maker movement kids week journal (mar. 2-mar. 8, 2015)

March 2-8, 2015(Monday through Sunday)

Maker Movement Kids Weekpresented by

science • technology • engineering • art • mathSTEAM

©2015 Thinkerella. All Rights Reserved.

Maker Movement Kids Weekpresented by

Maker Movement Kids Week is geared toward inspiring children to become the next generation of makers, doers, builders, shapers and inventors.

This week seeks to make education more child-centered, more relevant and more sensitive to each child’s remarkable capacity for learning. It represents expanded opportunities, learning through firsthand experience, and the basic human impulse to create.


PROJECT SUPPLIES FOR THE WEEK

• Markers/colored pencils • Straws• Stapler • Index cards• Party sized Play-Doh (one per ThinkerKid)• Popsicle or crafts sticks• Balloon• Piece of tissue paper• Scissors• Dryer sheet • Toothpicks (40 per ThinkerKid)• C or D Battery• Holiday light strand • Paperclips• Mini marshmallows (20 per ThinkerKid)• Scotch tape

What You’ll Need...


Theme: Hair Raising Fun

Lesson Name: Static Electricity Balloon

Required Materials & Supplies:• Balloon• Piece of tissue paper, cut into pieces• Scissors• Dryer sheet

Lesson Description/Overview:ThinkerKids will learn about static electricity and the phenomenon that involves positive and negative charges.

Step-By-Step Instructions:1. Collect materials.2. Using scissors cut a piece of tissue paper into small 1 in. squares.3. Blow up a balloon and tie it closed.4. Rub the balloon on your head.5. Use the balloon to see how many pieces of paper you can pick up.6. Rub the dryer sheet on the balloon to discharge the static electricity.7. Try again using the balloon to pick up your pieces of paper.

Time to Complete Lesson: 10 Minutes

Learning Objectives:By the end of this activity, Thinkerkids will:• Learn about atoms basic structure and the positive and negative charges • Learn how opposite charges attract each other and like charges repel each other

Real-World Application:• Day-to-day experiences with static electricity: • Lightning • Clothes clinging together when pulled out of the dryer • Shockfromshufflingyourfeetonthecarpet• Combing your hair in the wintertime • Getting out of a car with cloth seats

How ThinkerKids Can Continue the Learning:Try doing an experiment with a tin can, a balloon, and your hair. The tin can will move on its own! Search the web for instructions on “How To Roll A Can With Static Electricity.”

SCIENCE MONDAYProject

“The science of today is the technology of tomorrow.”

- Edward Teller, physicist

Notes

Fun Fact:• Studying science teaches you

how to question, investigate, report and communicate.

Famous Scientists:• Albert Einstein• Leonardo da Vinci• Marie Curie• Nikola Tesla

Doodles


TECHNOLOGY TUESDAY“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”- Arthur C. Clarke, futurist & writer

Fun Fact:• Students studying technology

through a hands-on approach achieve significantly more than students taught traditionally.

Famous Technologists:• Admiral Grace Hopper, Navy• Jeff Bezos, Amazon• Larry Page, Google• Marty Cooper, Cellphones

Notes

Theme: Technology

Lesson Name: Light a Light

Required Materials & Supplies: *per ThinkerKid• C or D Battery • Holiday light strand • 1 paperclip• Scotch Tape

Lesson Description/Overview:ThinkerkKids will use batteries to light a mini holiday light. They will also work with a lab partner to use 2 batteries and a paper clip to build a simple circuit to light a mini holiday light. The science behind it: The plastic that covers the wires in lights are insulators. Always practice safety and do not touch the wires themselves, only the insulated part. Although weak, the battery supplies electricity to the light and lights it. By using the paper clips, bat-teries, and light, you create a simple circuit in which you supply more power through the batteriesandpaperclip,(calledaconductorinthiscasebecauseelectricityflowsthroughiteasily).

Step-By-Step Instructions:1. Have a short discussion on electricity and batteries.2. ThinkerKids will lay their batteries on the table/desk and spread apart the wire on the

mini light so that one end of wire is touching the center bottom of the battery and the other end of wire is touching the center top of the battery. They will observe that, although dim, the light will light up. They should not touch the wire, only the green plastic that insulates the wire.

3. Next, they can get a helper. It can be a parent or a friend. Because step 1 happens so fast, they will use trial and error to do this step. They will tape their batteries on their desks so that they almost form a V. Let them decide which ends will be near.

4. The ThinkerKid will unbend a paper clip and use it to connect the 2 batteries. The helper will take the holiday light and connect one wire to one battery and the other wire to the other battery. If it does not light, they need to rearrange the set up.

5. Explain science behind it. See illustration…this is how it will work but let them figure out which way it should go, unless time starts running short.


Learning Objectives:By the end of this activity, Thinkerkids will be able to:• Defineconductor.• Make a simple circuit.• Explain circuit safety.

Real-World Application:• Electric Circuits

How ThinkerKids Can Continue the Learning:Show your parents how to light up your light. Use a 9V battery and see how bright your light shines.

Project

Doodles


ENGINEERING WEDNESDAY

Notes

“When you want to know how things really work, study them when they’re coming apart.”

- William Gibson

Fun Fact:• Engineers solve practical

problems by applying mathematical and scientific knowledge. The word engineer actually comes from a Latin word meaning ‘cleverness’.

Famous Engineers:• Archimedes of Syracuse• Edith Clarke• Gustave Eiffel• Judith Resnik

Theme: Engineering

Lesson Name: Marshmallow Shapes

Required Materials & Supplies:• Toothpicks (roughly 30-40 for every ThinkerKid)• Mini marshmallows (roughly 15-20 for every ThinkerKid)• Paper plates to build shapes on• Bowls to distribute marshmallows

Lesson Description/Overview:ThinkerKids will use toothpicks and marshmalows to build solid shapes, i.e. cubes, pyramids, prisms, etc. The math behind it: Solid shapes are made up of 3 parts: edges, faces, and vertices (corners). The toothpicks represent the edges, the lines of solid shape. The faces are the part you can’t see, the six squares that make up a cube, for example. The marshmallows represent the vertices. The vertices are where 2 or more edges meet. A cube has 12 edges, 6 faces, and 8 vertices. (See photo of constructed cube below…chewy candy used instead.)

Step-By-Step Instructions:1. While passing out supplies have short discussion on geometry and shapes.2. ThinkerKids will use toothpicks and marshmallows to build their own cube. They will

makethebasefirst,4toothpicksand4marshmallows.Theywilluse4moretooth-picks to stick into the marshmallows so that those 4 are standing up. They will place a marshmallow on top of each of those toothpicks. They will then use 4 more toothpicks to connect the 4 marshmallows on top.

3. Next, they will brainstorm some other shapes similar, i.e. pyramid, rectangular prism, triangular prism, etc.

4. Give ThinkerKids some freedom to build another geometric solid shape of their choice. Assist if they need it.

5. Have ThinkerKids share their new shapes.6. Have a discussion explaining the math terms and

the names of the shapes.


Learning Objectives:By the end of this activity, Thinkerkids will:• Identify edges, faces, vertices• Name 3 solid shapes• Build a solid shape

Real-World Application:Buildings, furniture, boxes, etc.

How ThinkerKids Can Continue the Learning:Lookaroundyourhouseandfind3cubes,3prisms.Also look for cylinders, which are round at the topand bottom so they can’t be made with toothpicksand marshmallows.

Project

Doodles


ART THURSDAY

Notes

Doodles

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”

-Pablo Picasso, Artist

Fun Fact:• Studentswhostudyartare

fourtimesmorelikelytoberecognizedforacademicachievement.

Famous Artists:• Frida Kahlo• Grandma Moses• Michelangelo• Vincent Van Gogh

Theme: Art

Lesson Name: Optical Illusion

Required Materials & Supplies:• Markers/colored pencils • Pre-assembled straws/index cards (2 per Thinkerkid)

Lesson Description/Overview:ThinkerKids will draw a simple picture with the background on one side and the animals/people on the other. Upon spinning it quickly, it will appear that they are together in the same picture. The science behind it: when still pictures are moved very quickly, it appears to our eyes that they are moving.

Step-By-Step Instructions:1. Staple two index cards back to back to the top of a straw. The blank sides should be

facing out. 2. Ask your child what he/she knows about optical illusions.3. Explain that they will create their own optical illusion.4. Takeonestraw/cards.Havethemdrawafishbowlononesideandafishontheother

side. 5. Have them roll the straw in their hands to quickly spin it back and forth. 6. What happened? 7. ThinkerKids will use draw their own image on one side of the second straw/card.

(example:bird/birdcage,flower/grass)8. Repeat step 5. 9. Clean up supplies and explain the science behind it (above).


Learning Objectives:By the end of this activity, Thinkerkids will be able to:• Make an optical illusion.• Perform an optical illusion.• Explain how optical illusions work.

Real-World Application:Cartoons,animatedmovies,andflipbooksallusethisconcept.

How ThinkerKids Can Continue the Learning:Show your parents examples of opticle illusions.

Project


Theme: Math & Art

Lesson Name: Fraction Fun

Required Materials & Supplies:• Party sized Play Doh (one can per ThinkerKid)• Popsicle Sticks• Baby Wipes (for cleanup)

Lesson Description/Overview:ThinkerKids will use PlayDoh to explore the concept of fractions. The math behind it: Fractions are used all around you when you don’t even know it. Has your class ever been split into groups…that’s a fraction, ever shared a candy bar equally with friends…that’s a fraction. A fraction is an EQUAL part of something. The top number, the numerator, tells the portion that you are talking about. The bottom number, the denominator, tells the WHOLE numbers of items in the group. For example, if you have a bag of 8 marbles and 3 of them are red, the 3 (numerator) out of 8 (denominator) marbles are red. The correct way to say this fraction is three-eighths.

Step-By-Step Instructions:1. Have a short discussion on fractions. See what ThinkerKids already know.2. HavethemflattentheirPlayDohoutintoasquare.3. Using the Popsicle stick, have them cut it in half and explain that they’ve just made a

fraction.4. Next,havethemflattentheirPlayDohintoacircle(thecanmakesagreatcircleand

they can just cut a circle with that.)5. They will divide the circle into thirds.6. HaveThinkerkidsmanipulatethePlayDohafewmoretimesflatteningitandcuttingit

into equal portions.7. Clean Up and explain the terms associated with fractions. Stress that all parts have to

be EQUAL.


Learning Objectives:By the end of this activity, ThinkerKids will be able to:• Use PlayDoh to make fraction manipulatives.• Definenumeratoranddenominator.• Make and name fractions.

Real-World Application:We use fractions to cut a cake or a pizza or to separate a sandwich into halves. We use frac-tions when counting money (penny = 1/100, dime + 10/100).

How ThinkerKids Can Continue the Learning:Help your parent or guardian bake a cake. Use measuring cups to practice fractions and measurement, i.e. 1/3 cup of oil, ½ cup of water, etc. You could also divide some toys, like blocks or Legos, into equal groups and practice naming fractions.

Project

MATH FRIDAY

Notes

Doodles

“No employment can be managed without arithmetic, no mechanical invention without geometry.”

- Benjamin Franklin

Fun Fact:• The number or Pi (3.14... the

ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle) can’t be expressed as a fraction, making it an irrational number. It never repeats and never ends when written as a decimal.

Examples of Math:• Ada Lovelace• Hypatia• Pythagoras• René Descartes


MAKER FAIRE SATURDAY

THINKERKIDS SESSION SUNDAY

This interactive session will feature three hands-on activities focusing on various aspects of STEAM. Each child will receive their very own lab coat to bring home. Discounted tickets are available at mythinkerella.com for $15. Additional ThinkerKit experiments packs are available for purchase in the shop on mythinkerella.com

Sunday, March 8, 10AM-11AM

New Orleans Mini Maker Faire is a fun, casual day of exploration, learning and spectacle. Dress comfortably – makers will be located both inside and outside of Tulane’s Lavin-Bernick Center, and the show will go on rain or shine. Also, you may encounter and make things involving robots, bubbles, soldering irons, LED lights, sewing, water balloons and more! Visit nolamakerfaire.com for more information.


Thinkerella8218 Maple Street

New Orleans, LA 70118504-232-1394

[email protected]

mythinkerella.com@mythinkerella

facebook.com/ThinkerellaNola

About Thinkerella

Thinkerella provides a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) educational program for girls and boys ages 3-13 through after-school activities, workshops, birthday parties and scout sessions. Created by local mom Cherie Melancon Franz, the program focuses on STEAM experiments and activities.

As the first-of-its-kind program in New Orleans, Thinkerella tackles complex material by making it fun and exciting for children through interactive learning experiences focusing on STEAM experiments and activities. The hands-on program has made its way into more than a dozen New Orleans area elementary schools over the last year and has expanded its services to meet rising demand.

ThinkerKids curricula is written by certified teachers. Each child gets a lab coat and safety goggles to wear for sessions. Every activity is safe and non-toxic and the kids get to bring home the majority of what they create.


maker movement kids week journal (mar. 2-mar. 8, 2015)

Education