December 28, 2021
Winter Issue #5
Weekly activities and lessons to keep your child thinking and progressing throughout the school year.
"Talent is a pursued interest. Anything that you're willing to practice, you can do."
The McManus Files
Winter Issue #5

Hello,

I hope your holidays have been enjoyable and full of joy. I've been enjoying the time indoors, due to all the glorious rain, reading and baking! I'm going to have to hit the trails big time once school begins. Enjoy the rest of your time off.

Please share this flyer with your friends and encourage them to join our mailing list by following the links on this page.

Mr. McManus :-)
Great Read of the Week
Ban This Book
by Alan Gratz
I appreciate this book for many reasons. I love how it empowers children to stand up for injustices. They quickly learn that they do have a voice and can create change through action. Also, it is a book that thoughtfully combats the heinous act of banning books. Readers, librarians, and all those books that have been challenged have a brand new hero in this novel's hero, Amy Anne Ollinger. She's a true champion, and her passion is a testament to how doing the right thing and standing up for what you believe in is the first step in finding your own courage and creating positive change. Reading this book inspires a lot of independent reading. It is amazing how many children's books have been banned and who wouldn't want to check those titles out and come to their own conclusions. Finally, the banned book in this story is The Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. A classic that all preteens should read and w! Maybe that will be your next book. Ask me if you need a copy.Enjoy!
Inquiry Quest
How Strong is Spaghetti?
How strong is spaghetti? Can you invent a way to find out! This STEM challenge is a lot of fun, and you won’t need much in the way of materials!

  • 1 package of spaghetti
  • 2 sheets of styrofoam
  • Books
  • Wooden blocks


Think about a way to test the strength of spaghetti! Have fun investigating!

Here are two ideas, but there are so many more ways if you put your thinking caps on.
What can we learn about the strength of materials from spaghetti?

This article from Scientific American explains what engineers are looking for when choosing the materials to design a bridge, and it has a neat experiment to test tension and compression in a bridge made out of spaghetti. It’s not difficult to read, and I definitely learned something!
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.
Three Writing Prompts and a Riddle

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!


"My kite flew into the mysterious Mr. Milkweed's backyard so I..."


"Tommy was walking into the barn with an ax and..."


"In the end, Jesse decided to go peacefully..."

I make a loud sound when I’m changing. When I do change, I get bigger but weigh less. What am I?

answer in next week's issue :-)

Last week's answer... Wrong
Problem of the Week
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