What Are Frozen Fractals? A Lesson on Fractals to Go with Disney's Frozen Movie and Let It Go Song

Hazel and I LOVE Disney's movie Frozen. We are constantly listening to the soundtrack in our car. One of our favorite songs from the movie is Let It Go. If you have not heard the song or seen the movie you can
check out the song from the actual movie (with movie scenes) from Disney's website.

Math Lesson: Math Books Perfect for Homeschoolers and Summer Vacation

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Since I have not done a math post in awhile I thought I would share a few of the great math books I have found recently at my local library. There are many new ones out there and I promise to share more soon as well.

 The first one is a great book for any homeschooler wanting a fun way to introduce some geometry. Shapes in Math, Science and Nature:Squares, Triangles and Circles by Catherine Sheldrick Ross is an amazing book to really learn about three basic shapes. It is full of information and activities to explore circles, triangles and squares and as a former geometry teacher, I highly recommend this one. It even includes some of the geometric constructions where only a compass and straightedge (with no measurements on it) are used. The grade level recommendation for this one is fourth through ninth, but there are definitely some activities younger children could do it in it.

If you are trying to introduce some algebra here is a book for you, Mystery Math: A First Book of Algebra by David A. Adler. This book introduces the concept of a balanced equation, a variable and solving the equation while keeping it balanced in a fun way. In order to do this, a child must be able to add, subtract, multiply and divide. Since it has a theme of a haunted house, it also would be fun to read and introduce around Halloween.

Are you doing any traveling this summer? Here is a perfect book to teach math while traveling or about traveling. It is Travel Math by Pia Awal. This book introduces time and distance calculations, as well as calculations with things like population size, mountain height, temperatures, etc. The math involved is recommended for fourth grade and up.

So those are my recommendations for today with more to come. For more Math Lessons, check out:

• For the Love of Geometry 
• Finding Shapes and Patterns Everywhere! 
• Math in Nature 
• Number Importance and Number Sense 
• Egyptian Math--Pyramids 
• Pi Day 2013 and 2012
• This Plus That: Life's Little Equations
• My Math Pinterest Board

Starfish and Sand Dollar Wreath for a Touch of Summer

 Disclosure: I was sent these craft items to review free of charge from Oriental Trading. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I added links to the particular products for your convenience, but not for any compensation.

So while at Cape Cod last week, Hazel and I were in one of our favorite shops and I saw a pretty wreath made with white starfish. It looked very simple. It was a chipboard wreath form painted white with white starfish glued all over it. I showed it to my mother and Hazel and said we could make that. The owner of the store even commented how he considered getting out his glue gun to make one. I think it was on sale for about $17 dollars. I remembered the wonderful starfish I had received from Oriental Trading and thought let's make one when we get home. 

Fairy Tales in Different Cultures: The Persian Cinderella

Today we are going to share The Persian Cinderella by Shirley Climo. Now Persia is known today as Iran. Iran is known to be home to one of the world's oldest civilizations. In the 7th century, Rashindun Muslims invaded Persia (putting an end to the Roman-Persian Wars). During the Islamic Golden Ages Persian literature, art, philosophy, and medicine played important roles in the development of the Muslim Civilization. 

Source: Samuel Augustus Mitchell [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Teaching to Pray

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The other week, I was in charge of Hazel's Sunday School class. I love the craft we made and had to share it here. It came from the Kingdom of the Son Vacation Bible School Curriculum. For the summer we are doing Vacation Bible School lessons in Sunday School and having volunteer parents teach it. The goal of this Vacation Bible School is to teach the Lord's Prayer. I had the first week and we worked on the first part of the prayer and the message that God listens. The craft we chose to do was a simple one.

We traced each child's hands and had them cut them out. They decorated them with crayons or tissue paper squares. (Hazel did not make the best one, but I still love it. The squares make it hard to see the hands.) After they finished decorating we glued the hands together at the fingertips and then onto a piece of cardboard at the wrists so the hands would be in prayer position. Then we wrote "God Listens" on the cardboard.

Isn't it a cute craft. Plus it reminds children the position of their hands for prayer and that God listens to them pray. 

Looking for some more fun Christian crafts and/or lessons, check out:

• Footprints Cross Craft from Oriental Trading
• Baby Moses Story Book & Craft
• Noah's Ark
• Teaching the Trinity
• Prayer Beads for the Jesus Prayer
• My Religion/Church Related Pinterest Board