Author Archives: toomai

Shadblow Leaf Ecology

Posted on January 10, 2015 by toomai

Here are some shadblow (Amelanchier canadensis) or serviceberry leaves that I collected from my yard this past Fall. Their tattered appearance speaks of the heavy use that the local ecology has made of them. Not only did they provide sugars … Continue reading →

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Dyslexic Mathematician

Posted on September 17, 2014 by toomai

This is part of a cluster of posts about dyslexia and ADHD. I have two learning “disabilities” (“learning differences” is a more politically correct, and more accurate term): dyslexia, and ADHD. Some people have been surprised to learn this. I … Continue reading →

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Fruit in its Season

Posted on September 4, 2014 by toomai

After a brief walk around the back-yard woodlot yesterday, here’s what ended up in my pocket.

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Plants without photosynthesis

Posted on July 22, 2014 by toomai

Here’s something truly amazing that sprouted recently in my backyard. They are plants called Indian pipe, or ghost plant, or corpse plant. The Latin name is Monotropa uniflora. It has no green to it because it has no chlorophyll! No … Continue reading →

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Yay space!

Posted on July 19, 2014 by toomai
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Parabolas III

Posted on April 7, 2014 by toomai

Our next parabola video. All parabolas are the same shape, just different sizes!

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Parabolas II

Posted on March 31, 2014 by toomai

In this second installment we multiply with parabolas!

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Parabolas I

Posted on March 25, 2014 by toomai

My kids and I are working on a series of videos about parabolas. Here’s the first installment.

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Silver Maple Leaf Ecology

Posted on March 16, 2014 by toomai

More wintry weather for us tonight and tomorrow. While we wait for new spring leaves, here are some more leaves from my yard last fall. 1. Tar spot looks like tar on the leaf, but is caused by a fungus, … Continue reading →

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Abby’s Puzzles

Posted on February 17, 2014 by toomai

My ten-year-old daughter asked me for help doing a mathematical STEM-fair project. We had a lot of funny doing the project together. Here is a brief description of what we did. We decided on the following question: “How many decominoes … Continue reading →

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