Having been through this a few times, I conclude that the popular notion of 'science' (e.g., guy in white lab coat) drives students to attempt experiments in which experimental error and small data sets result in rarely useful results. I encouraged my daughter to study swimming performance utilizing years of USA Swimming data, but the teacher said 'that isn't science'. I guess all of astrophysics 'isn't science', since no one is up there riding on deep space probes measuring things by hand… As it happens, my 6th grader is doing a research project on the environmental impact of Lion Fish. I decided to post his online survey as widely as possible (and enlist the help of some friends) in hopes of giving him some numbers to work with. Some of the results:
[Update: The Internet is awesome; over 100 participants in the first few hours; as we were constructing some graphs, and the data was updating before our eyes. Thanks!.]
With school canceled, my son took the time to nab some nice macro shots of an icy morning in Baltimore. It's wonderful to see creativity at work. And it's good to see the world through their eyes.
I made this blog in hopes of helping other like-minded individuals. But I hadn't given much thought to the possibility of learning something new as a result. My friend Jason sent a note today about FabLab at CCBC (near Baltimore). I've spent some time at TechShop in San Francisco, and was sad to not having something similar around hear. Looks like I was wrong! I can't wait to visit this place with my kids!
So what does a 'boring room' have to do with all this? I'm not against video games (or TV) per se. Constant distraction - or medication for that matter - is another matter. Our creativity and spiritual selves have great difficulty being heard over the din of constant distraction. Video games provide a false sense of accomplishment. Television entices us with emotional 'juice'. So our days can degenerate into work, distraction/medication, and fitful sleep. But what happens when we purposefully seek quiet, or even boredom? What happens when we create space in our day. I tell my kids 'you can't play your video game, or watch your TV show until your jobs are done'. But, you are always welcome to find an empty couch, or a quiet room to be still. While the TV/games produce only a temporary 'buzz', the quiet time can yield insights, new ideas, and opportunity for growth.
There is a place not far from Baltimore where you can ride trains like this. Trains that took uncuttable hours for some one to build. Electric. Diesel. Steam. For little kids, it's just fun (you get to sit on a flat car and ride around). I've also tried setting up my old HO electric trains with the kids, but it always seems to turn into more of a project for me. The train garden near Baltimore is called CalsLiveSteam. My kids loved it back in elementary school.
Unfortunately, my kids never got into Legos (or pretty much anything else I loved as a kid), but this idea is still awesome. I might have to do something like this anyway - maybe the next time I find a nail-pop or stain on the drywall…
On the few occasions I've talked to students about math, I always tell them what video games are made of. From physics engines to lighting and textures, it's all math. I sent this link to my kids to help get the point across. It's a quick way to fight off the tired, old 'what do I need math for'?
Sometimes it just takes a suggestion and the kids run with it. On this particular Halloween, I challenged my son to make a chart of the candy types he had collected. He made this 'candy histogram'.
