Grapefruit Navigation
26 April 2008 | Grenada
Home School has become a daily practice here onboard the Omarsea. But that does not mean it is boring!
In studying math we came across the terms AM and PM. The boys not knowing what these really meant, other than morning and evening, asked me to explain.
Not having a globe here on the Omarsea we opted for the venerable Sharpie and a grapefruit.
In the photo you can see the map of the Pacific Ocean and the lines drawn on the grapefruit. We drew a line at 0 degrees longitude or GMT. Then drew a line at our own longitude 61 degrees West and lastly a line at 180 degrees. I showed the boys how the meridian is the point when the sun is directly overhead. (Roughly noon locally).
Then I explained how Anti Meridian leads up the meridian passage and post meridian PM occurs after the sun passes this highest point. From there the lesson became an art class on how to best draw lines of longitude on our supply of grapefruit. But you know there was such satisfaction in their father this day as they grasped the concept and had fun pealing the world apart.