Sissa's reward

The girls are still enjoying the maths experiments/investigations that we have been doing, here is the latest one we have looked at.
In the myth Sissa ben Dahir was a coutier to a king, and he was a very clever courtier. He invented a new game for the king, similar to chess. The king was so pleased he offered Sissa a reward.
This is what Sissa asked for:
a grain of rice to be put on the first square , and then the number doubled for each successive square.
The King thought, mmm Sissa's not so clever afterall, but he thought wrong, the numbers grow very very quickly!
We looked at Sissa's reward using chocolate coins.
The numbers grow very quickly, and after six squares we had gone through 4 bags of chocolate coins.
we soon had to start using the calculator, the numbers were so huge.
By about the 20th square the calculator hit 'error', and we would have needed about 4000 million chocolate coins by the time we were half way along the chess board.

Winter Beauty

This is the first winter in our new house, so each season in the garden is a surprise. But the surprise this week has been pretty spectacular. First we have gorgeous carpets of Cylclamen.
They are so delicate and beautiful.

It's amazing that from these beutiful little flowers can emerge and rise above the dead weeds and grasses.




Cyclamens are tuberous plants, from which the flowers and roots grow.


and then there's theSnowdrops. Galanthus (gala geek for milk and anthos, flower)


I don't think I've ever looked in a Snowdrop before, they are almost like miniature cabbages.


Every so often, you see a solitary Snowdrop. That against the odds as made it through the weeds.

Hopefully by next year we will have cleared more weeds and the display will be even more spectacular.

Chinese New Year

Feburary 3rd 2011, the start of the Chinese new year celebrations, which go on for 15 days. Chinese New Year starts with the new moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later.
Yummy Chinese takeaway, the children all tried water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. Rosanna absolutlely loved the bamboo shoots and ate loads.

We finished the meal with fortune cookies.

The girls then entertained us with stringy puzzles they had learnt that day at a home ed group.
Eiffel tower
cup and saucer
parachute

Immy's 11th birthday

On the 23rd of January Imogen turned 11. She wanted to start the day with a breakfast of Pop tarts and Orange juice.



Time for presents.


Nice to get photos of the children, all looking clean and tidy at the same time!

Reuben with 'fairytale Ken' hair.

Off to the big garden in the afternoon, for a bonfire with friends.
Making yummy puddings to toast on the fire.
Hot chocolate, with whipped cream and marshmallows.
Thay all had a turn at fanning the flames on the bonfire.


Hello Kitty birthday cake made by Beccy, Geoff, Imogen, Jemima and Rosanna.

Burns Night

A lovely meal of Vegetarian Haggis, neaps and tatties, washed down with a cuppa!
We listened to Poems by Robert Burns, read by scottish actors.