The Fundamentals of Kite Flying

We live in an area where the weather is notoriously unpredictable.  We routinely have rain and sunshine occur simultaneously, blizzards followed by heat waves, and snowstorms in June. 

After becoming a mother, I developed a new appreciation for weather.  I learned that cloudy days are best for blowing bubbles, rainy days are best for baking cookies, and windy days -- which I once loathed -- offer a rare opportunity to learn a few fundamentals of physics.

That being said, here is the essential information you need to fly a kite:

1. You will need a kite (I prefer nylon as they last longer than plastic), kite string, scissors or a pocket knife (to cut out the knots that will inevitably form in your string), and a nice wide open field with no trees or power lines nearby.  If the weather is cold in addition to being windy, you will need a thermos of hot cocoa, a packet of tissues, and hats and gloves.  I actually keep a kite-flying bag in my car just in case the wind picks up.  As I said, our weather is unpredictable...

2. To get your kite into the air, stand with your back to the wind and hold the kite in front of you and as high up as you can.  The goal is to catch the wind in the kite like a sail.   (Although it may be tempting, running with the kite and hoping it will spontaneously take off is usually futile and a little dangerous.)  

3. It is also a good idea to have an explanation of the mechanics of kite flying ready.  Here is how I explained it to my 6-year-old (My 4-year-old still believes kites are kept in the air by magic.): 

a.  Kites are heavier than air, so they need to be "lifted" into the air and held up there by the wind or they fall down. (The weight of the object is heavier than the fluid through which the object will travel.)

b. On windy days, air is blown in one direction very fast. (Lift is a mechanical force which requires both a fluid -- in this case air -- and motion.)

c. If we catch the wind in the kite like a sail, the kite is lifted into the air by the wind. (When the kite is held perpendicularly to the wind, the kite changes the flow of the air, causing the air to flow both above and below the kite.)  

d. Once the kite is in the air, the shape of the kite moves the wind to the underside of it and lifts the kite higher, keeping it in the air.  (The air pressing on the top of the kite is moving faster than the air that is diverted by the kite to the underside, and therefore exerts less pressure on the kite than the air pressing on the underside.  This uneven pressure causes the kite to rise into the air -- a force known as "lift.")

4. Once your kite is airborne, try to keep it at a 45 degree angle to the ground. This is accomplished by letting out and reeling in the kite string. Fly your kite until the wind dies down or the kids lose interest. When you are ready to go, reel in the kite. As it loses altitude, it will lose lift, and fall to the ground.

Impromptu Mathematics

Lena had 10 seconds to sit down and buckle her seat belt.  Maggie decided to help keep time.  She counted to 10 and that was so easy, she decided to keep on counting.  She counted while we drove home, while she tidied her room, while she took her bath, while she brushed her teeth.  She counted all the way to 489.  (She wrote the number down and plans to continue the count in the morning.)

Mommy had to remind her a few times where she was and what comes after what.  We counted by ones, tens, and hundreds.   We used bath crayons to split the number 253 into 200, 50, and 3 so that Maggie could understand how the numbers she counted were written.

I won't say it was easy to keep up with her counting while driving, bathing, and putting the girls to bed.  And I won't say that patience comes easily when you have to remind your 6-year-old again that 80 comes after 79.  But when your child is excited about math, you go with it for as long as it lasts.

History

I am a Social Studies nerd.  I always have been.  It is my all time favorite subject, as most of my elective credits in college will show.

So, it is only by sheer force of will that I am able to teach Maggie science, music, writing, and math.  If I had my way, it would be Social Studies day every day.

That being said, we are using Susan Wise Bauer's The Story of the World.  The material -- which I find fascinating any way -- is presented chronologically, so the student has a better understanding of the continuity of human history, the movement of peoples, and the development of cultures.  Two nerdy thumbs up!

"The Ill-Fated Cobbler" (or "One Disastrous Dessert")

Maggie made a pear cobbler to celebrate the end of summer.  The pears were tree-ripened and delicious, the ingredients were measured and mixed with the wonder and care that can only be had by a person to whom baking is not yet a dreaded chore.  Maggie was so proud of her first, golden brown foray into baking.

Unfortunately, we used an all-purpose gluten-free flour that contained fava and garbanzo beans.  It provided an awful bitter flavor that not even our delightful summer pears could disguise.  However, the family raved about the dessert and, when little eyes were not watching, we quietly slid our platefuls into the garbage.

We are hooked on phonics.

Since our "formal" homeschooling began, Maggie and I have been going over the basics of phonics.  She didn't catch on very quickly last year in "Real School," and I'm afraid she is missing some key concepts.  We've memorized the "Short-Vowel-Sounds Poem" and the "Consonant Poem," and are now sounding out words.   

In math class, we are zipping through Saxon Math Level K.  I inherited a Horizons math book from a friend, so we'll check our understanding by reviewing those lessons, too.

And, last, but definitely not least, we have been writing. A lot. (In fact, if I have your address, you will probably receive a letter from Maggie!)  Last year, Maggie learned "invented spelling" or something, and now believes that she is the measure of all things spelling-wise.  When we work on writing letters(dictated by Maggie, transcribed by Mommy, and then copied by Maggie) I have to keep our Rainbow Dictionary close at hand.  Most of the time, she questions my 25 years of letter-writing experience and demands to be shown the dictionary entry for the word in question. 

She is definitely her mother's daughter.