Science Invention

In September, the sixth graders were given the assignment to "invent" something.  They were given almost two months to complete the final assignment with a different part of that assignment- invention interviews, invention name, sketch, hypothesis, slide show, etc.)  due each week.  I think Brady took two of those weeks brainstorming ideas.  I was worried he wouldn't be able to come up with something.  We encouraged him to invent something that was of interest to him.  

Of course, he chose something tennis related. :)

He wanted to create a barrier to prevent tennis balls from hitting the fence and rolling back onto the court.  He believed this would help prevent injuries and make cleaning up the balls quicker.

Lots of tennis balls were hit to see how many would stay behind the barrier, 

how far away from the fence should the barrier be placed and how much quicker would it be to clean up all the balls.  It worked.

Push ups are not part of the experiment...but sometimes you just feel the need to do some...

Get it?  Venus fly trap- {Venus is a famous tennis player}...Venus ball trap.... 

I showed Brady how to cut letters and use them as stencils.  He cut the stencils and painted them on.

A simple invention really...but what made it really stand out was his oral presentation.  He asked us to listen to him practice over and over and over.  He was so excited to do his first speech ever in front of his class.  Eric and I laugh because he did not get this public speaking excitement from us that's for sure!  He told us after that first group of presenters went that everyone talked fast, looked at the floor and did not seem excited at all about their project.  

The morning of his presentation Brady begged me to take him to the store to get some fresh breath spray. (We have never bought this before!)   He said when his teacher asked him if he was ready....he would hold up a finger to wait a second, freshen his mouth and then he would say, "now I'm ready!"  He wanted to get everyone's attention and get a laugh.  Oh, that boy of ours....

Brady got an A on his invention and oral presentation. 

Last Tuesday Brady was invited to participate in the Curriculum Fair at the high school.

He presented his invention to a handful of teachers and administrators and even the superintendent.

He answered questions and spoke with such confidence.  We're so proud of him....when you put your best effort into what you're doing....you will always be proud of yourself.

Great job Brady!

6th Grade Basketball

Happy New Year!  Just kidding!  I know tomorrow is Valentine's Day...but I'm a lot behind on my blog.  One of my goals this year is to keep up a little better over here...and so far I'm not off to a very good start.  I miss keeping track of our memories...and I know my family who lives far away does too.  I'm going to try and catch up on this past year...even though it's old news...so that I can start fresh.  I think being caught up will make me feel less overwhelmed...and that way I can document the the little things like I used to do.

Brady decided in November to try out for the 6th grade travel basketball team at his school.  He decided this about a week before tryouts.  We were a little surprised....and super excited.  Eric and I both played one sport in high school- basketball.  We were both very serious about it and played on top state teams.  Being a part of a team is fun...and something Brady hasn't gotten to experience much with tennis...at least not until he gets to play on the high school team.

Brady made the team which meant two practices and two games per week.  Mix that in with his tennis schedule and we were running a bit ragged.  I forgot how long the basketball season is!  We (the parents) survived and Brady enjoyed everything that comes along with being a part of a team.  I became kind of the team "driver" carting kids who needed rides to games and practices.  Pizza and donuts and sleepovers and attending the high school games with his teammates made the experience all the more FUN!

Brady's team won one game all season.  Thankfully they were in a Christmas tournament and won two games so it didn't seem so bad.  Brady improved his game quite a bit from that first practice to the last game.  I think he made the team because of his height...and he was best at getting rebounds.  He averaged about 2pts a game and had a high game of 6pts.   He started and played most of the game...and still only had two fouls the entire season!  It was kind of a joke among the parents in the stands whether Brady would foul or not.  We even bribed him one game by telling him that if he got a foul, he could stay up past his bedtime.  He didn't do it...being aggressive I guess is not his thing.  His excuse was that he didn't want to "foul out"....but I think he just didn't want to risk hurting anyone!  

I think basketball was a humbling experience for him.  I could tell he was nervous at times out on the court...not always knowing where he should be or what he should be doing.  Such a big contrast from the tennis court.   Lots of good life lessons to be learned for sure.  He reminded us a couple of times that he was playing basketball just for "fun."  And FUN it was for him and for us!