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April 4, 2023
Spring Issue #2
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Weekly activities and lessons to keep your child thinking and progressing all year long. |
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"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."
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Happy Tuesday!
Well, that was a fast week. I hope you all had a fun and enjoyable Spring Break. Now, the longest stretch of the school year begins. April, May, and half of June lie in front of us and there is only one three day weekend scheduled during those tenish weeks. Mix in state testing, Open House, and all the end of the year activities... Whew! This is going to be fun :-)
I was able to read a few outstanding books over the break. My favorite is recommended in this week's flyer. I love books that teach about science while telling a powerful and memorable story. Manatee Summer really hit home with me, and if your child is an animal lover and concerned about the protection of endangered species, then this book will be perfect. The science activity seems really simple, but it teaches a very complex concept. I like activities like this the most - so simple and with so much science. Keep practicing the basics everyday... Take chances, make mistakes. That's how you grow. Practice will nourishes your courage, so keep practicing and be brave.
Have a glorious week!
If you know anybody who you think would benefit from the weekly learning activities in this flyer, please share it with your friends and encourage them to join The McManus Files mailing list by following the links on this page.
Peace,
Mr. McManus
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If you feel your child might benefit from a group or individual tutoring program to prepare them for the next phase of their education, please contact McManus Tutoring.
Programs are structured so that students learn independence, accountability, and self-possession. They will develop a repeatable structure that can be used to build success in the future.
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Manatee Summer
by Evan Griffith
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Condiment Diver
To paraphrase French philosopher René Descartes: "I sink, therefore I am."
Changes in fluid pressure affect the buoyancy of a Cartesian diver made from a condiment packet. The diver floats, sinks, or hovers in response to pressure changes.
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Materials you’ll need:
- Cup
- Water
- Several squeeze-condiment packets such as soy sauce, ketchup, or mustard
- Clear plastic bottle with screw-on cap
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Assembly
- Fill a cup with water and drop in your packets one by one to see how they’ll work. The best packets to use in this activity are ones that just barely float.
- After you’ve found the proper packet, fill an empty, clear plastic bottle to the very top with water. Shove your unopened condiment packet into the plastic bottle. Replace the cap and you’re done!
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To Do and Notice
Squeeze the plastic bottle to make the diver sink, and release it to make it rise.
What's Going On?
The key to making this work is to choose a condiment-packet diver that barely floats. This works because, while many sauces are denser than water, it’s actually the air bubble sealed inside the packet that determines whether it will sink or swim.
Squeezing the bottle increases pressure on the condiment packet, compressing the air bubble inside. When the higher pressure compresses the air in the packet, the packet displaces less water, thus decreasing its buoyancy and causing it to sink. When you release the sides of the bottle, the pressure decreases and the air inside the packet expands once again. The packet’s buoyancy increases and the diver rises.
The Greek philosopher Archimedes was the first person to notice that the upward force that water exerts on an object, whether floating or submerged, is equal to the weight of the volume of water that the object displaces. That is, the buoyant force is equal to the weight of the displaced water.
Going Further
Change the shape of the diving bottle and you can get an additional effect. If you use a thin, flat plastic bottle (like from shampoo or mouthwash), squeezing the differently shaped sides changes what happens inside the bottle.
Choose a diver that just barely floats, put it in a bottle filled completely with water, and put the cap on. Squeeze on the wide sides of the bottle and you make the volume inside smaller—the pressure inside the bottle goes up, compressing the air bubble in the diver, and the diver sinks and remains on the bottom (as it does in the preceding activity). Squeeze on the narrow sides of the bottle and you make the volume inside larger: The pressure inside the bottle goes down, allowing the air bubble in the diver to expand, and the diver rises.
With a round bottle, you won’t be able to get the diver to rise again once it’s on the bottom.
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Three Writing Prompts and an Essay Topic
These prompts and questions will help jump-start your daily writing. Just as it's important to read for at least 30 minutes each day, you should also write for 30 minutes a day. Don't worry about your organization or spelling, just write!
"I love ice cream especially when..."
"The package was addressed to me and said, "Handle With Care"
Use the following words in a story: closing, fearless, innocent
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April 4th
Dorothea Dix, the American social reformer and author, was born today in 1802 in Hampden, Maine. Dorothea left home at age 10, was teaching at age 14, and founded a home for girls in Boston while still in her teens. She fought for better conditions in jails and homes for the poor and mentally ill.
Prompt
What makes Dorothea Dix a good role model for kids today? Is there a cause you would fight for? What makes you choose this cause?
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Arrange Puzzle Game
Click the game or this link to try this challenging logic problem.
My score was 46 seconds in 42 moves. Can you beat me?
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