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"Damn the torpedeos! Full speed ahead!"
Jan. 22nd, 2004 11:50 pmHee. No actual torpedoes were involved, but my 4th grade reading group finished our book about the Nuestra Senora de Atocha today, and it was, therefore, experiment day.
As a quickie project, we made our own compass out of a sewing needle, a bit of cork, a magnet, and a dish of water. Fairly simple concept, but they were still fascinated.
Then we had a boat-building contest. Each student got a piece of aluminum foil (about 5"x7" or so) and made their own boat, in whatever design they wanted as long as they used all the foil. Then we launched them one at a time in a tub of water and proceeded to place as many pennies as possible inside until each boat inevitably sank (discussing the merits of equal proportions, the height of the sides, and the even distribution of pennies). A few poor kids (with long, lopsided canoe-like vessels) only got about 6 pennies before they sank, but one made it up to 36 and my winner lasted until penny #53. Oddly enough, my own boat tied at 53. The latter three were pretty sturdy, and might have held even more weight had the sides where the foil was folded together not leaked.
I love days like this, where I can just play. They get so excited when we do these little projects, and I have such fun putting them together. The next book I have planned for this group is on ocean life, and I'd so like to get a fish and let them help me dissect it. Maybe the university can hook me up with some proper dissection animals.
To completely change the subject, last night, on a whim, I checked out the commentaries on the LXG dvd. It does not, sadly, include the entire cast: a few producers/effects guys and Shane West (who was kinda annoying, actually), but best of all, the hilarious comedy duo of Tony Curran and Jason Flemyng (also known as the Invisible Man and Dr. Jekyll/Hyde).
I swear, it was like listening to Dom and Billy on the LOTR commentaries. These two were finishing each others' sentences, joking around, doing impressions (Tony Curran is just as talented at this as Dom, and like Billy has a Scottish accent; you should hear him do Sean Connery's voice, it's uncanny), commenting on one another's appearance (Curran goes on and on about Flemyng's "six-pack" when we first see him as Jekyll *g*). It was hysterical. I may have to buy the DVD just for that.
The producer also pointed out an amazingly cool reference in the movie which I'd missed - in the scene where M recruits Quatermain, Skinner, and Mina in the library, there are a bunch of paintings on the wall depicting groups of other literary heroes. I had noticed the Four Musketeers on one of them, and Robin Hood on another, but there's also Percy Blakeney, Captain Blood and the Sea Hawk, Ivanhoe, Gulliver, and the coolest of all (to me), The Reverend Dr. Syn (aka the Scarecrow) from the novels by Russell Thorndike. I've never been able to get my hands on the books (old, and out of print in the US), but the Disney movie starring Patrick McGoohan was a favorite of mine growing up. It's impossible to get on VHS anymore, but I still have an old copy we taped off the Wonderful World of Disney.
I knew the comics contained myriad literary references, but to see some very subtle ones in the movie pleases me beyond words. For such wonders, I can forgive the gaping plot holes and headache-inducing editing. Now I'm actually hoping there will be a sequel.
In the mail the other day, I received a package from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
shiva113 containing a copy of the Two Towers soundtrack. She was generous enough to burn it for me, and even went further, adding a personalized cover insert featuring Legolas/Gimli, Aragorn, and Gandalf on the front (beautiful image from a poster, I believe), and a very lovely picture of Pippin on the inside. The quality is astounding, and I love it to bits. Thanks, Blossom! *hugs* So nice to be able to finally listen to some of my favorite music from the movies nonstop.
Not really a GIP, but new Pippin icon in yummy Gondorian armour.
As a quickie project, we made our own compass out of a sewing needle, a bit of cork, a magnet, and a dish of water. Fairly simple concept, but they were still fascinated.
Then we had a boat-building contest. Each student got a piece of aluminum foil (about 5"x7" or so) and made their own boat, in whatever design they wanted as long as they used all the foil. Then we launched them one at a time in a tub of water and proceeded to place as many pennies as possible inside until each boat inevitably sank (discussing the merits of equal proportions, the height of the sides, and the even distribution of pennies). A few poor kids (with long, lopsided canoe-like vessels) only got about 6 pennies before they sank, but one made it up to 36 and my winner lasted until penny #53. Oddly enough, my own boat tied at 53. The latter three were pretty sturdy, and might have held even more weight had the sides where the foil was folded together not leaked.
I love days like this, where I can just play. They get so excited when we do these little projects, and I have such fun putting them together. The next book I have planned for this group is on ocean life, and I'd so like to get a fish and let them help me dissect it. Maybe the university can hook me up with some proper dissection animals.
To completely change the subject, last night, on a whim, I checked out the commentaries on the LXG dvd. It does not, sadly, include the entire cast: a few producers/effects guys and Shane West (who was kinda annoying, actually), but best of all, the hilarious comedy duo of Tony Curran and Jason Flemyng (also known as the Invisible Man and Dr. Jekyll/Hyde).
I swear, it was like listening to Dom and Billy on the LOTR commentaries. These two were finishing each others' sentences, joking around, doing impressions (Tony Curran is just as talented at this as Dom, and like Billy has a Scottish accent; you should hear him do Sean Connery's voice, it's uncanny), commenting on one another's appearance (Curran goes on and on about Flemyng's "six-pack" when we first see him as Jekyll *g*). It was hysterical. I may have to buy the DVD just for that.
The producer also pointed out an amazingly cool reference in the movie which I'd missed - in the scene where M recruits Quatermain, Skinner, and Mina in the library, there are a bunch of paintings on the wall depicting groups of other literary heroes. I had noticed the Four Musketeers on one of them, and Robin Hood on another, but there's also Percy Blakeney, Captain Blood and the Sea Hawk, Ivanhoe, Gulliver, and the coolest of all (to me), The Reverend Dr. Syn (aka the Scarecrow) from the novels by Russell Thorndike. I've never been able to get my hands on the books (old, and out of print in the US), but the Disney movie starring Patrick McGoohan was a favorite of mine growing up. It's impossible to get on VHS anymore, but I still have an old copy we taped off the Wonderful World of Disney.
I knew the comics contained myriad literary references, but to see some very subtle ones in the movie pleases me beyond words. For such wonders, I can forgive the gaping plot holes and headache-inducing editing. Now I'm actually hoping there will be a sequel.
In the mail the other day, I received a package from
shiva113 containing a copy of the Two Towers soundtrack. She was generous enough to burn it for me, and even went further, adding a personalized cover insert featuring Legolas/Gimli, Aragorn, and Gandalf on the front (beautiful image from a poster, I believe), and a very lovely picture of Pippin on the inside. The quality is astounding, and I love it to bits. Thanks, Blossom! *hugs* So nice to be able to finally listen to some of my favorite music from the movies nonstop.Not really a GIP, but new Pippin icon in yummy Gondorian armour.
