Living Math

Just found this site, Living Math...looks interesting, and thought I'd put it here so I'd remember to look at it further.

From the site:

~ Insisting a child must be taught traditional, scope-and-sequence arithmetic to learn mathematics is like saying one must learn classical notes and scales before one can learn music. You might get there, but you miss out on the inspiration of beautiful music created by the masters along the way. We need not master all the "basics" before being able to experience the appreciation that carries us through the hard work of learning. Think of applying living math principles as developing a "mathematical ear" while working toward the mastery of basic theory. ~

As someone who thought I was always bad at math because I couldn't (or just didn't) memorize the times tables in 4th grade (but then went on to memorize whole songs/extensive lines in plays/etc...) then as an adult realized I LOVE spreadsheets (Excel) creating formulas, etc...I think I could have benefited from a non-traditional approach to math. Or maybe I already did.

Happy first day of spring

Sunset: Planet Earth
Credit: Expedition 15 Crew, NASA

Explanation: Today, the Sun crosses the celestial equator heading north at 0548 UT. Known as the equinox, the geocentric astronomical event marks the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere and autumn in the south. Equinox means equal night and with the Sun on the celestial equator, Earth dwellers will experience nearly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. Of course, for those in the north, the days will grow longer with the Sun marching higher in the sky as summer approaches. To celebrate the equinox, consider this colorful view of the setting Sun. Recorded last June from the International Space Station, the Sun's limb still peeks above the distant horizon as seen from Earth orbit. Clouds appear in silhouette as the sunlight is reddened by dust in the dense lower atmosphere. Molecules in the more tenuous upper atmosphere are preferentially scattering blue light.

From this webpage.

I found this from neatorama.com which was advertised in Mental Floss magazine, one of several new periodicals I subscribed to this year. Others include: Life Learning magazine, and Greater Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life. I had subscribed to Newsweek and Real Simple for years (among others, thanks, Granny Jean and Boopy for the continued Utne subscription). Nothing personal, Newsweek and Real Simple, just needed something new here...

Very cool kid's site with NO ADS!

Found this site listed at the bottom of an article my mom sent (see, mom, I didn't just put them all in the recycle bin!). It's a great kid's game site, from France, with no advertising. Love the telescope game, as well as the painting (that allows you to mix colors from the primary ones and black/white).