January 1

Like many other people, one of my New Year's Resolutions is to lose weight. I weighed myself this morning to get a starting weight to see how many pounds I would like to lose. My 3 younger boys thought it would be fun to weight themselves too!

How much does each boy weigh?

Clues: They all stood on the scale at the same time and the scale read 123 pounds. When one of them got off of the scale it read 89 pounds. Luke was the lightest and weighed 27 pounds - he stayed on the scale the whole time. Tyler is the heaviest. Cody is the name of the other boy.

Send answers to kellys3ps@sbcglobal.net

Good Luck!

Kelly

Math Challenge December 31

Each year, millions of eyes from all over the world are focused on the sparkling Waterford Crystal Times Square New Year's Eve Ball. This year in honor of the 100 year anniversary of the event, they will be getting a new ball.The new ball has 672 crystal triangles, 168 more triangles than last year’s Ball. The triangles were increased by what percentage?

Send answers to kellys3ps@sbcglobal.net

Good Luck!

Kelly

Math Challenge December 21

Three of Santa's helpers are a combined height of 11 feet and3 inches. William is 12 inches shorter than Timothy, who is 9 inches taller than James. How tall is each of Santa's helpers?

Send answers to kellys3ps@sbcglobal.net

Good Luck!

Kelly

Louisiana Lesson Plan

Homeschool Teacher - Lesson Plan & NewsletterDecember 20, 2007

History

Today is Louisiana Purchase day.

Reading

Read more about the Louisiana Purchase here: http://www.usmint.gov/kids/teachers/lessonPlans/50sq/2002/0406-3.pdf (page 5&6)

Vocabulary

Find these Louisiana words: http://homeschooling.about.com/library/blwordla.htm

Define each of these words and use them in a sentence:

1. union
2. justice
3. confidence

Geography

Identify 5 major cities and 2 landmarks in Louisiana here: http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/soc_studies/states/la/

Learn how America changed with the Louisiana Purchase here: http://www.usmint.gov/kids/teachers/lessonPlans/50sq/2002/0406-3.pdf (page 7&8)

Science

The state bird of Louisiana is the brown pelican. Read more about it here: http://homeschooling.about.com/cs/unitssubjgeog/p/suslabird.htm

1. How much fish does a 1 month old brown pelican eat each day?

Cooking

Try this recipe for Louisiana dirty rice with your parents: http://homeschooling.about.com/od/kidscookingintheusa/r/susrecipela.htm

Don’t Forget the Math Challenge!

http://homeschoolingthemiddleyears.blogspot.com/2007/12/math-challenge-december-20.html

For more Free Homeschool Lesson Plans
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomeschoolteacherlessonplansKto3/ (k-3)


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Math Challenge December 20

In 1803, The United States paid France $15 million for the Louisiana Territory which covered 828,000 square miles of land and would double the size of the United States. How much did each square mile cost the United States?

Send answers to kellys3ps@sbcglobal.net

Good Luck!

Kelly

Oatmeal Muffin Lesson Plan

Homeschool Teacher - Lesson Plan & NewsletterDecember 19, 2007

History

Today is national oatmeal muffin day.
Reading
Oatmeal is a type of grain. Learn more about healthy eating with grains with this reading comprehension worksheet: http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/science/food/read/
Grammar
Learn more about nouns with this worksheet: http://www.einfoweb.com/grammar/nouns/worksheets/kinds_of_nouns.html
Cooking
Try this yummy recipe: http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipes/detail.asp?id=8220&page=1&per=10&category_id=10

Don’t Forget the Math Challenge!
http://homeschoolingthemiddleyears.blogspot.com/2007/12/math-challenge-december-19.html

For more Free Homeschool Lesson Plans
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomeschoolteacherlessonplansKto3/ (k-3)


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homeschoolteacherlessonplans/ (4-8)

Math Challenge December 19

My favorite oatmeal muffin recipe requires 1/3 cup of oatmeal for each batch. I’ve got 7 cups of oatmeal in my cupboard. How many full batches of muffins can I make?

Send answers to kellys3ps@sbcglobal.net

Good Luck!

Kelly

Hong Kong Lesson Plan

Homeschool Teacher - Lesson Plan & NewsletterDecember 18, 2007

History
On this day in 1941, Japan invaded Hong Kong.
Hong Kong is not an independent country, but a territory. In 1898, after a war between Britain and China, the two countries signed an agreement that gave Britain control of Hong Kong for 99 years. In 1997, it was returned to China. However, unlike socialist China, Hong Kong has a market economy, one of the world's most prosperous.
Read more about Hong Kong here: http://homeschoolingthemiddleyears.blogspot.com/2007/12/hong-kong.html
Foreign Language/Art
Many people in Hong Kong speak Chinese. Learn how to count to 10 in Chinese with this fun art project: http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/count-the-stars-lesson-plan/
Use this link to find out how to write the Chinese numbers: http://www.mandarintools.com/numbers.html
Geography
Use this map of Hong Kong: http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/hk.htm to fill in this map here: http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/outline/hkout.htm



Don’t Forget the Math Challenge!
http://homeschoolingthemiddleyears.blogspot.com/2007/12/math-challenge-december-18.html

For more Free Homeschool Lesson Plans
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomeschoolteacherlessonplansKto3/ (k-3)


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homeschoolteacherlessonplans/ (4-8)

Math Challenge December 18

Hong Kong has a population of 7 million people. The southern Chinese dialect of Cantonese is the most common spoken language and is understood by 97% of the population. How many people in Hong Kong understand Cantonese?

Send answers to kellys3ps@sbcglobal.net

Good Luck!

Kelly

Hong Kong

Many people think of Hong Kong as an island. Hong Kong is actually made up of many islands - 236 islands plus a chunk of mainland bordering the province of Guangdong. Hong Kong Island is one of the largest and most important of the islands; peninsular Kowloon is an urban center on the mainland, and the New Territories is a more suburban and rural area on the mainland.


CLIMATE: Hong Kong has a temperate climate moderated by the Pacific Ocean; it is usually warm during the day (60s to 70s) and cooler during the evening. In the summer it rarely drops below 80° with highs near 90°. Rain is quite common during the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters.

CURRENCY: The Hong Kong dollar (HKD) is made up of 100 cents.

LANGUAGE: Official languages are Chinese (Cantonese) and English. Cantonese is the primary language, although Mandarin (Putonghua) is heard more and more. English is spoken in all the main tourist areas, hotels and restaurants.

Math Challenge December 17

The Wright brothers used many calculations to create
their flying machine. The following formulas are
examples of some calculations commonly performed
by flight personnel today.

distance = rate x time
or
d = r t

This formula is used to find the distance a plane will
fly on a trip. It can also be used to find the speed of the
plane when the distance and time are given, or to find
the time when the distance and speed are given.

A plane travels at 375 knots (nautical miles per hour)
for 5 hours. How many nautical miles will the plane
travel?

Send answers to kellys3ps@sbcglobal.net

Good Luck!

Kelly

Alabama Lesson Plan

Homeschool Teacher - Lesson Plan & NewsletterDecember 14, 2007

History

On this day in 1819, Alabama became the 22nd state.

Lots of Arrowheads have been found in Alabama. Learn more about them here: http://www.archives.state.al.us/activity/actvty11.html


Geography

Learn more about the geography of Alabama here: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/statesbw/alabama.shtml

Vocabulary

Learn more about Alabama with these fun word searches: http://homeschooling.about.com/library/blwordal.htm.

And http://www.archives.state.al.us/alday/wordsearch.html

Have fun with this word game: http://www.archives.state.al.us/activity/actvty36.html


Don’t Forget the Math Challenge!
http://homeschoolingthemiddleyears.blogspot.com/2007/12/math-challenge-december-14.html

For more Free Homeschool Lesson Plans
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomeschoolteacherlessonplansKto3/ (k-3)


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homeschoolteacherlessonplans/ (4-8)

Math Challenge December 14

The signers of the Alabama Constitution were eighteen lawyers, four doctors, four planters, two ministers, one merchant, and one surveyor. From this group of men came one United States vice president, six United States senators, six Alabama supreme court justices, and six Alabama governors. What percentage of the signers went on to bigger political offices?

Send answers to kellys3ps@sbcglobal.net

Good Luck!
Kelly

Cocoa Lesson Plan

Homeschool Teacher - Lesson Plan & NewsletterDecember 13, 2007

History

Today is National Cocoa day! Read more about chocolate here: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/texas-loves-its-chocolate-an-ancient-treat-from-the-mayans-just-gets-better-175931.html

Vocabulary
How many words can you make out of hot chocolate?
http://bogglesworldesl.com/files2/hotchocolate.doc

Geography
Where in the world do they make chocolate? Find out here: http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2005/linero2/Lesson%204%20student%20worksheet.htm

Science
Learn more about cocoa with this worksheet: http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2005/linero2/Lesson%202%20Student%20Worksheet.htm

Don’t Forget the Math Challenge!
http://homeschoolingthemiddleyears.blogspot.com/2007/12/math-challenge-december-13.html

For more Free Homeschool Lesson Plans
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomeschoolteacherlessonplansKto3/ (k-3)


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homeschoolteacherlessonplans/ (4-8)

Math Challenge December 13

Grandma will give us hot chocolate with marshmallows. The number of marshmallows she uses is even. It is a two digit number. It is more than twenty, but less than thirty. The tens digit is half of the ones digit. How many marshmallows did Grandma put in the hot chocolate?

Send answers to kellys3os@sbcglobal.net

Good Luck!

Kelly

Math Challenge December 12

The store is having a sale on Poinsettia plants. They are on sale for 20% off. If they normally cost $18.90, how much are they during the sale?

Send answers to kellys3ps@sbcglobal.net

Good Luck!

Kelly

Plymouth Rock Lesson Plan

Homeschool Teacher - Lesson Plan & NewsletterDecember 11, 2007

History
On this day in 1620, the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock.
Reading
Read these Tales form a Wampanoag and Colonial kid's perspective:
http://www.plimoth.org/kids/stories.php
Vocabulary
Pilgrim children had unusual names. Learn about them here: http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/reproducibles/profbooks/ss971114a.htm

Geography
Use an atlas, or this map: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cispdf/ma_city_town.pdf
to find Plymouth on this map of Massachusetts: http://homeschooling.about.com/od/unitssubjgeog/ss/massprint_10.htm
Also find the state capital.

Math
Compare travel times with this math lesson: http://homeschoolingthemiddleyears.blogspot.com/2007/12/pilgrim-travel-math.html

Don’t Forget the Math Challenge!
http://homeschoolingthemiddleyears.blogspot.com/2007/12/math-challenge-december-11.html

For more Free Homeschool Lesson Plans
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomeschoolteacherlessonplansKto3/ (k-3)


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Pilgrim Travel Math

Sailing on wooden ships, like the Mayflower, all the way across the Atlantic ocean, took many months. In modern time, taking a non-stop flight from Los Angeles, California to London, England takes about 15 hours. The journey in the Mayflower from Southampton to Plymouth took 165 days.

1.Approximately how many weeks in 165 days?
2. How many Months?
3. How many hours?
4. How many meals would the passengers consume assuming they eat three meals a day?
5. How many more hours did the Pilgrims spend sailing than it takes for a modern traveler to fly from Los Angeles, California to London, England?

Math Challenge December 11

The top (visible) 1/3 of Plymouth Rock weighs approximately 4 tons. The bottom portion (under the sand) weighs approximately 6 tons. The Rock as it exists today is estimated to be only about 1/3 to 1/2 of its original size.

Assuming the rock is 1/3 of the original size, how big was it when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock?

Send answers to kellys3ps@sbcglobal.net

Good Luck!

Kelly

Math Challenge December 10

Santa and Mrs. Claus want to take 4 of the elves to see THE NUTCRACKER. How much will it cost if adult tickets are $34.95 and elf tickets (child) are $24.95?

Send answers to kellys3ps@sbcglobal.net

Good Luck!

Kelly

Pringle Can Nutcracker Craft

You can make a Nutcracker craft somilar to the other Christmas Pringle Can crafts above:

Materials:

• Empty Pringles® Potato Chip can or paper towel Roll
• Felt-various colors
• Craft fur, fiberfil,l or cotton balls for hair (optional)
• Tacky craft glue or low temp hot glue
• Rubber bands or masking tape to help hold things in place
• Yarn, ribbons, braid, trim feathers, buttons, fabric paint, etc.
• Thin cardboard to extend the hat beyond the top of the can, cereal box cardboard works well

Directions

1. Cover the can or paper towel roll with bands of felt for the shoes, boots, pants, jacket, face and hat. If necessary, glue an extra tube to the top of the can (overlap about an inch) if you want to make your nutcracker taller. Use rubber bands or masking tape to hold together while drying.

2. Add details to your nutcracker. If you are planning on using fabric paint, wait until you are almost finished to avoid smudging.

3. Make a line down the center of the legs with yarn or a thin strip of felt.

4. Arms and hands can be made of rolled tubes of felt. If you are adding trim to the jacket, put trim on first before adding arms.

5. Felt, craft fur, fiberfill or cotton balls can be used for hair.

6. Cut a rectangle out of skin tone felt for the nutcracker’s mouth. Add eyes and a nose.

7. Decorate your nutcracker with ribbon, braid, buttons, feathers, etc. Use your imagination!

History of the Nutcracker

Although Nutcrackers are a popular holiday item, the history of wooden nutcrackers is somewhat of a mystery. Stories about enchanted nutcrackers appear in folk-tales of Bohemia and Poland, but it seems that the carved object originated in the Saxony region of Germany about 250 years ago. At that time, the coal mines were depleted (or emptied) and the miners had to find other ways to make a living. Carving household objects out of wood became the regional specialty. The first noted nutcracker in the form we know today was the 1750 product of Erzgebirge, Germany.

It has been said that Nutcrackers as a holiday tradition is based on the fact that gilded nuts were a popular tree decoration and that something equally decorative was needed to open the nut to enjoy their contents. Legend has that a wealthy farmer sponsored a contest for the best product to crack open his crop of nuts. The winner, a puppeteer, was awarded a workshop for future generations to continue producing these nutcrackers.

Of course Tchaikovsky’s ballet has also had an influence on the popularity of nutcrackers.

Math Challenge December 7

Hawaii's Area is 10,932 square miles. The population of Hawaii was 1,211,537 (as of 2000). Approximately how many people are there in each square mile?

Send answers to kellys3ps@sbcglobal.net

Good Luck!

Kelly

Christmas Tree Facts - Bonus Math Challenge

• Christmas trees have been sold commercially in the United States since about 1850.
• In 2002, Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Washington, New York, and Virginia were the top Christmas tree producing states. Oregon was the leading producer of Christmas trees – 6.5 million in 2002.
• The best selling trees are Scotch pine, Douglas fir, Noble fir, Fraser fir, Virginia pine, Balsam fir and white pine.
• More than 2,000 trees are usually planted per acre. On an average 1,000-1,500 of these trees will survive. In the North, maybe, 750 trees will remain.
• In the United States, there are more than 21, 000 Christmas tree growers.
• In the United States, there are more than 12,000 cut-your-own farms.
• The first decorated Christmas tree was in Riga, Latvia in 1510.
• The first Christmas tree retail lot in the United States was started in 1851 in New York by Mark Carr.
• Christmas trees take an average of 7-10 years to mature.
• Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states including Hawaii and Alaska.
• 100,000 people are employed in the Christmas tree industry.
• 98 percent of all Christmas trees are grown on farms.
• In 1856 Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States, was the first President to place a Christmas tree in the White House.
• President Coolidge started the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on the White House lawn in 1923.
• In 2002, 21% of United States households had a real tree, 48% had an artificial tree and 32% had no tree.
• Thomas Edison’s assistant, Edward Johnson, came up with the idea of electric lights for Christmas trees in 1882.
• Christmas tree lights were first mass produced in 1890.
• In the first week, a tree in your home will consume as much as a quart of water per day.
• An acre of Christmas trees provides for the daily oxygen requirements of 18 people.
• 2-3 seedlings are planted for every harvested Christmas tree.
• In 2004 sixty million Christmas tree seedlings were planted by Christmas tree farmers.
• 30-35 million Real Christmas Trees are sold in the U.S. every year.

Math Challenge December 6

According to the National Christmas Tree Association, sales dropped from 32 million to 23.4 million between 2000 and 2003. What percentage decline was this?

Send answers to kellys3ps@sbcglobal.net

Good Luck!

Kelly

Rosa Parks Lesson Plan

Homeschool Teacher - Lesson Plan & NewsletterDecember 5, 2007

History
On this day in 1955, the Montgomery bus boycott begins. Planned in part by Martin Luther King, Jr., the boycott is a protest against the city's segregation laws, following the arrest of NAACP secretary Rosa Parks. Read more about it here: http://homeschoolingthemiddleyears.blogspot.com/2007/12/rosa-parks.html

Writing Prompt
Back in the early 1950s not many people had cars, so they had to take the bus. However, black people had to sit in the back and if a white person got on and there were no seats left, the black person had to give up their seat and get off the bus. Do you think this is fair? How would you have felt if you had to give up your seat?

Reading
Read more about Rosa Parks here: http://www.kwiznet.com/p/takeQuiz.php?ChapterID=10788&CurriculumID=41&Num=3.14
Vocabulary
Define each of the following words and use each in a sentence: Boycott, civil rights, colored, racism, and segregation



Don’t Forget the Math Challenge!

http://homeschoolingthemiddleyears.blogspot.com/2007/12/math-challenge-december-5.html

For more Free Homeschool Lesson Plans
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomeschoolteacherlessonplansKto3/ (k-3)


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homeschoolteacherlessonplans/ (4-8)

Math Challenge December 5

There are 125 people waiting at the bus station. If each bus seats 48 people, how many buses will be needed to carry all of the people?

Send answers to kellys3ps@sbcglobal.net

Good Luck!

Kelly

Rosa Parks

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a black seamstress, was arrested when she refused to listen to a Montgomery bus driver's order to give her seat up for a boarding white passenger as required by city law. There were many laws in the South during that time made to separate the races.

The African Americans in Montgomery's were outraged about Rosa Parks' arrest. In protest, many people chose to boycott against the city's bus line -- the people chose to walk rather than use the buses.

The Boycott ended in December 1956, over a year after it began, when the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the desegregation of buses in Montgomery.

Cookie Lesson Plan

Homeschool Teacher - Lesson Plan & NewsletterDecember 4, 2007

History
Today is National cookie day! Read more about it here: http://ezinearticles.com/?National-Cookie-Day---Time-to-Celebrate&id=123963

Writing Prompt
Did you know that the chocolate chip cookie was actually a mistake gone totally yummy? What kind of cookie would you invent? Name your new cookie, make a list of ingredients, and draw a picture of what your cookie will look like.
Science
Solve this Christmas Cookie mystery: http://sciencespot.net/Media/cookiemys.pdf
Directions for parents are here: http://sciencespot.net/Media/cookiemys2.pdf
Or have fun learning about the earth with this cookie experiment: http://www.nps.gov/lavo/forteachers/upload/lp3_earth_cookies.pdf


Don’t Forget the Math Challenge!
http://homeschoolingthemiddleyears.blogspot.com/2007/12/math-challenge-december-4.html


For more Free Homeschool Lesson Plans
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomeschoolteacherlessonplansKto3/ (k-3)


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homeschoolteacherlessonplans/ (4-8)

Math Challenge December 4

The cookie factory bakes 1,600 cookies per week. They are open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 Pm. On average, how many cookies do they bake each hour?

Send answers to kellys3ps@sbcglobal.net

Good Luck!

Kelly

Math Challenge December 3

How many times does your heart beat each day? Clue: On average a child's heart beats about 90 times per minute.

Send answers to kellys3ps@sbcglobal.net

Good Luck!

Kelly