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The Round Table

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Known as the human computer, Shakuntala Devi, once said, “Without mathematics, there is nothing you can do. Everything around you is mathematics. Everything around you is numbers.” I don’t agree with everything Devi said, but I think there are some important ideas one can gain from her perspective on mathematics.   The main idea I can agree on is the importance of a basic understanding of mathematics for children to be able to one day contribute to society. In close proximity to the importance of reading, mathematics can be very complicated for people of all ages, but there are supports that can help with understanding mathematical terminology. One type of assistance is through books such as the book called, “Sir Cumference and the Round Table” written by Cindy Neuschwander and Wayne Geeham.           The book takes children back in time to Camelot when King Arthur ruled. King Arthur had a problem in that everyone at his table had to shout to be heard which caused their throats to
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Storms

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Benjamin Franklin was a great man who was also a founding father of the United States of America and when he was struck by lightning while chasing it, he said it provided:         “a universal blow throughout my whole body from head to foot, which seemed within as well as without; after which the first thing I took notice of was a violent quick shaking of my body.” Now imagine being struck by lightning yourself. How do you think it would feel? Would you feel about the same as Franklin did? The book, “Storms” by Seymour Simon provides great detail on lightning and its effects, as well as many other aspects of numerous storms.            Storms are something that we often encounter, and they are something I have wondered about myself. Seymour examines many different storms like thunderstorms, tornadoes, hailstorms, and hurricanes, while providing a clear understanding of how these storms are formed and their effects on Earth. An excerpt from the book includes, "Each year,
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A True American Life

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“Let your tongue speak what your heart thinks” is a powerful statement by the “King of the Wild Frontier”, also known as Davy Crockett. That statement is one that each person can take with them and apply it in their daily lives to make them more open and honest with those around them. In a world of corruption and lies, it is important to remember how we feel as individuals and be able to share that with others in order to create an environment of morality, integrity, and sincerity, just like Davy Crockett did. Crockett lived an amazing life that would take hundreds of men of his era to come close to duplicating when trying to measure up to his astounding accomplishments. A man that often lived a life of mythical adventures, became a legend who would help the United States of America to become the country it is today. The book that I believe every child and adult should take some time to read in order to better one’s understanding of American history is Davy Crockett: A Life on the
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An American Patriot's Childhood

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“The British are coming” is one of the most recognizable quotes in American history. It is the famous words uttered by Paul Revere that would soon be followed by the first battle of the American Revolutionary War. The American Revolutionary War is the beginning of the United States of America and without the warning by Paul Revere, life as we know it could have ceased to exist. This book doesn’t discuss the midnight ride that Revere embarked on, but rather explores Revere’s life leading up to being a Revolutionary War hero and American icon.           Paul Revere and the Bellringers by Jonah Winter takes the reader back in time, to when the colonies were still part of the British empire, and to when Paul Revere was a boy. Revere didn’t live a life similar to those of his peers who attended school, but rather stayed home and worked in his father’s shop with silver and gold. While working, Revere would overhear his father and others discussing clubs and meetings, as well as issu
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Life Lessons

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“The measure of who we are, is what we do with what we have.” This was a quote by the legendary football coach of the Green Bay Packers, Vince Lombardi, and I feel that this statement is a great way to look at the life that we have been given and what we are doing with our lives. A book that I feel also connects with this statement and message would be the fable The Lion and the Mouse by Aesop. Aesop was a Greek storyteller who died in the year 564 B.C. and ended up creating a collection of stories known as Aesop’s Fables . I find that Aesop’s fables are relevant and true to this day and some of Aesop’s most well-known fables includes, The Gnat and the Bull, The Dog and His Reflection, The Fox and the Grapes, The Hare and the Tortoise, and The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf.           My favorite fable by Aesop though would have to be The Lion and the Mouse. The story tells of a lion who was asleep, is awoken by a mouse who scurries across his nose which wakes the lion up, but s
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The Book That Changed My Life

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“ "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go .” What a great quote by a man who has become a legend in the realm of children’s books. Dr. Seuss had a knack for making words rhyme though, which is why he lives on with so many of us. When children and adults are asked for an author that they remember from their childhood days, they almost simultaneously answer with the name of Dr. Seuss.           I am not going to talk about any of Dr. Seuss’ books though. I am rather going to talk about a book that I can earnestly remember reading in my early childhood days called, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambult. I really enjoyed this book and I am sure many other people did throughout the world. It is one of those books that I am absolutely, positively, without a doubt, surefire guaranteed, would be in the hall of fame for books if they had a hall of fame. They probably shou
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