Back to our rhythm

We are back after a week away in Michigan, sadly to say goodbye to my dearest maternal grandma. She was one of my best teachers, both in life and in knowledge. It was a long, difficult week but important and memorable to us both.  While it was a week off from formal work, Conor spent a great deal of time working on an idea for an instant transporter that would take us from Seattle to Michigan in minutes.  He says "it may take me until I am 40 to work out all the problems.  I just need to solve how to break the people into their atoms and put them back together on the other side. "  That lead to a trip for urgently needed study materials from the bookstore, a science dictionary and a book about technology, both of which Conor has been studying quite intently all that evening and our travel day back.  


We have kicked off a measurement theme, yesterday using our bodies as rulers, measuring various parts of our bodies and diagramming them.  We noted that horses are still measured by hands and that a yard was the length of a stride.  Conor then measured the width of our property with large strides.  We multiplied his strides by 3 and then noted that number.  Then we measured by tape measure and found that he was off by less than 2 feet!  Today we brought out the liquid measurements first guessing and then testing our approximations.     

The rest of the afternoon was taken up by an exciting chemistry lesson about the properties of atoms.  We took water of varying temperatures and observed the rate of diffusion of each, creating first an hypothesis which was quickly confirmed.  While we were waiting for the final time interval measurements we also discussed the parts of an atom.  Which turned out to be total review for my studious boy.  


Writing is coming more and more willingly and easily.  Our daily weather journal fell by the wayside on our trip, but  back into it today.  In other math review, Conor is getting faster and quicker at his times tables with Timez Attacks.  Overall, it has been a bit sluggish trying to get back to a rhythm, but looking forward to seeing our friends again in drama and sports class tomorrow to be truly back in the swing.