April 12, 2022
Spring Issue #7
Weekly activities and lessons to keep your child thinking and progressing throughout the school year.
"The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team."
Happy Tuesday!

I hope you and your family are staying healthy. In this week's flyer I've stocked the Math Problem and Riddle sections with head scratchers. You are going to have to put your logic caps on to crack these puzzles. I hope you have as much fun as I did solving them. This week's book recommendation is one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a long time. I know everybody in your household will enjoy this unique story. Keep busy and keep thinking and have a great week!

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
The House at the Edge of Magic
by Amy Sparkes
This is a wonderfully imaginative story! I immediately fell in love with the book’s magical world and became invested in the colorful characters that the feisty orphan, Nine, discovers inside the house. Who would have thought that one could feel so acutely for a troll with an emotional attachment to a feather duster? Or a wooden spoon in a kilt? These memorable characters have been placed under an extraordinary spell, which they are desperate for Nine to break, and if she can, maybe they can offer her a new life in return…This book is full of heart and humor, and I can’t wait for the next in the series to be published! This would be a enjoyable family read aloud, especially in households with younger children ready for an introduction to the magic found literature.
Enjoy!
Inquiry Quest
How to Make Wax Resist
This eggs-cellent technique is to dye for!
Incorporate some chemistry into your egg dyeing with this twist on a classic spring activity. (Not to mention the wonderful egg salad you can enjoy afterward.)

The properties of wax crayons and water-based paints and dyes create beautiful effects on eggs or paper. You won’t be able to resist it!

GATHER THIS:
  • Hardboiled eggs (room temperature)
  • Food safe egg dyes in mugs or glass jars
  • Crayons
  • Spoons
  • Clean rag for spills or drying eggs
  • Egg-free option: instead of eggs and dyes, use cardstock and watercolor paint

THEN DO THIS:
  1. Draw or write on an egg with a crayon. Try different colors, including white. (tip: press hard to make marks that show up well)
  2. Use a spoon to slowly lower an egg into a dye bath. What do you think will happen to your drawing?
  3. Wait a few minutes. Remove the egg from the dye. Can you still see your drawing?
  4. Let dye air dry or pat dry with a clean cloth.
  5. Color on the egg again and dip it in another color, if desired.
  6. If you’re doing this activity as an egg-free option, try other drawing tools like markers, pastels, or colored pencils in addition to crayons.

ASK THIS:
  • How does the egg shell feel? What is the texture of the crayon?
  • What do you predict will happen to the wax drawing when it is dipped in dye?
  • To which surface does the dye stick more easily? How can you tell?

WHAT IS HAPPENING?
Dyes and watercolor paints are mostly made of water, which clings to egg shells and paper. They do not adhere as easily to wax or oil. Wax, an organic chemical, is hydrophobic (“afraid of water”). The hydrophobicity of a substance refers to the degree to which water forms beads or spreads out over the surface. When you color on an egg with a crayon before dipping it in dye, the wax protects the egg shell so the color in the dye cannot stick to that area.
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!


"I said the only thing I could think of to my mom..."


"Sebastian threw the television off the roof because..."


"I always hated brushing my teeth until..."

Last week's answer... An egg
Problem of the Week
Logic Quiz
This was fun... I'll post the answers in next weeks flyer.
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