Mobeus Math

The other day, this video came through my Facebook feed:




It was really interesting, but it was late, and I wanted to do it with the kids. So I waited until they were awake. And we got out the tape and scissors and colored scrapbook papers (which helped with seeing the different things that happened as we were cutting, and made it easier to understand than it is with his that are all one color. And we made all his shapes --plus, Dragon found one more, where it makes 4 tiny curved almost-squares. They are also a pretty interesting shape.

We got all these shapes from flat papers taped, and then cut apart. (Except the double mobeus at the top: that's one of the ones we've been cutting.)

Building it all with 3 kids plus me took a few minutes. But I think that it was well worth the time, for the work on patterns and predictions and everything else. Some very good mathematical thinking going on!

Then, we watched the explanation, to make sure that we'd understood all the different things, and the reasons WHY the paper did what it did. Math took well over an hour today, but it was lots of fun. Well worth it.

Psalm 17: A Cry For Help

It's been almost two years since I wrote about the Psalms. There are a number of reasons for that. The biggest, I suspect, is that I just didn't get this Psalm, for all that I'd studied all the words, and I didn't really want to move on until I understood. So I reread it from time to time. And waited. Tonight, I ended up doing scripture study late with the kids, so rather than reading a chapter from each one's personal bookmark, I just picked something short: a Psalm. And the first one to come to mind was the one that I'm supposed to be "working on" (though it has remained a mystery) for this Psalm Project: Psalm 17.

Suddenly, I could hardly see the page for the tears. All the mystery was unexpectedly cleared up: this Psalm is a cry against injustice, perpetrated by someone irresistibly stronger. It's the plea of someone who is powerless to change the choices of those who are stronger, better positioned, more powerful, and who needs Divine Help to survive.

It says "A Prayer of David", and I can almost see him: he used to be a hero, the king's favorite son-in-law, savior and darling of the people, slayer of Goliath. Anointed by the prophet. And then the king lost his ever-loving mind. So there David is: in a cave. Scrambling for food. Deprived of wife and family. Grieving for priests who died for his sake. Hunted from place to place like a beast. Still desperately trying to protect his people from their enemies. All through no fault of his own. (See 1 Sam. 17-27)