candies

Welcome back! Today we are going to play with M&Ms! First, get any pack of M&Ms. Open it up, without eating ANY of them, and organize them into different colors. In my package, I have 4 red M&Ms, 5 blue M&Ms, 4 brown M&Ms, 3 green M&Ms, and 2 yellow M&Ms.

Now put the M&Ms in order of number (from lowest to highest). For example, my line would look like this:
2 YELLOWS 3 GREENS 4 REDS 4 BROWNS 5 BLUES

To find the average (or mean) number of M&Ms in each color category, you add up all of the M&Ms and divide by the number of categories! Here is what that will look like for my package of M&Ms.

2 + 3 + 4 + 4 + 5 =18 total M&Ms
________________________ = an average of 3.6 M&MS

1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 =5 total categories

Using your same order of lowest to highest, we will find the median, or middle of the M&Ms. In my case, 4 REDS would be the middle of my line. How did I figure that out? I started from the outsides of blue and yellow and took the groups that were farthest away from the middle out of the line. After I took the blue and yellow away, it looked like this:

3 GREENS 4 REDS 4 BROWNS

I took away the two groups that were farthest from the middle away again. After I took the green and brown away, it looked like this:

4 REDS

Because I can't take away in more groups away from the middle, I am left with my reds. This means that the number of reds is my median, or my middle group.

Now arrange your M&Ms back how they were, in order from lowest to highest. We are now going to find the mode, which is the number that appears most in all of the groups. In my package of M&Ms, the numbers of each color are 2, 3, 4, 4, and 5. Which number appears the most amount of times? 4! The number 4 appears twice and all of the other numbers only appear once. This means that my package's mode is 4! What is the mode in your package?

Great work! Now you get to eat all of your M&Ms! Try to look for things around the house where you can find the mean, median, and mode!

winter time

What is the reason for a coat?
It keeps you warm in the winter!


Why do rabbits grow more fur in the winter?
It keeps them warm in the winter!

Why do we not wear coats in the summer? Why do rabbits lose some of their hair in the summer? So it isn't too hot!

When creatures and people adjust to their environments, it is called adaptation. We all adapt to our environments. If it is hot, we wear warmer clothes. If we live in a place that doesn't eat meat, our bodies adjust and don't need to eat as much meat. This is necessary for our survival. Adaptation has been happening since the world was created!

what do you know?

What do you think about these sentences?

Giraffes are short.

The sky is purple.

Bears have stripes.

Stars are in the ocean.

Fish are in the desert.

Did these sentences make much sense? I bet most of you are thinking, "What? That isn't right!" Maybe you have been to a zoo and seen that giraffes are tall and bears are usually brown, back, or white. You have seen the sky and know that it is usually blue. You have seen stars in the sky, and fish in the ocean!

There seems to be some difference in what your prior knowledge (what you knew before reading this) and this experience is making you think! This difference is called disequilibrium. Now you probably want to find out which is true! You were right. All of your prior knowledge was correct!

If You Give A Moose A Muffin

Have you ever read the book, If You Give a Moose a Muffin? It is a great book! Don't worry if you haven't read it yet because I have it right here for you! If you have the book, be sure to follow along!




Did you like the book? It's pretty funny! What did you notice about the moose? You might have noticed that the moose always wanted things without thinking about what the boy wanted. This is called being egocentric. That means that you think about the world mostly from your viewpoint. Try and think of any other books where the main character is egocentric.

counting

Let's try a counting activity! For this activity, you need to get 14 pennies. First, line 7 pennies up so they are touching. Now take the left-over 7 pennies and space them out in a line. (The second line should look bigger) Find a younger friend or sibling that you can quiz.

Ask them which line has more pennies.

If they are older, they will probably count both lines and see that they are equal. If they are younger, they will probably say that the spaced-out line has more pennies.

Why? Younger children do not fully understand conservation. This means that the amount stays the same, no matter what it looks like. As you get older, you understand that it doesn't matter if your objects are spaced out or pushed together, the amount stays the same.



(image courtesy of: http://www.alliancemartialarts.com/PENNIES2.JPG)

forgetting

Have you ever wondered why we forget things? I am sure have studied hard for a test, and just could not remember the next day. Where did the information go? Let's find out!

One problem might be an encoding failure. What does this mean? It means that maybe the information never actually reached your long-term memory. Your long-term memory lets you keep a lot of information in your brain for days, weeks, and even years!

Another possibility is decay. Have you heard of tooth decay? Let's think of your brain like a tooth. Over time, your teeth break down. This happens with your memory, too. Over time, your memory decays and you forget information that you used to know.

Another possibility of why you might forget things is called retrieval failure. This means that you learned something, but you cannot pull up any record of it. This can happen because of interference. This happens when you learn something that gets in the way of trying to remember another thing.

picture game

There are a lot of organizational strategies that help people to hold information in their brains.

First of all, let's play a picture game. Watch this video clip and without writing down anything, try to remember as many pictures as you can.



Now that you have seen all of the pictures, write down the list of the pictures that you remember. Now look at your list. Do you notice anything about the pictures you remembered?

Let's take a look at your list.

Did you use chunking? This means that you would group the pictures in a meaningful way. This means that you might have put the pictures into the categories of animals, sports, animals, and movies.

Did you use visual imagery? This means that you made pictures in your mind to help you remember all of the pictures.

Maybe you remembered the pictures that needed your full attention because of the bright colors, large shapes, or emotions.

Notice how you remember things. Recognizing how you memorize lists will help you in school, too!

being a teacher

Imagine you are a teacher in outer-space. You get two new students. One is named Wall-e and the other is Eve. As the teacher, you have to grade your students. Which student would you give an A?

Wall-e?


or Eve?


First of all, how did you grade your students? Maybe you noticed that Wall-e was messy and would probably make a bad student. What about Eve? She was so graceful, clean, and quiet. Maybe you felt she would make a great student!

The Halo Effect is when you grade someone based on their messiness or their angelic (acting like an angel) nature.

Chances are that you proved this by picking the "angelic" Eve to get an A instead of the "messy" Wall-e.

are you color blind?

Have you ever heard of the term diagnostic test? If you have, you probably have been tested to see if you have a problem.

Let's do a diagnostic test right now! Get out a piece of paper and write down what shapes or numbers you see in each picture. Let's get started to see if you are color blind!

Picture #1:

Picture #2:

Picture #3:
Picture #4:

Are you ready for the answers now? In picture #1, you should see a circle, star, and square. In picture #2, you should see a square and circle. In picture #3, you should see the number 12. In picture #4, you should see the number 45.

If you missed any of these answers, you might be color blind! Look for other diagnostic tests in your school. For example, you might have a hearing test. Remember to do your best!

Images provided by http://www.scarykidsgames.com/communities/0/004/006/732/170/images/4526119474_pre.jpg, http://www.toadhaven.com/images/121007_1611_Blindness1.jpg and elliotteye.com.

what tests do you like?

What kind of tests do you like? Maybe you haven't ever thought of this before, but there are a lot of different types of tests that you get every day! Sometimes you are being tested and you don't even realize it! I will give you a short quiz. Write down your answers on a different piece of paper.

Question 1:
If you had to take a cooking test, which would you like best?
a) cooking a specific recipe (after you learn about it) and letting the judges taste it
b) cooking a whole meal after learning about the recipes for a while
c) do a computer simulation (or imitation/game) where you cook on the computer
d) give a speech talking about your ingredients and food

Question 2:
Which do you like best?
a) to be quizzed right after you learn something
b) to be quizzed after a while of learning other things too
c) working on the computer instead of doing things in real life
d) talking through a test

Question 3:
Do you usually:
a) like to hear if you are getting the right answer?
b) remember main ideas from a book or unit?
c) like do something that doesn't involve talking or writing to show what you learned?
d) like to talk more than write?

If you typically answered A, you most likely enjoy formative assessment. This kind of test means that your teacher will let you know how you are doing in that moment.

If you typically answered B, you most likely enjoy summative assessment. This tests how you do once at the end of a unit, rather than a lot of tests during the unit.

If you typically answered C, you most likely enjoy authentic assessment. This means that you like to problem-solve in a way that helps you get ready for real life.

If you typically answered D, you most likely enjoy oral presentations. These presentations are tests that have you tell about your knowledge. For example, you might give a speech, skit, or debate.

All of these tests (or assessments) are performance assessments. This means that they are tests that have you do an activity to show that you know a skill or knowledge.

candy reward jars

Do you have a bad habit that you wish you could fix? Maybe you bite your nails, forget to say please or thank you, or forget to make your bed every morning. This is a great idea to help you fix any problem you might have!

Positive reinforcement is when you strengthen a behavior by rewarding yourself with something you like when you do a good job! For example, if I always forget to make my bed, I might reward myself with a candy each time that I accomplish my goal.

For today's activity, we are going to make candy reward jars!

Candy Reward Jars

1. Go around your house and look for any craft supplies (such as paper, stickers, markers, scissors, tape, and glue).
   
2. Ask to use or buy a jar- like the one below.
3. Decorate your jar in any way you like.
   
4. Fill your jar with your favorite mini candy.
   

Now whenever you accomplish your goal, be sure to reward yourself with one candy! After a while, you won't need candy as a reward- it will be a habit!

(image courtesy of http://images.landofnod.com/is/image/LandOfNod/2009_09_Art_Jar_jr?$zm$).

brushing your teeth

When you brush your teeth, do you think about what you are doing? Do you have to tell yourself to move your arm in circles, or does it just come natural? If you have known how to brush your teeth for a while, it probably comes natural for you! This is called automaticity. This means that you can perform the task quickly without having to think about it too much.

You probably notice that you can think about other things while you brush your teeth. If you have a song stuck in your head, you sing along in your head.

Here is an activity that will help you recognize that brushing your teeth is automatic to you!

While you are brushing your teeth, sing your favorite song two times in a row. What did you notice? Was it easy to still brush your teeth or was it hard to do two things at once? If it was difficult for you, practice every morning and night for a week and I promise you will improve!

(image courtesy of http://content.contentthatworks.com/images_articles/2008/home/home_20080501_break_banner.jpg).

fun calendars

Do you like to draw and decorate? Well I have the perfect activity for you! Today we are going to learn about a continuous schedule. This means that consequences happen every time a behavior happens. A consequence doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing, it is just a response to what you do.

For example, if you need to do the dishes every night, but have a hard time making it a habit, you might want to make a continuous schedule- every night think of a reward for doing the dishes. If you want your consequence to be negative, you would take something away. Perhaps you wouldn't be allowed to play video games for the night.

We are going to make a really fun calendar for you for this month. You get to decorate it however you want, but it will be your continuous schedule. It will help you to keep track of what good behaviors you are accomplishing!

Here are your instructions:

1. First, gather all of the supplies you might need to decorate your calendar (paper, markers, stickers)
2. Decide on a goal and a good/bad consequence. Write your goal and consequence on one piece of paper. This paper will go right next to your calendar to remind you of what you are working for!
3. Start drawing your calendar. It might help to find a blank copy of a calendar online. Or you can draw lines using a ruler. Be sure to write in the days of the week.
4. Decorate your calendar so you are excited to use it!
5. Draw an X through each day that you accomplish your goal and gave yourself a good or bad consequence.
   

Here is a copy of a calendar you can use to start with:

Good luck with your goals!

Just Grace

Have you ever read the book Just Grace Walks the Dog? This is a great book about a little girl (named Grace) who does everything to get a puppy. Now I won't spoil the ending, but at the beginning, Grace makes her very own dog! We are going to learn how to make a dog for today's lesson!

This great craft came from Digital by Design. Here is what you need to get before you start:

• one sock
• bag of cotton balls
• rubber bands
• permanent marker
  

1. Flatten a sock so that the heel part of the sock is facing up.

2. Roll a wad of cotton into a ball about one inch in diameter and stick it inside the sock so that it is in the toe area on the bottom left-hand side. Use your pointer finger to press the ball up against the side of the sock so that you can see your finger shape from the outside of the sock. Grab the ball of cotton from the outside of the sock and wrap a rubber band around the ball to form a foot. Do the same thing to the other side of the toe of the sock to form the other foot of the sock puppy.

3. Roll up two more wads of cotton and place them just below the heel of the sock. Form them into arms just like you did the feet.

4. Place a rubber band just above the arms to form the neck.

5. Put in more stuffing to form the head and secure the top with a rubber band. Once you have the body the way you would like it, you can replace the rubber bands with heavy thread.

6. Cut two ears from the top of the sock and glue them to the dog's head. Draw on eyes, a nose, and paw prints.

Now that you have your puppy, you need to teach it lots of lessons so it is well-behaved! First off, you need to teach it social isolation. This means a time-out. If your puppy chews up your dad's socks, be sure to put it in time-out so it can learn to behave! It is best if you move your puppy to an uninteresting room where he can sit alone.

When your puppy is first learning how to behave, you need to use prompts to teach him what he needs to know. A prompt is a reminder about a certain behavior. For example, if you want to teach your puppy how to sit, you might say, "Please sit nicely, puppy." This is a great prompt, and in no time your puppy will be a pro.

If your puppy is being bad, you need to give it a negative punishment. This means to take away something that the puppy wants. If your puppy makes a mess in your room, maybe you should take away his treats for that night.

If your puppy has some bad habits, but you are able to change them, these habits are now extinct. This means that the habits are no longer there because a new habit has replaced them. Perhaps your puppy used to go to the bathroom on the carpet, but now he has learned to go to the bathroom on the grass.

Don't forget to see all of the great things that your puppy can do! Praise your puppy when he learns a new trick! Praise show that you approve of his behavior. Make sure your puppy knows how great you think he is!

Have fun with your new dog!

personality test

Did you know that everyone learns in a different way? We do! There is a theory called Gardener's Theory of Multiple Intelligences. This theory talks about how everyone is made up of different "smarts." You can be smart in music, body, people, words, logic, nature, yourself, and pictures!

Maybe you have taken a personality test before. This test that you are about to take will tell you what intelligence you are! If you need help, be sure to ask your parents. You can even ask your family members and friends to take this test. Compare your results to see how you are the same and different.

Just click on this link, to learn more about how you learn! Enjoy!

cool sayings

Have you ever heard of the word mnemonic device? Well, a mnemonic device is a special trick that helps students learn and remember some information. You might have seen some mnemonic devices before. Have you seen ROYGBV? This is a great mnemonic device that helps people remember the colors of the rainbow: Red (R), Orange (O), Yellow (Y), Green (G), Blue (B), and Violet (V). Here are a few mnemonic devices that can help you in school to remember some facts. You can make up others to help you with anything!

Can you remember the directions in order? Try this:
Never Eat Soggy Wheat!
North, East, South, West (clockwise)

Never (North)
Wheat (West) Eat (East)
Soggy (South)

Here's a great saying that helps you to remember the number of days in each month!

Hold up two fists together. Start with your first knuckle (January), and say the months in order to December. If you land on your knuckle, that month has 31 days. If you land in between knuckles, it has 30 days (besides February, which has 28 or 29).

Now you try to make up your own mnemonic device! Maybe it will help you in your next school test!

http://www.betterendings.org/Homeschool/Fun/mnemonic.htm

talking to yourself

Do you ever notice that you talk aloud to yourself? This might seem a little strange, but it is completely normal! This is called private speech, which is what you do when you talk to yourself. Eventually this leads to talking to yourself in your head.

In fact, you probably have read a lot of books where the main characters talk to themselves! In fact, in one of my favorite books, Corduroy Lost and Found, Corduroy talks to himself multiple times! It is a great way to sort your thoughts. So next time you talk aloud, don't stop yourself! Just do it!

(image provided by: http://www.liveoakmedia.com/client/products/ProdimageLg/27939.jpg)

smiley pancakes

Welcome boys and girls!

Have you ever taken a standardized test before? This is very likely if you have ever been to school! A standardized test is a test created by a bunch of experts to see how YOU are doing in a subject. A lot of these tests are for our entire country! Millions of kids just like you take these tests.

These tests seem really stressful, but if you have worked hard in school, you will be just fine. Do you want to know something that is fun to do before you take your big test?

Eat a big and yummy breakfast!

Did you know that eating breakfast is one of the most important things you can do to keep your brain thinking hard? Here is a great breakfast to make you "smiley"... even about a test!

First things first, make sure you have a parent or guardian to help you make this delicious and healthy breakfast!

Smiley Pancakes
Ingredients:

• pancake mix
• a couple of fresh strawberries
• 2 blueberries and
• a handful of chocolate chips

1. Prepare your pancake mix! Cook a pancake according to the directions on the box.
2. Have a parent/guardian help you to cut washed strawberries into fine slices. Now put the strawberries around the pancake.
   
3. Take your two washed blueberries and put them on the pancake (like eyes)!
4. Make a big smile with your chocolate chips!
5. Enjoy!
   

(image courtesy of http://cdn.sheknows.com/articles/smiley-face-pancake.jpg).