Miffy Papercraft [via mediafire]
Monday, February 27, 2006
Miffy Papercraft - The Little White Bunny
Here is another cute paper model creation by Kei Kraft, this was commisioned by Asahi.com in recognition of Miffy, the loveable little white bunny created by Dick Bruna, one of the most famous creators of picture books in the world. Miffy is a very popular character in Japan, and if you have not noticed it by now, Japan likes cute and cuddly animal characters.
Miffy Papercraft [via mediafire]
Miffy Papercraft [via mediafire]
Asahi Shimbun Dog Papercraft
Today we have a beautiful paper model of a dog from Asahi.com, Asahi Shimbun is one of the oldest and largest national leading newspaper in Japan having 8.27 million in their morning circulation and about 3.85 million for its evening edition. They print paper models on their newspapers from time to time or on special occassions. Here you could see they have commisioned a very nice paper model of a dog from Kei Craft.
Asahi Shimbun - Dog Papercraft [via mediafire]
Asahi Shimbun - Dog Papercraft [via mediafire]
Where did the mental math go?
Recently I saw this kind of problem used as an example; it went something like this:
We're in the grocery store. We're going to buy 6 watermelons, and divide each of them into fourths. How many slices will we get?
I want you to think hard :) ... and find the answer to that question. Also note HOW you found it...
Got it? Now listen how it was solved in this particular mathematics tutorial:
They changed a fourth into its decimal equivalent, 0.25, and proceeded to divide 6 by 0.25 - going thru the motions of multiplying both dividend and divisor by 100 before getting to the long division of 600 ÷ 25, and then finally onto the answer!!!
And this was for 7th grade math. Sad!
What happened to mental math?
What happened to solving problems with the most efficient and quickest way?
Well here's a suggestion for an example instead of that one:
You are considering buying notebooks for your school which are $0.42 each. Your budget is $200. How many notebooks can you buy?
You can solve this by going 200 ÷ 0.42.
But even this problem you can estimate the answer this way:
Five notebooks is about $2. I have hundred times as much money so I should get a little less 500 notebooks with $200.
In fact, shopping is full of opportunities to practice estimation and mental math. Just try sometime!
Tags: math, curriculum
We're in the grocery store. We're going to buy 6 watermelons, and divide each of them into fourths. How many slices will we get?
I want you to think hard :) ... and find the answer to that question. Also note HOW you found it...
Got it? Now listen how it was solved in this particular mathematics tutorial:
They changed a fourth into its decimal equivalent, 0.25, and proceeded to divide 6 by 0.25 - going thru the motions of multiplying both dividend and divisor by 100 before getting to the long division of 600 ÷ 25, and then finally onto the answer!!!
And this was for 7th grade math. Sad!
What happened to mental math?
What happened to solving problems with the most efficient and quickest way?
Well here's a suggestion for an example instead of that one:
You are considering buying notebooks for your school which are $0.42 each. Your budget is $200. How many notebooks can you buy?
You can solve this by going 200 ÷ 0.42.
But even this problem you can estimate the answer this way:
Five notebooks is about $2. I have hundred times as much money so I should get a little less 500 notebooks with $200.
In fact, shopping is full of opportunities to practice estimation and mental math. Just try sometime!
Tags: math, curriculum
Where did the mental math go?
Recently I saw this kind of problem used as an example; it went something like this:
We're in the grocery store. We're going to buy 6 watermelons, and divide each of them into fourths. How many slices will we get?
I want you to think hard :) ... and find the answer to that question. Also note HOW you found it...
Got it? Now listen how it was solved in this particular mathematics tutorial:
They changed a fourth into its decimal equivalent, 0.25, and proceeded to divide 6 by 0.25 - going thru the motions of multiplying both dividend and divisor by 100 before getting to the long division of 600 ÷ 25, and then finally onto the answer!!!
And this was for 7th grade math. Sad!
What happened to mental math?
What happened to solving problems with the most efficient and quickest way?
Well here's a suggestion for an example instead of that one:
You are considering buying notebooks for your school which are $0.42 each. Your budget is $200. How many notebooks can you buy?
You can solve this by going 200 ÷ 0.42.
But even this problem you can estimate the answer this way:
Five notebooks is about $2. I have hundred times as much money so I should get a little less 500 notebooks with $200.
In fact, shopping is full of opportunities to practice estimation and mental math. Just try sometime!
Tags: math, curriculum
We're in the grocery store. We're going to buy 6 watermelons, and divide each of them into fourths. How many slices will we get?
I want you to think hard :) ... and find the answer to that question. Also note HOW you found it...
Got it? Now listen how it was solved in this particular mathematics tutorial:
They changed a fourth into its decimal equivalent, 0.25, and proceeded to divide 6 by 0.25 - going thru the motions of multiplying both dividend and divisor by 100 before getting to the long division of 600 ÷ 25, and then finally onto the answer!!!
And this was for 7th grade math. Sad!
What happened to mental math?
What happened to solving problems with the most efficient and quickest way?
Well here's a suggestion for an example instead of that one:
You are considering buying notebooks for your school which are $0.42 each. Your budget is $200. How many notebooks can you buy?
You can solve this by going 200 ÷ 0.42.
But even this problem you can estimate the answer this way:
Five notebooks is about $2. I have hundred times as much money so I should get a little less 500 notebooks with $200.
In fact, shopping is full of opportunities to practice estimation and mental math. Just try sometime!
Tags: math, curriculum
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Totoro Papercraft
Totoro is the big cuddly star of Japanese animation film Tonari no Totoro, which was released in the U.S.A as My Neighbor Totoro. Studio Ghibli fans, you know what this is. For those of you who don't have any clue, I highly suggest you watch My Neighbor Totoro or any other Ghibli film for that matter. Other titles include Howl's Moving Castle and my favorite, Spirited Away. This paper model is hosted by Mokumoku.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Brain power
I've just read an ebook called SMARTKIT from the folks at Ourb.com. They sent me a complimentary copy, and then we had a few emails back and forth, I asked some questions and got answers. They've just recently launched the book.
I have to say it was a very very good and interesting ebook, with very beneficial information.
It contains scientifically proven strategies or things that affect one's memory, concentration, learning, thinking capacity, etc. The author is a neurologist who has studied scientific papers and 'distilled' the information from them into an ebook form - and it was very well done, too, easy reading, well summarized.
Some of the things in the book I already knew about, such as the importance of omega-3 fats, or use of essential oils to help concentration, or about certain eating habits.
Some things in the book were common sense like the chapter about sleep deprivation or stress.
But then there were many more that I wasn't aware of and that are definitely very practical to put to use!
For example, all of us who teach should be aware of when is the best timing to review the material based on the "Forgetting Curve", or about dividing the studying into smaller blocks, or about the 'variable principle' in studying/learning.
And how does exercise affect your brain power... I am definitely much more inspired to get back into the habit of aerobic exercise now!
And yes, our brain can grow new brain cells.
The book also many times refers to some habits of college students' that basically sabotage their learning. So if you have a blog with students as an audience, I'm sure they'd be interested as well.
The list of things you'll find inside the ebook (on their home page) is definitely true.
I have to say it was a very very good and interesting ebook, with very beneficial information.
It contains scientifically proven strategies or things that affect one's memory, concentration, learning, thinking capacity, etc. The author is a neurologist who has studied scientific papers and 'distilled' the information from them into an ebook form - and it was very well done, too, easy reading, well summarized.
Some of the things in the book I already knew about, such as the importance of omega-3 fats, or use of essential oils to help concentration, or about certain eating habits.
Some things in the book were common sense like the chapter about sleep deprivation or stress.
But then there were many more that I wasn't aware of and that are definitely very practical to put to use!
For example, all of us who teach should be aware of when is the best timing to review the material based on the "Forgetting Curve", or about dividing the studying into smaller blocks, or about the 'variable principle' in studying/learning.
And how does exercise affect your brain power... I am definitely much more inspired to get back into the habit of aerobic exercise now!
And yes, our brain can grow new brain cells.
The book also many times refers to some habits of college students' that basically sabotage their learning. So if you have a blog with students as an audience, I'm sure they'd be interested as well.
The list of things you'll find inside the ebook (on their home page) is definitely true.
Brain power
I've just read an ebook called SMARTKIT from the folks at Ourb.com. They sent me a complimentary copy, and then we had a few emails back and forth, I asked some questions and got answers. They've just recently launched the book.
I have to say it was a very very good and interesting ebook, with very beneficial information.
It contains scientifically proven strategies or things that affect one's memory, concentration, learning, thinking capacity, etc. The author is a neurologist who has studied scientific papers and 'distilled' the information from them into an ebook form - and it was very well done, too, easy reading, well summarized.
Some of the things in the book I already knew about, such as the importance of omega-3 fats, or use of essential oils to help concentration, or about certain eating habits.
Some things in the book were common sense like the chapter about sleep deprivation or stress.
But then there were many more that I wasn't aware of and that are definitely very practical to put to use!
For example, all of us who teach should be aware of when is the best timing to review the material based on the "Forgetting Curve", or about dividing the studying into smaller blocks, or about the 'variable principle' in studying/learning.
And how does exercise affect your brain power... I am definitely much more inspired to get back into the habit of aerobic exercise now!
And yes, our brain can grow new brain cells.
The book also many times refers to some habits of college students' that basically sabotage their learning. So if you have a blog with students as an audience, I'm sure they'd be interested as well.
The list of things you'll find inside the ebook (on their home page) is definitely true.
I have to say it was a very very good and interesting ebook, with very beneficial information.
It contains scientifically proven strategies or things that affect one's memory, concentration, learning, thinking capacity, etc. The author is a neurologist who has studied scientific papers and 'distilled' the information from them into an ebook form - and it was very well done, too, easy reading, well summarized.
Some of the things in the book I already knew about, such as the importance of omega-3 fats, or use of essential oils to help concentration, or about certain eating habits.
Some things in the book were common sense like the chapter about sleep deprivation or stress.
But then there were many more that I wasn't aware of and that are definitely very practical to put to use!
For example, all of us who teach should be aware of when is the best timing to review the material based on the "Forgetting Curve", or about dividing the studying into smaller blocks, or about the 'variable principle' in studying/learning.
And how does exercise affect your brain power... I am definitely much more inspired to get back into the habit of aerobic exercise now!
And yes, our brain can grow new brain cells.
The book also many times refers to some habits of college students' that basically sabotage their learning. So if you have a blog with students as an audience, I'm sure they'd be interested as well.
The list of things you'll find inside the ebook (on their home page) is definitely true.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Math question of the week, week 8
Continuing a little bit on last week's theme. Let's consider two different situations:
a) Consider the expression 2/x. Can you make 2/x to be any number (any real number), if you just choose the right x?
In other words, if we write an equation
2/x = a
and I choose all kinds of different numbers to be a, can you always find the x, no matter what I might choose a to be?
If your algebra is rusty, or this problem feels difficult, try it out with 'easy numbers first': make a to be 2, 1, 4, etc. easy numbers and find x. Then figure out how to find x for more complex situations.
(This is actually a very general problem solving strategy: if the original problem is difficult, first try to solve a related easier problem.)
b) Same for the equation x2 = a.
And lastly, a NOTE to all parents reading this (not to you college professors): please write in the comments section, or email me if you feel this blogpost was over the top of your head, or was way too easy, or not relevant or interesting. I'd like to know.
Tags: math, mathematics
a) Consider the expression 2/x. Can you make 2/x to be any number (any real number), if you just choose the right x?
In other words, if we write an equation
2/x = a
and I choose all kinds of different numbers to be a, can you always find the x, no matter what I might choose a to be?
If your algebra is rusty, or this problem feels difficult, try it out with 'easy numbers first': make a to be 2, 1, 4, etc. easy numbers and find x. Then figure out how to find x for more complex situations.
(This is actually a very general problem solving strategy: if the original problem is difficult, first try to solve a related easier problem.)
b) Same for the equation x2 = a.
And lastly, a NOTE to all parents reading this (not to you college professors): please write in the comments section, or email me if you feel this blogpost was over the top of your head, or was way too easy, or not relevant or interesting. I'd like to know.
Tags: math, mathematics
Math question of the week, week 8
Continuing a little bit on last week's theme. Let's consider two different situations:
a) Consider the expression 2/x. Can you make 2/x to be any number (any real number), if you just choose the right x?
In other words, if we write an equation
2/x = a
and I choose all kinds of different numbers to be a, can you always find the x, no matter what I might choose a to be?
If your algebra is rusty, or this problem feels difficult, try it out with 'easy numbers first': make a to be 2, 1, 4, etc. easy numbers and find x. Then figure out how to find x for more complex situations.
(This is actually a very general problem solving strategy: if the original problem is difficult, first try to solve a related easier problem.)
b) Same for the equation x2 = a.
And lastly, a NOTE to all parents reading this (not to you college professors): please write in the comments section, or email me if you feel this blogpost was over the top of your head, or was way too easy, or not relevant or interesting. I'd like to know.
Tags: math, mathematics
a) Consider the expression 2/x. Can you make 2/x to be any number (any real number), if you just choose the right x?
In other words, if we write an equation
2/x = a
and I choose all kinds of different numbers to be a, can you always find the x, no matter what I might choose a to be?
If your algebra is rusty, or this problem feels difficult, try it out with 'easy numbers first': make a to be 2, 1, 4, etc. easy numbers and find x. Then figure out how to find x for more complex situations.
(This is actually a very general problem solving strategy: if the original problem is difficult, first try to solve a related easier problem.)
b) Same for the equation x2 = a.
And lastly, a NOTE to all parents reading this (not to you college professors): please write in the comments section, or email me if you feel this blogpost was over the top of your head, or was way too easy, or not relevant or interesting. I'd like to know.
Tags: math, mathematics
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Answer of the week
Last week I asked that if you multiply 7 by some number, is it possible to make the answer to be no more than 7. And, how would a third or fifth or seventh grader answer the question.
I asked two kids this question. One had studied fractions and decimals, but still only found the easy answers that if you multiply 7 by 1 or 0, then the result is no more than 7. He seemed to be misled by the word 'number' - thinking of only whole numbers.
The other child had studied fractions some but not decimals. He immediately found those two easy ways and was of a definite opinion that there are no other ways to do it.
I hope you realize that there is an infinite number of ways to do this.
Basically we're looking at an expression x*7, or 7x, or 7 multiplied by some number x. So can you make 7x equal something no more than 7? Say, can you make 7x equal 5? Can you make 7x = 2? Can you make 7x = 3/4 ? Can you find a number x so that 7x = -12 ?
These little equations should look pretty familiar to anyone who has studied algebra. And the answer is yes to all those questions - AND the way to find the number x is pretty easy too:
If you want to find a number x so that 7x = 3/4, just divide both sides of this equation by 7. So your x is 3/4 ÷ 7 which is 3/28.
Here's a truth:
In other words (in algebra terminology): If we write f(x) = 7x, we can say that the range of function f is all real numbers.
So my little question is an important TYPE of question for even future algebra studies.
SO many things in mathematics CONNECT with others!
I will try to make another question for you soon.
Tags: mathematics, math, elementary
I asked two kids this question. One had studied fractions and decimals, but still only found the easy answers that if you multiply 7 by 1 or 0, then the result is no more than 7. He seemed to be misled by the word 'number' - thinking of only whole numbers.
The other child had studied fractions some but not decimals. He immediately found those two easy ways and was of a definite opinion that there are no other ways to do it.
I hope you realize that there is an infinite number of ways to do this.
Basically we're looking at an expression x*7, or 7x, or 7 multiplied by some number x. So can you make 7x equal something no more than 7? Say, can you make 7x equal 5? Can you make 7x = 2? Can you make 7x = 3/4 ? Can you find a number x so that 7x = -12 ?
These little equations should look pretty familiar to anyone who has studied algebra. And the answer is yes to all those questions - AND the way to find the number x is pretty easy too:
If you want to find a number x so that 7x = 3/4, just divide both sides of this equation by 7. So your x is 3/4 ÷ 7 which is 3/28.
Here's a truth:
No matter what number a I have on the other side (whether a is big or small, fraction or decimal or irrational number), I can always divide that number a by 7 and find the answer:
7x = a
x = a/7.
7x = a
x = a/7.
In other words (in algebra terminology): If we write f(x) = 7x, we can say that the range of function f is all real numbers.
So my little question is an important TYPE of question for even future algebra studies.
SO many things in mathematics CONNECT with others!
I will try to make another question for you soon.
Tags: mathematics, math, elementary
Answer of the week
Last week I asked that if you multiply 7 by some number, is it possible to make the answer to be no more than 7. And, how would a third or fifth or seventh grader answer the question.
I asked two kids this question. One had studied fractions and decimals, but still only found the easy answers that if you multiply 7 by 1 or 0, then the result is no more than 7. He seemed to be misled by the word 'number' - thinking of only whole numbers.
The other child had studied fractions some but not decimals. He immediately found those two easy ways and was of a definite opinion that there are no other ways to do it.
I hope you realize that there is an infinite number of ways to do this.
Basically we're looking at an expression x*7, or 7x, or 7 multiplied by some number x. So can you make 7x equal something no more than 7? Say, can you make 7x equal 5? Can you make 7x = 2? Can you make 7x = 3/4 ? Can you find a number x so that 7x = -12 ?
These little equations should look pretty familiar to anyone who has studied algebra. And the answer is yes to all those questions - AND the way to find the number x is pretty easy too:
If you want to find a number x so that 7x = 3/4, just divide both sides of this equation by 7. So your x is 3/4 ÷ 7 which is 3/28.
Here's a truth:
In other words (in algebra terminology): If we write f(x) = 7x, we can say that the range of function f is all real numbers.
So my little question is an important TYPE of question for even future algebra studies.
SO many things in mathematics CONNECT with others!
I will try to make another question for you soon.
Tags: mathematics, math, elementary
I asked two kids this question. One had studied fractions and decimals, but still only found the easy answers that if you multiply 7 by 1 or 0, then the result is no more than 7. He seemed to be misled by the word 'number' - thinking of only whole numbers.
The other child had studied fractions some but not decimals. He immediately found those two easy ways and was of a definite opinion that there are no other ways to do it.
I hope you realize that there is an infinite number of ways to do this.
Basically we're looking at an expression x*7, or 7x, or 7 multiplied by some number x. So can you make 7x equal something no more than 7? Say, can you make 7x equal 5? Can you make 7x = 2? Can you make 7x = 3/4 ? Can you find a number x so that 7x = -12 ?
These little equations should look pretty familiar to anyone who has studied algebra. And the answer is yes to all those questions - AND the way to find the number x is pretty easy too:
If you want to find a number x so that 7x = 3/4, just divide both sides of this equation by 7. So your x is 3/4 ÷ 7 which is 3/28.
Here's a truth:
No matter what number a I have on the other side (whether a is big or small, fraction or decimal or irrational number), I can always divide that number a by 7 and find the answer:
7x = a
x = a/7.
7x = a
x = a/7.
In other words (in algebra terminology): If we write f(x) = 7x, we can say that the range of function f is all real numbers.
So my little question is an important TYPE of question for even future algebra studies.
SO many things in mathematics CONNECT with others!
I will try to make another question for you soon.
Tags: mathematics, math, elementary
Food Patrol Papercraft
Here's a set of three (3) Japanese cartoon paper model from Mokumoku, each of the characters are holding a different kind of utensil. They're quite easy to assemble and makes a fun decoration for your kitchen or dining room. They are hosted and created by Mokumoku.
Food Patrol Papercraft [Mokumoku]
Food Patrol Papercraft [Mokumoku]
Monday, February 20, 2006
The many uses of a hundred chart
One day last week we went to Time4Learning with my daughter again and she did an activity where the cartoon character was making jumps on the number line.
She didn't quite get it when the guy in the activity jumped 10 jumps forward or backwards, so the next day we studied "adding 10 more to a number" with the help of a 100-chart.
(Click here to go to a bigger printable version)
I just colored a number on the chart, and then we jumped together 10 jumps forward, on the chart. Then she colored the 'landing' number. After a few of those, she was able to guess where she'd land. We also wrote the corresponding number sentences in her notebook.
Actually I wanted to show the same thing on our abacus, but it's broken right now (needs glued). And, with my 10-bags (I've made those by putting 10 marbles into small bags) - but I couldn't find those since they're put away somewhere so the baby can't get to them. But maybe it was enough for her for the day anyway.
In case you don't know, you can make all sorts of skip-counting charts on my site.
She didn't quite get it when the guy in the activity jumped 10 jumps forward or backwards, so the next day we studied "adding 10 more to a number" with the help of a 100-chart.
(Click here to go to a bigger printable version)
I just colored a number on the chart, and then we jumped together 10 jumps forward, on the chart. Then she colored the 'landing' number. After a few of those, she was able to guess where she'd land. We also wrote the corresponding number sentences in her notebook.
Actually I wanted to show the same thing on our abacus, but it's broken right now (needs glued). And, with my 10-bags (I've made those by putting 10 marbles into small bags) - but I couldn't find those since they're put away somewhere so the baby can't get to them. But maybe it was enough for her for the day anyway.
In case you don't know, you can make all sorts of skip-counting charts on my site.
The many uses of a hundred chart
One day last week we went to Time4Learning with my daughter again and she did an activity where the cartoon character was making jumps on the number line.
She didn't quite get it when the guy in the activity jumped 10 jumps forward or backwards, so the next day we studied "adding 10 more to a number" with the help of a 100-chart.
(Click here to go to a bigger printable version)
I just colored a number on the chart, and then we jumped together 10 jumps forward, on the chart. Then she colored the 'landing' number. After a few of those, she was able to guess where she'd land. We also wrote the corresponding number sentences in her notebook.
Actually I wanted to show the same thing on our abacus, but it's broken right now (needs glued). And, with my 10-bags (I've made those by putting 10 marbles into small bags) - but I couldn't find those since they're put away somewhere so the baby can't get to them. But maybe it was enough for her for the day anyway.
In case you don't know, you can make all sorts of skip-counting charts on my site.
She didn't quite get it when the guy in the activity jumped 10 jumps forward or backwards, so the next day we studied "adding 10 more to a number" with the help of a 100-chart.
(Click here to go to a bigger printable version)
I just colored a number on the chart, and then we jumped together 10 jumps forward, on the chart. Then she colored the 'landing' number. After a few of those, she was able to guess where she'd land. We also wrote the corresponding number sentences in her notebook.
Actually I wanted to show the same thing on our abacus, but it's broken right now (needs glued). And, with my 10-bags (I've made those by putting 10 marbles into small bags) - but I couldn't find those since they're put away somewhere so the baby can't get to them. But maybe it was enough for her for the day anyway.
In case you don't know, you can make all sorts of skip-counting charts on my site.
New links added
Since I'm supposed to write here on the blog about updates to the HomeschoolMat.net site, here comes:
I've added some new links and stuff.
1) Description of a new advanced Algebra 2 with Trig course for homeschoolers - this comes with a college level algebra textbook, videos, solutions, guides etc. The author Dr. Callahan explains that college level textbooks are more advanced and have better coverage of the material.
2) A link to MathMistakes.info was added to the math help page on the site.
I'd venture to say that this site is good reading for all algebra, trig, and calculus students. When you're reading, you are supposed to find the mistake first, and then with a mouseover see the right solution.
I've added some new links and stuff.
1) Description of a new advanced Algebra 2 with Trig course for homeschoolers - this comes with a college level algebra textbook, videos, solutions, guides etc. The author Dr. Callahan explains that college level textbooks are more advanced and have better coverage of the material.
2) A link to MathMistakes.info was added to the math help page on the site.
I'd venture to say that this site is good reading for all algebra, trig, and calculus students. When you're reading, you are supposed to find the mistake first, and then with a mouseover see the right solution.
New links added
Since I'm supposed to write here on the blog about updates to the HomeschoolMat.net site, here comes:
I've added some new links and stuff.
1) Description of a new advanced Algebra 2 with Trig course for homeschoolers - this comes with a college level algebra textbook, videos, solutions, guides etc. The author Dr. Callahan explains that college level textbooks are more advanced and have better coverage of the material.
2) A link to MathMistakes.info was added to the math help page on the site.
I'd venture to say that this site is good reading for all algebra, trig, and calculus students. When you're reading, you are supposed to find the mistake first, and then with a mouseover see the right solution.
I've added some new links and stuff.
1) Description of a new advanced Algebra 2 with Trig course for homeschoolers - this comes with a college level algebra textbook, videos, solutions, guides etc. The author Dr. Callahan explains that college level textbooks are more advanced and have better coverage of the material.
2) A link to MathMistakes.info was added to the math help page on the site.
I'd venture to say that this site is good reading for all algebra, trig, and calculus students. When you're reading, you are supposed to find the mistake first, and then with a mouseover see the right solution.
Friday, February 17, 2006
Math without a computer
I have a dear friend who is not computer oriented (she said herself).
She said one time she went online to find a game to reinforce some math concept for her son but couldn't find anything she liked. Either they were too repetitive, or too difficult to figure out, or something. So she just gave up, and "did things her way".
Which, her way of teaching math is one-one-one teaching, and then she often writes problems for her son in a notebook. Upon seeing how her son solves the problem, she writes the next one. It might be going a little further in the topic, or it might be practicing a different aspect of the topic.
I sincerely admire that! It's like writing a perfectly tailored math curriculum on the spot. (I often write problems for my daughter, too, in her notebook.)
------------------------------------------------
We have computer games, card games, flashcards, textbooks, workbooks, online lessons, manipulatives - but I think the most essential part of any math curriculum is the TEACHER.
Tags: math, teaching, curriculum
She said one time she went online to find a game to reinforce some math concept for her son but couldn't find anything she liked. Either they were too repetitive, or too difficult to figure out, or something. So she just gave up, and "did things her way".
Which, her way of teaching math is one-one-one teaching, and then she often writes problems for her son in a notebook. Upon seeing how her son solves the problem, she writes the next one. It might be going a little further in the topic, or it might be practicing a different aspect of the topic.
I sincerely admire that! It's like writing a perfectly tailored math curriculum on the spot. (I often write problems for my daughter, too, in her notebook.)
------------------------------------------------
We have computer games, card games, flashcards, textbooks, workbooks, online lessons, manipulatives - but I think the most essential part of any math curriculum is the TEACHER.
Tags: math, teaching, curriculum
Math without a computer
I have a dear friend who is not computer oriented (she said herself).
She said one time she went online to find a game to reinforce some math concept for her son but couldn't find anything she liked. Either they were too repetitive, or too difficult to figure out, or something. So she just gave up, and "did things her way".
Which, her way of teaching math is one-one-one teaching, and then she often writes problems for her son in a notebook. Upon seeing how her son solves the problem, she writes the next one. It might be going a little further in the topic, or it might be practicing a different aspect of the topic.
I sincerely admire that! It's like writing a perfectly tailored math curriculum on the spot. (I often write problems for my daughter, too, in her notebook.)
------------------------------------------------
We have computer games, card games, flashcards, textbooks, workbooks, online lessons, manipulatives - but I think the most essential part of any math curriculum is the TEACHER.
Tags: math, teaching, curriculum
She said one time she went online to find a game to reinforce some math concept for her son but couldn't find anything she liked. Either they were too repetitive, or too difficult to figure out, or something. So she just gave up, and "did things her way".
Which, her way of teaching math is one-one-one teaching, and then she often writes problems for her son in a notebook. Upon seeing how her son solves the problem, she writes the next one. It might be going a little further in the topic, or it might be practicing a different aspect of the topic.
I sincerely admire that! It's like writing a perfectly tailored math curriculum on the spot. (I often write problems for my daughter, too, in her notebook.)
------------------------------------------------
We have computer games, card games, flashcards, textbooks, workbooks, online lessons, manipulatives - but I think the most essential part of any math curriculum is the TEACHER.
Tags: math, teaching, curriculum
Paper Craft for Beginners Video
I just finished doing a beginners video that demonstrates how paper models are done. This was shot with a web cam so pardon the quality. The original video was 1.4GB, then I compressed it to 64MB, and then another, that ended up at 19.4MB using the Xvid codec. That's the smallest size I can encode the video without compromising the quality too much. The paper model I used in this demo is the Kabuki Bear by Moichi.
Kabuki Bear - Download - http://www.boreas.dti.ne.jp/~moichi/
On the following days and weeks to come, I will also do instructional videos on other paper crafts and origami, so just stay tuned for that.
Before I begin explaining this video, please note that all of this notes are based on my personal experiences and that technique varies from person to person.
Part 1 - Cutting - This is really the simplest part but you should also be careful at the same time, try to look at the entirety of the model before you start cutting, note that I did not use the cutter for this project, In my experience in paper crafting I have seldomly used the cutter for cutting the outlines of the models, I mainly used narrow tip scissors for all of this. I do however use the cutters if there is something to be remove or cut from inside of the paper model and for very minute detailing. Once you have cut the paper models, its time to move on to. . .
Part 2 - Folding and Creasing - This part can either be really easy or really difficult depending on the paper model, there are three techniques that you should be familiar with when doing paper crafts, the mountain fold, valley fold, and tubulars. ( I will be doing a demo on this in my next video). When folding you should learn to use your power of observation and visualize at the same time to enable you to easily determine which part goes together.
Part 3 - Gluing and Assembling - After you've folded and creased the parts this is where visualization comes handy, once you've figured out how to put them together, start putting a small amount of glue on the glue tab. The best to determine if you've put the right amount of glue is when you press the glued surfaces and no glue comes out. After you've glued and assembled them together, relax, pat yourself in the back and enjoy your new paper craft model.
Tip: If your hand starts sweating, make sure you dry them real well before continuing, you don't want to smear the ink on your paper model.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Happy Hamster Papercraft
I've received quite a few emails regarding my first post - Tetsujin 28, that beginners are finding it very hard to complete. Well, starting today I'm going to try and post both beginners and advance paper models alike. Here's a cute paper craft hamster from Yo & Motoko's Home Page. This is a very basic model, so beginners would fine this very helpful.
Happy Hamster Papercraft - Download
Happy Hamster Papercraft - Download
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
What's happening at Homeschoolmath.net
Well, all kinds of things!
1) Firstly I have several new advertisers:
Then I will be writing about Time4Learning.com. Their idea is: first it's time to learn, then it's time to go to playground. The learning time consists of a vast collection of interactive lessons - they're sort of videoclips with questions and quizzes. Playground is... games!
I've been taking my daughter there several times now, and she's sold on the concept! Even while I'm writing this blogpost (I'm at the computer, see), she has askedtwo three four times if she can go to Time4learning! She loves the playground. She said she liked the lesson time a little bit and the flower shop (one easy game) a lot!
But the funniest thing happened yesterday. We were done with the lesson, and were exploring a billiards game when DADDY saw us! And he just had to get into the game too!
Well the thing is, after a certain amount of minutes, playground time is over. But Daddy wanted to play! So he took our daughter back thru another lesson just to get to play billiards game. He tried to get there some shortcut way, but it failed. Just back to lesson time it was...
1) Firstly I have several new advertisers:
- NutShellMath offers over 40,000 multimedia explanations (solved textbook problems) for grades 8-11. You hear the teacher's voice and see the handwriting on a whiteboard. Sometimes there's a question for YOU to answer in the lesson.
Might work great if you often find yourself stuck on algebra 1 or 2 or geometry problems, or your student would benefit from direct explanations. - Math Goodies Lessons CD offers lessons on about all topics for grades 6-8 plus worksheets, puzzles, and integer football game.
- TimesTales is an old advertiser, offering a fun mnemonic program to memorize upper multiplication tables. For grade 3 (or later if they didn't get it on third grade :^ )
Then I will be writing about Time4Learning.com. Their idea is: first it's time to learn, then it's time to go to playground. The learning time consists of a vast collection of interactive lessons - they're sort of videoclips with questions and quizzes. Playground is... games!
I've been taking my daughter there several times now, and she's sold on the concept! Even while I'm writing this blogpost (I'm at the computer, see), she has asked
But the funniest thing happened yesterday. We were done with the lesson, and were exploring a billiards game when DADDY saw us! And he just had to get into the game too!
Well the thing is, after a certain amount of minutes, playground time is over. But Daddy wanted to play! So he took our daughter back thru another lesson just to get to play billiards game. He tried to get there some shortcut way, but it failed. Just back to lesson time it was...
What's happening at Homeschoolmath.net
Well, all kinds of things!
1) Firstly I have several new advertisers:
Then I will be writing about Time4Learning.com. Their idea is: first it's time to learn, then it's time to go to playground. The learning time consists of a vast collection of interactive lessons - they're sort of videoclips with questions and quizzes. Playground is... games!
I've been taking my daughter there several times now, and she's sold on the concept! Even while I'm writing this blogpost (I'm at the computer, see), she has askedtwo three four times if she can go to Time4learning! She loves the playground. She said she liked the lesson time a little bit and the flower shop (one easy game) a lot!
But the funniest thing happened yesterday. We were done with the lesson, and were exploring a billiards game when DADDY saw us! And he just had to get into the game too!
Well the thing is, after a certain amount of minutes, playground time is over. But Daddy wanted to play! So he took our daughter back thru another lesson just to get to play billiards game. He tried to get there some shortcut way, but it failed. Just back to lesson time it was...
1) Firstly I have several new advertisers:
- NutShellMath offers over 40,000 multimedia explanations (solved textbook problems) for grades 8-11. You hear the teacher's voice and see the handwriting on a whiteboard. Sometimes there's a question for YOU to answer in the lesson.
Might work great if you often find yourself stuck on algebra 1 or 2 or geometry problems, or your student would benefit from direct explanations. - Math Goodies Lessons CD offers lessons on about all topics for grades 6-8 plus worksheets, puzzles, and integer football game.
- TimesTales is an old advertiser, offering a fun mnemonic program to memorize upper multiplication tables. For grade 3 (or later if they didn't get it on third grade :^ )
Then I will be writing about Time4Learning.com. Their idea is: first it's time to learn, then it's time to go to playground. The learning time consists of a vast collection of interactive lessons - they're sort of videoclips with questions and quizzes. Playground is... games!
I've been taking my daughter there several times now, and she's sold on the concept! Even while I'm writing this blogpost (I'm at the computer, see), she has asked
But the funniest thing happened yesterday. We were done with the lesson, and were exploring a billiards game when DADDY saw us! And he just had to get into the game too!
Well the thing is, after a certain amount of minutes, playground time is over. But Daddy wanted to play! So he took our daughter back thru another lesson just to get to play billiards game. He tried to get there some shortcut way, but it failed. Just back to lesson time it was...
Problem of the week
There are many websites around that publish "Problem of the Week" and then the answer the following week.
I realize homeschoolers are pretty busy, BUT something like that might be a good idea to do, say, during one month of a year, to get some challenge into your math curriculum.
Obviously challenging math problems are perfect for gifted children / those especially interested in math. And, stretching one's brain with some interesting problems might spark further interest in math for all the rest of them too.
Unfortunatly I cannot recommend any particular, but this site has several lists of websites, arranged by elementary/middle/high school/ advanced : Problem of the Week website lists.
AND, I want to throw in my own "PROBLEM OF THE WEEK" for the homeschooling parents. It's pretty simple but it's connected with teaching math. Answer here next week.
When you multiply a number, say 7 for example, does it always get bigger? In other words, is it possible to multiply 7 by something so that the answer is not greater than 7?
If you think it is possible, can you find several ways to do that sort of thing?
And while you laugh, "Hee hee that's easy!", think also:
HOW would a third-grader answer that question? What about a 5th grader? 7th grader? High school student?
Tags: gifted, math
I realize homeschoolers are pretty busy, BUT something like that might be a good idea to do, say, during one month of a year, to get some challenge into your math curriculum.
Obviously challenging math problems are perfect for gifted children / those especially interested in math. And, stretching one's brain with some interesting problems might spark further interest in math for all the rest of them too.
Unfortunatly I cannot recommend any particular, but this site has several lists of websites, arranged by elementary/middle/high school/ advanced : Problem of the Week website lists.
AND, I want to throw in my own "PROBLEM OF THE WEEK" for the homeschooling parents. It's pretty simple but it's connected with teaching math. Answer here next week.
When you multiply a number, say 7 for example, does it always get bigger? In other words, is it possible to multiply 7 by something so that the answer is not greater than 7?
If you think it is possible, can you find several ways to do that sort of thing?
And while you laugh, "Hee hee that's easy!", think also:
HOW would a third-grader answer that question? What about a 5th grader? 7th grader? High school student?
Tags: gifted, math
Problem of the week
There are many websites around that publish "Problem of the Week" and then the answer the following week.
I realize homeschoolers are pretty busy, BUT something like that might be a good idea to do, say, during one month of a year, to get some challenge into your math curriculum.
Obviously challenging math problems are perfect for gifted children / those especially interested in math. And, stretching one's brain with some interesting problems might spark further interest in math for all the rest of them too.
Unfortunatly I cannot recommend any particular, but this site has several lists of websites, arranged by elementary/middle/high school/ advanced : Problem of the Week website lists.
AND, I want to throw in my own "PROBLEM OF THE WEEK" for the homeschooling parents. It's pretty simple but it's connected with teaching math. Answer here next week.
When you multiply a number, say 7 for example, does it always get bigger? In other words, is it possible to multiply 7 by something so that the answer is not greater than 7?
If you think it is possible, can you find several ways to do that sort of thing?
And while you laugh, "Hee hee that's easy!", think also:
HOW would a third-grader answer that question? What about a 5th grader? 7th grader? High school student?
Tags: gifted, math
I realize homeschoolers are pretty busy, BUT something like that might be a good idea to do, say, during one month of a year, to get some challenge into your math curriculum.
Obviously challenging math problems are perfect for gifted children / those especially interested in math. And, stretching one's brain with some interesting problems might spark further interest in math for all the rest of them too.
Unfortunatly I cannot recommend any particular, but this site has several lists of websites, arranged by elementary/middle/high school/ advanced : Problem of the Week website lists.
AND, I want to throw in my own "PROBLEM OF THE WEEK" for the homeschooling parents. It's pretty simple but it's connected with teaching math. Answer here next week.
When you multiply a number, say 7 for example, does it always get bigger? In other words, is it possible to multiply 7 by something so that the answer is not greater than 7?
If you think it is possible, can you find several ways to do that sort of thing?
And while you laugh, "Hee hee that's easy!", think also:
HOW would a third-grader answer that question? What about a 5th grader? 7th grader? High school student?
Tags: gifted, math
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Happy Valentine's Day Part Three
Today is really a lovely day, here's yet another set of pop-up cards for Valentine's Day. And we've got pop-up card designer Maria Victoria Garrido from Barcelona, Spain to thank for. The available Valentine cards for download are marked with a red asterisk on the left side of their title. Check out her complete works at:
http://marivi_10.tripod.com/myhomenew.html
Valentine's Pop-up Cards
http://marivi_10.tripod.com/myhomenew.html
Valentine's Pop-up Cards
Carnival of Homeschooling
Carnival of Homeschooling, week 7 is online at Homeschooling.about.com. My entry is about sharing the math in your life.
Carnival of Homeschooling
Carnival of Homeschooling, week 7 is online at Homeschooling.about.com. My entry is about sharing the math in your life.
Happy Valentine's Day Papercraft Part Two
A second batch of paper model cutsies just in time for Valentine's Day, from Flying-Pig.com and Paper Museum by Sanwa Supply Co. from Japan.
Snap-up Heart
Valentine's Boxes
Snap-up Heart
Valentine's Boxes
Happy Valentine's Day Papercraft
To all the romantics out there, here's a beautiful collection of Valentine's Day pop-up cards from Canon:
Pop-up card (Chocolate Cake)
Pop-up card (Heart Box)
Gift Box A
Gift Box B
Card
Pop-up card (Chocolate Cake)
Pop-up card (Heart Box)
Gift Box A
Gift Box B
Card
Compression Software Basics
I just received an email from one of our readers and she had problems opening the file she downloaded from the previous post about Klonoa, she said that the file is neither PDF nor PDO but LZH.
I'm going to to a brief discussion on this problem, the LZH file is not a different kind of paper craft pattern but instead it is a compression file and is also known as an archive file, what this means is that the provider of the paper craft pattern has used a compression software to compress the PDF file, they do this so that it would be easily downloaded or for those people who do not have a fast internet connection or simply those who use 56kb dial-up internet. The LZH compression file acts as a container that holds the PDF or PDO file and at the same time trimming down the overall size of the file. So, how do we open this file? Well, will get there in a minute.
First, I'll enumerate some compression/archive file extensions commonly used for paper craft patterns.
I'm going to to a brief discussion on this problem, the LZH file is not a different kind of paper craft pattern but instead it is a compression file and is also known as an archive file, what this means is that the provider of the paper craft pattern has used a compression software to compress the PDF file, they do this so that it would be easily downloaded or for those people who do not have a fast internet connection or simply those who use 56kb dial-up internet. The LZH compression file acts as a container that holds the PDF or PDO file and at the same time trimming down the overall size of the file. So, how do we open this file? Well, will get there in a minute.
First, I'll enumerate some compression/archive file extensions commonly used for paper craft patterns.
- ZIP
- RAR
- LZH
There are a lot of file compression/archive formats out there but we can't discuss all of them since most of them are rarely used, instead we will focus our attention on the three formats that are widely used, but if you want to read about all of the different formats here's a helpful link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_archive_formats
Now, we go into opening this archives. The two most popular compression/archive software out there is Winzip, followed by WinRAR. This two do exactly the same thing, they compress, archive, and decompress files. The only difference is the way they do it, but were not going there since that is very technical and not really necessary. Winzip and WinRAR can open all of the popular archive formats (ZIP, RAR, LZH, etc...) but can cost you between $30 - $50.
Lucky for you I like free stuff, so here it is:
http://www.7-zip.org/download.html
7-zip is a free compression/archive software, owned and hosted by 7-zip.org, it can do whatever Winzip and WinRAR can do, and have I mentioned that it's FREE.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_archive_formats
Now, we go into opening this archives. The two most popular compression/archive software out there is Winzip, followed by WinRAR. This two do exactly the same thing, they compress, archive, and decompress files. The only difference is the way they do it, but were not going there since that is very technical and not really necessary. Winzip and WinRAR can open all of the popular archive formats (ZIP, RAR, LZH, etc...) but can cost you between $30 - $50.
Lucky for you I like free stuff, so here it is:
http://www.7-zip.org/download.html
7-zip is a free compression/archive software, owned and hosted by 7-zip.org, it can do whatever Winzip and WinRAR can do, and have I mentioned that it's FREE.
Klonoa Papercraft (including Moo)
It's a cold and lazy day today in Webster, and to get ourselves busy here's a paper model of Klonoa and Moo, if you are not familiar with that name/game, Klonoa is an anthropomorpic videogame character created by the Japanese game developer Namco, for the Sony Playstation video console back in 1998. For those of you who don't follow videogame history, Namco is also the creator of the very famous and successful franchise/videogame character, Pacman. As reference to this you can see a Pacman logo on the side of Klonoa's trademark blue-backwards cap.
The other character is Moo - he is one of the most common enemies you'll find in Klonoa the videogame, much like the ShyGuys and Goombas of the Mario Brothers franchise.
The paper model is easy to build, it took me about an hour to finish both of them. Klonoa is about 7 1/2" tall, and Moo is 4" tall. The files are in PDF format, hosted by Namco China and you can find them here:
Klonoa Papercraft [Namco-ch.net]
The other character is Moo - he is one of the most common enemies you'll find in Klonoa the videogame, much like the ShyGuys and Goombas of the Mario Brothers franchise.
The paper model is easy to build, it took me about an hour to finish both of them. Klonoa is about 7 1/2" tall, and Moo is 4" tall. The files are in PDF format, hosted by Namco China and you can find them here:
Klonoa Papercraft [Namco-ch.net]
Monday, February 13, 2006
Teaching big numbers
This weekend I was working with one of my ebooks, writing more content for it. I thought I'd share one of the problems I was putting in it.
When you're first studying numbers in the 100,000's and millions, have the child use an encyclopedia or internet to find information such as:
THEN, the child is to organize the info in ascending or descending order. This lets them practice reading and writing big numbers plus comparing them.
It is sort of a hands-on exercise and ties mathematics in with real world: how math is not just for school but is something needful and useful.
You might also enjoy checking out these links: How to count to one million and beyond and Big Numbers - Two online ebooks that visualize large numbers with cubic centimeters.
Or, the Megapenny project - visualizing big numbers with help of pennies.
(Taken from my list of links for place value .)
Tags: math, elementary
When you're first studying numbers in the 100,000's and millions, have the child use an encyclopedia or internet to find information such as:
- Population in the Northeastern states
- land area of the various Midwest states
- the amount of distinct animal species in the 7 continents
- number of newborn babies annually in European countries
- some astronomical distances
THEN, the child is to organize the info in ascending or descending order. This lets them practice reading and writing big numbers plus comparing them.
It is sort of a hands-on exercise and ties mathematics in with real world: how math is not just for school but is something needful and useful.
You might also enjoy checking out these links: How to count to one million and beyond and Big Numbers - Two online ebooks that visualize large numbers with cubic centimeters.
Or, the Megapenny project - visualizing big numbers with help of pennies.
(Taken from my list of links for place value .)
Tags: math, elementary
Teaching big numbers
This weekend I was working with one of my ebooks, writing more content for it. I thought I'd share one of the problems I was putting in it.
When you're first studying numbers in the 100,000's and millions, have the child use an encyclopedia or internet to find information such as:
THEN, the child is to organize the info in ascending or descending order. This lets them practice reading and writing big numbers plus comparing them.
It is sort of a hands-on exercise and ties mathematics in with real world: how math is not just for school but is something needful and useful.
You might also enjoy checking out these links: How to count to one million and beyond and Big Numbers - Two online ebooks that visualize large numbers with cubic centimeters.
Or, the Megapenny project - visualizing big numbers with help of pennies.
(Taken from my list of links for place value .)
Tags: math, elementary
When you're first studying numbers in the 100,000's and millions, have the child use an encyclopedia or internet to find information such as:
- Population in the Northeastern states
- land area of the various Midwest states
- the amount of distinct animal species in the 7 continents
- number of newborn babies annually in European countries
- some astronomical distances
THEN, the child is to organize the info in ascending or descending order. This lets them practice reading and writing big numbers plus comparing them.
It is sort of a hands-on exercise and ties mathematics in with real world: how math is not just for school but is something needful and useful.
You might also enjoy checking out these links: How to count to one million and beyond and Big Numbers - Two online ebooks that visualize large numbers with cubic centimeters.
Or, the Megapenny project - visualizing big numbers with help of pennies.
(Taken from my list of links for place value .)
Tags: math, elementary
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Shigaraki Raccoon Dog Papercraft
Here is a cute paper model of a Shigaraki Raccoon Dog papercraft, now you may ask what is a Shigaraki Raccoon Dog? to be brief, Shigaraki is a village in Japan that used to be its capital waaaaay back in the early days. A raccoon dog, also known as a "tanuki", is a dog which for all arguments resembles a raccoon, including markings and body structure. The Shigaraki Raccoon Dog is a local celebrity in Japan, in which they create figurines for it. The man who started this was Tetsuzo Fujiwara, a ceramic sculptor who focused most of his work with ceramic raccoon dogs that have different facial expressions and unique shapes, which in turn started a tradition of this loveable Shigaraki Raccoon Dog dolls and figurines.
This paper model is in a PDF file, created and hosted by Chokipeta.jp - a company very well known in asian and european countries for creating beautiful paper crafts.
This paper model is in a PDF file, created and hosted by Chokipeta.jp - a company very well known in asian and european countries for creating beautiful paper crafts.
Shigaraki Raccoon Dog Papercraft [Chokipeta.jp]
Alternative Software
As I've mentioned in my previous post that you need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open PDF files, I forgot to mention another free software that I use on my other computers for PDF files. It is called Foxit Reader, and it is from a company called Foxit Software. The reason why I'm mentioning this is for those paper crafters who have an old computer with less speed, cpu power, and hard drive space that can't handle Adobes' bloated and slow startups. Foxit Reader is free, it requires no installation, is less than three (3)megabytes, and the best part is that it supports all of Adobe Readers most important features.
I have also mentioned on my previous post that you will need to buy Adobe Acrobats' standard or professional edition in order to create your own PDF files, but thats going to cost you between 299 to 449 bones, another free alternative software for creating PDF files without shelling out big bucks is PDFCreator. This software installs as a printer driver in Windows and lets you specify output settings (paper size, resolution, etc.) This means that you can create PDF files from any Windows program that's capable of printing. How this works is after you've created a document from any Windows based program (Word, Photoshop, Powerpoint, etc.) you will use the Print command on that software and choose "PDFCreator" as your printer, a dialog box will show up and ask you to specify a filename and other optional information, just fill em in, click Save, and choose a location to save your file. After saving it, your document is now converted to a PDF file - easy, simple, and free.
I have also mentioned on my previous post that you will need to buy Adobe Acrobats' standard or professional edition in order to create your own PDF files, but thats going to cost you between 299 to 449 bones, another free alternative software for creating PDF files without shelling out big bucks is PDFCreator. This software installs as a printer driver in Windows and lets you specify output settings (paper size, resolution, etc.) This means that you can create PDF files from any Windows program that's capable of printing. How this works is after you've created a document from any Windows based program (Word, Photoshop, Powerpoint, etc.) you will use the Print command on that software and choose "PDFCreator" as your printer, a dialog box will show up and ask you to specify a filename and other optional information, just fill em in, click Save, and choose a location to save your file. After saving it, your document is now converted to a PDF file - easy, simple, and free.
PDFCreator - FREE - www.sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator
Note: All software programs mentioned in this post is Windows based, if you are having trouble downloading or with installation, please leave a message and I'll try to help you the best I can.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Paper Craft File Types
Before you get started with your paper craft project you need a pattern, this pattern comes in different formats, but I'll talk about the two(2) prominent ones that are mostly used.
First, we have the most widely used pattern, the PDF file, as I've mentioned before, the PDF file is an Adobe technology for formatting electronic documents so that they can be easily viewed, distributed, edited, and printed on different systems while preserving the layout(fonts, images, graphics). To view a file on PDF format, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader which you can easily download for free from Adobe's web site. This free PDF viewer is only good for viewing and printing PDF files, if you plan on creating or converting files to PDF format, you would have to buy either the standard or professional Adobe Acrobat software, in which case, you would be paying between $299 to $449 - so unless you really need it I suggest you stick with the free reader for now. Once you've downloaded the free reader and installed it, it will automatically start whenever you view a PDF file.
The second most widely used paper craft pattern is the PDO file, the PDO file is from a Japanese company called Tama Soft, their software is called the Pepakura , there are two varities one is the Pepakura Designer and the other is the Pepakura Viewer, like Adobe's software, the Pepakura Designer (as the name implies) is for creating PDO files and is worth $38, the Pepakura Viewer on the other hand is free, which is what I like the most ( I guess we all do).
The other paper craft formats, but not widely used, are in JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) and GIF (Graphic Interchange Format), these are really just picture formats that came from a converted PDF or PDO file. They can be viewed with any graphic editing/viewing software such as Microsoft Paint, IrfanView, Google's Picasa, etc...
First, we have the most widely used pattern, the PDF file, as I've mentioned before, the PDF file is an Adobe technology for formatting electronic documents so that they can be easily viewed, distributed, edited, and printed on different systems while preserving the layout(fonts, images, graphics). To view a file on PDF format, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader which you can easily download for free from Adobe's web site. This free PDF viewer is only good for viewing and printing PDF files, if you plan on creating or converting files to PDF format, you would have to buy either the standard or professional Adobe Acrobat software, in which case, you would be paying between $299 to $449 - so unless you really need it I suggest you stick with the free reader for now. Once you've downloaded the free reader and installed it, it will automatically start whenever you view a PDF file.
Adobe Acrobat Reader - FREE -
The second most widely used paper craft pattern is the PDO file, the PDO file is from a Japanese company called Tama Soft, their software is called the Pepakura , there are two varities one is the Pepakura Designer and the other is the Pepakura Viewer, like Adobe's software, the Pepakura Designer (as the name implies) is for creating PDO files and is worth $38, the Pepakura Viewer on the other hand is free, which is what I like the most ( I guess we all do).
Pepakura Viewer - FREE - English Version
The other paper craft formats, but not widely used, are in JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) and GIF (Graphic Interchange Format), these are really just picture formats that came from a converted PDF or PDO file. They can be viewed with any graphic editing/viewing software such as Microsoft Paint, IrfanView, Google's Picasa, etc...
Dragon Papercraft Illusion
Here's a FREE paper model of a dragon (optical illusion) with a head that seems to follow you around when you move about. You simply cut the pattern, glue or tape it together, and put it on a table or any flat surface, then move around and watch it's head follow you. This paper model is downloadable as a PDF file. Please note that this paper dragon is the property of Binary Arts, which is now known as ThinkFun.
Dragon Papercraft Illusion [Grand-Illusions]
Friday, February 10, 2006
What's for review?
Recently I got a review copy of Equalsmath Jigsaw Puzzles CD. It has jigsaw puzzles that the student completes in the following areas: skip-counting, multiplication, division, factoring, fraction simplification, and adding money (mentally). Well it's all mental math.
Most puzzles are in form of math tables so it reinforces the student's understanding of the underlying structure.
I took it to a friend whose son was supposed to soon do some review (one more time) on fractions - but like he noted, the puzzle sure was a much nicer way to do review than to do problems with pencil and paper.
I think that's a very good idea when it comes to lots of practice or reviewing basic facts or multiplication tables etc.: FIND A GAME FOR IT!
You might already have some math software that you've bought. Or, maybe you know a table game to play. And there of course exist tons of math games online. As you might know, I've compiled a list of them, organized by topics. See for example:
Have fun!
Most puzzles are in form of math tables so it reinforces the student's understanding of the underlying structure.
I took it to a friend whose son was supposed to soon do some review (one more time) on fractions - but like he noted, the puzzle sure was a much nicer way to do review than to do problems with pencil and paper.
I think that's a very good idea when it comes to lots of practice or reviewing basic facts or multiplication tables etc.: FIND A GAME FOR IT!
You might already have some math software that you've bought. Or, maybe you know a table game to play. And there of course exist tons of math games online. As you might know, I've compiled a list of them, organized by topics. See for example:
Have fun!
What's for review?
Recently I got a review copy of Equalsmath Jigsaw Puzzles CD. It has jigsaw puzzles that the student completes in the following areas: skip-counting, multiplication, division, factoring, fraction simplification, and adding money (mentally). Well it's all mental math.
Most puzzles are in form of math tables so it reinforces the student's understanding of the underlying structure.
I took it to a friend whose son was supposed to soon do some review (one more time) on fractions - but like he noted, the puzzle sure was a much nicer way to do review than to do problems with pencil and paper.
I think that's a very good idea when it comes to lots of practice or reviewing basic facts or multiplication tables etc.: FIND A GAME FOR IT!
You might already have some math software that you've bought. Or, maybe you know a table game to play. And there of course exist tons of math games online. As you might know, I've compiled a list of them, organized by topics. See for example:
Have fun!
Most puzzles are in form of math tables so it reinforces the student's understanding of the underlying structure.
I took it to a friend whose son was supposed to soon do some review (one more time) on fractions - but like he noted, the puzzle sure was a much nicer way to do review than to do problems with pencil and paper.
I think that's a very good idea when it comes to lots of practice or reviewing basic facts or multiplication tables etc.: FIND A GAME FOR IT!
You might already have some math software that you've bought. Or, maybe you know a table game to play. And there of course exist tons of math games online. As you might know, I've compiled a list of them, organized by topics. See for example:
Have fun!
Paper Craft Tools
I received a lot of inquiries from people that are just starting or new to paper crafts about what particular tools and paper I use, nothing fancy here, I just bought my entire paper craft tools from walmart. Here is a list of basic tools for starting with paper craft:
- Craft Knife - If you want a knife that would last, I recommend the Fiskars brand, the one with the ergonomic shape, replaceable blade, and SoftGrip technology for maximum comfort and control (I use blade #11).
- Craft Mat - this is where you are going to do your paper cutting, I prefer the "self-healing" mats. (I use a 9"x12").
- Scissors - any kind of narrow tip/blade scissors would do.
- Glue - any type of crafting glue would do, but I prefer the ones that dry clear ( I use Elmer's white glue)
- Small Plastic Paint Pallete - this is optional, I just use this to hold my glue in small amounts.
- Ruler - any 12" would do.
- Printer - any type of colored/bubble jet printer or you could also get your stuff printed at your local print shop.
- Paper - you could use any brand of paper, as long as they are:
- Heavy A4 (210 x 297 mm) or regular (215.9 x 279.4 mm) paper
- 110 to 135 lbs (0.16 to 0.18mm thick) - this is also known in the U.S. as Card Stock Paper
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