Fieldlearning

Nov. 12, 2005

Numbers, Nature, and Camelot

We are taking some time off from formal math instruction this year for a number of reasons. This doesn't mean we aren't doing math, we just aren't working lots of calculations. My 10 y.o. is reading Murderous Maths; we are doing tangrams and origami and looking at Fibonacci numbers and patterns in nature. To that end, we visited the North Museum of science in Lancater last week as they have 2 exhibits currently that focus on these concepts. The musuem and the exhibits are small, but the admission price isn't high and you get in free if you are an ASTC member (FI, Acad of Nat Sci). I really liked how they highlighted objects in their permanent collection that related to spirals. (If you go to Lancaster, see this post about some fun things to do downtown.) I've found some resources both on-line and in books to enhance the Fibonacci understanding. Just today I found out about a woman in Australia who has made a connection between the golden ratio and King Arthur tales, some scholars are taking it very seriously, others aren't; read about it here.Now, if you are intriqued by Fibonacci, check out these links: An on-line exhibit about numbers in nature. http://maven.smith.edu/~phyllo/EXPO/ExpoIntro.html Explanation of Fibonnaci Numbers Explanation of the Golden Section Fibonacci Fun- An activity book for 5 grade and up. I was able to get it at my local library. Facinating Fibonaccis Another book that I was able to find at the library. It is at a middle school level (guessing) - very nice explanations. Wild Fibonacci- for younger kids, a picture book. My daughter still hasn't said she likes math, but she has stopped saying she hates it and I have caught her working problems from the Murderous Maths on the sly!

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