We accidentally borrowed a library book for my younger son the other day – the “12 Bugs of Christmas“, a delightful little pop-up book.
A Mother and Her Autistic Daughter
13
Aug
I’ve been exchanging emails with a mother of an autistic child. Her name is Penny, and she has a blog of her own, about how she tries to teach her autistic daughter. The technique she is using seems to work – her daughter, now 11, is slowly catching up with other more “normal” kids, in terms of academic skills.
Teaching Autistic Children
04
Aug
I occasionally get emails from people asking “do you have any tips on how to teach math to my autistic son/daughter?” These queries leave me torn – I can’t help but want to help, but I have no experience with autism.
The Mouse-Eating Geniuses of Bihar
16
Jul
The Mushar people are amongst the poorest of the world’s poor. If you search the web, you’ll find descriptions of these people that range from encyclopaedic to heartbreaking. Their problem is not just that they are poor. They also live in the poorest state in India. Worst of all, they are considered “untouchables” in the Hindu caste system.
Paul the Lucky Octopus
09
Jul
According to the news, there’s a psychic octopus in Germany. Apparently, Paul the Octopus is able to predict the outcome of the FIFA world cup games. Well, they don’t actually know the octopus is psychic – maybe he’s just very good at analysing the strengths and weaknesses of the various teams. Or maybe he’s just lucky.
A Kindy Shape Hammering Toy
04
Jul
The other day I saw a fascinating toy in an educational bookstore. The toy consists of a set of colorful shapes made of wood, and a cork board. Each shape has a small hole in the center – there’s also a box of tachs which ft through the holes, and allow a child to pin the shapes to the corkboard.
Are Computers Bad for Kids?
28
Jun
My son’s teacher sent home a clipping from the newspaper, with the headline “Screens Damage Young: Expert”. According to the article, a UK psychologist “is demanding” that computer screens not be used in the education of kids under 9.
Etymology of ‘Eleven’
11
Jun
Now here’s something I bet you didn’t know – where does the word ‘eleven’ come from?
A Beautiful Fibonacci Movie
23
May
Here’s a beautiful movie I just found on youtube. It shows how the Fibonacci sequence and the golden ratio are related to the shape of a nautilus shell, the middle of a sunflower, and the pattern on a dragonfly’s wings. I wish I had the technical skills to make movies like this!
Loading ...