Math Competition at the Universidad Compútense de Madrid

Every year the Universidad Compútense de Madrid sponsors a mathematics competition for all fifth grade and older students in the Comunidad de Madrid.  

 

The competition has two rounds of formal testing.  The first round happened in local schools in February and was open to all interested schools in Madrid.  The two top scoring students from each grade at each school were then invited to the second round of testing at the Universidad Compútense de Madrid.  Harry and Charley were the top fifth grade scorers from their school and on Saturday 21st April they took the round two exam at the university. 

Arriving at the Universidad Compútense de Madrid
Charley, Harry, Jose Luis (6th), Marisol (H & C's teacher), Beatrice (Mother of Silvia) and Silvia (6th).

Finding a seat in the 5th and 6th grade exam room.

Billy outside the Math department at the University.
[Billy was not allowed to sit for the test because he is only a fourth grader. He enjoyed doing the questions afterwards and his fourth grade status did not slow him down or prevent him from getting them right. He was often quicker than his mother - well my excuse is they were in Spanish.]

Silvia, Jose Luis, Charley, Harry and Billy after the exam outside the Math department.
The Menken boys are all dressed ready for their football match because that was next on the Saturday agenda.

Visiting Family over the Easter Holidays



Wednesday April 4 2012 - meeting Grandpa in Forest Row for lunch.

Lunch with Grandpa

Lawrence laying down the bricks and Harry saying goodbye as we get ready to drive to Yorkshire

Matthew and Lawrence still working hard on their shed foundations

Thursday 5th. April, 2012 visiting their youngest cousin, Alfie in Ripon, Yorkshire.

Alfie, Harry, Billy and Aunty Stella

Alfie enjoying the play dead reaction after pointing his water pistol at his cousins.

Friday 6th. April - The boys playing football.

Saturday 7th April - Helping Alfie hunt for Eggs in the garden.

Still looking for eggs.

Stella, Billy and Alfie.

Playing football again.

Sunday 8th April, 2012 - Easter Sunday - The boys with their granny.

Charley, Harry, Aunty Stella, Alfie, Billy and Granny in the background.

Easter Sunday - Dinner with the Truemans and Grandpa.
After a 4 -5 hour journey south we reached the Truemans.

Helping the Truemans build their shed

Wednesday 3rd April, 2012.

When we arrived at the my sister's house, her boys, 3 sons and husband were just starting to build a shed at the bottom of their garden. So they put my boys to work.

Harry and Billy helping take the planks to the bottom of the garden.

Billy and Harry collecting bricks for the foundations.

Bill, Matthew, Lawrence and Nathaniel.

Bill, Matthew, Lawrence and Nathaniel.

Charley was not feeling well so is not in the pictures

Transporting the bricks to the bottom of the garden.

Helping each other get up the hill.

Nathaniel, Bill, Charley, Matthew, Harry, Billy and Lawrence.

Harry helping level.

Nathaniel and Matthew measuring.

Charley and Billy taking a football break.

Matthew checking it's straight.

Harry helping Lawrence.

Lawrence starting to mix the cement with Harry helping.

Putting sand in the mixer.

Matthew waiting to take a load of cement down to the shed.

Bringing the cement to put around the posts.

Dumping the cement.

Checking how much more is needed.

Leveling the cement.

Charley and Harry waiting to be given another job.

Lawrence still mixing cement but close to finishing.

Charley helping Matthew measure between posts.

Last bit of cement going in.

Matthew checking all again.

Lawrence cleaning up.

Well earned supper.

They were all hungry.

Easter In Europe

This was the first year that the three Menken boys have ever experienced an Easter in Europe. Mass on Palm Sunday was said in French. We spent holy week in Ripon with my mum. Billy requested to do a reading for the Stations of the Cross and I really noticed his clear American accent. The boys did an egg hunt with their cousin Alfie on Saturday afternoon. After mass on Easter Sunday all the children were given a chocolate egg. We then drove south to be with my sister, her family and my Dad for dinner.

The following pictures are all about chocolate which I love.

Easter Decorations in Pozuelo:

Easter Decorations in Madrid:

Easter Decorations in Paris:

Easter Decorations in St-Nom La Breteche:

Easter Decorations in London:

Easter Decorations in Ripon:

This time we made our own chocolate baskets and filled them with more chocolate.

On returning to Madrid, I found out that they don't celebrate with chocolate eggs too much like the British do. Its more of a Catalonian tradition even though the bakers we passed were selling chocolate eggs. In Britain the supermarkets have a whole ailse or more with shelves both sides filled with chocolate eggs of all sizes and often each egg is filled with favourite chocolate bars.