December 27, 2022
Winter Issue #5
Weekly activities and lessons to keep your child thinking and progressing all year long.
"Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts."
Hello and Happy New Year,

I hope you had a fantastic holiday and were able to relax and celebrate with your loved ones. These past few days have been incredibly restorative.

Here is a quick flyer to help through this week without school. If your child is "bored", I've recommended a superior adventure book series, linked a fun and self-guided art project, shared four writing prompts and a slew of challenging math problems. have a great week and stay curious.

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
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.
Book of the Week
Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret Book 1
by Trudi Trueit
Wow. Explorer Academy is my favorite new kids' series this year, and I am recommending it to everyone. Parents, this is a series that will keep kids completely engaged and on the edge of their seats. This groundbreaking series of fact-based fiction books is inspired by real science adventures of National Geographic Explorers. Explorer Academy is sure to awaken readers’ inner adventurer and curiosity about the world around them while encouraging a love of reading. This series will inspire the most reluctant of readers with their very compelling and exciting stories. One thing I loved was that they feature many codes and puzzles throughout the stories as well as lots of technology and gadgetry. The books are multinational have many different characters from many differing nationalities and they travel to exotic and very interesting locations. What is better than reading an adventure story, learning about the diverse world we live in and building an understanding of science? These books truly have it all. Enjoy!
Inquiry Quest
SKYSCRAPER PERSPECTIVE Art Lesson
This is a terrific art lesson for teaching perspective! You will have tons of fun creating your very own cities. Follow the step-by-step directions that are in this great tutorial video.
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 hadn't seen the door before. It wasn't there last night. Cautiously, I turned the handle."


"As she walked along the street the tiny dragon in her pocket stirred restlessly."


“Cold and wet, tired and exhausted she made her way along the path through the forest.”

December 27th
Today is “Visit the Zoo Day.” Visiting the zoo is always a fun experience. People who visit zoos get to see many different animals. Some that they are familiar with and some that they may have never heard of.

Prompt: Do you think zoos are a necessary thing to have? Why or why not? 
Problems of the Week
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Try a KenKen
Sudoko is too busy for me, and I get overwhelmed with all the tiny boxes. About 15 years ago, I discovered KenKen puzzles which use the same logic as Sudoko but with a math twist. With practice they get easier. Give KenKen a try... Here is a medium and an easy puzzle
Rules For Playing KenKen
The numbers you use in a KenKen puzzle depend on the size of the grid you choose. A 3 x 3 grid (3 squares across, 3 squares down) means you use the numbers 1, 2, and 3. In a 4 x 4 grid, use numbers 1 to 4. A 5x5 grid requires you use the numbers 1 to 5, and so on.
The numbers in each heavily outlined set of squares, called cages, must combine (in any order) to produce the target number in the top corner using the mathematic operation indicated (+, -, ×, ÷).
Here's how you play:
  1. Use each number only once per row, once per column.
  2. Cages with just one square should be filled in with the target number in the top corner.
  3. A number can be repeated within a cage as long as it is not in the same row or column.