All posts by Jenny Henningsen

#34: Animal Robots

Full STEAM Ahead, Uncategorized,

While the word “robot” can conjure up an image of a cyborg human with lights for eyes and super powers, animal-inspired robots are accomplishing tasks in all kinds of medical, military and rescue work. These anibots perform tasks that would be difficult and often dangerous for mere mortals, or even human droids, to accomplish

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your STEAM mini spark recording page: #34: Animal Robots

2.   Pneupard is a robot that is designed to be agile and fast like cheetahs and other cats. Pneupard has artificial muscles made from rubber tubing that are covered in nylon and filled with air. The pneumatic muscles have lifelike skills that allow the bot to replicate the range of motion and strength of a real cat!

3. On your recording sheet define Pneupard.

4. Watch this video about Pneupard. Record 5 details from the video on your recording page.

5. Answer the following questions.

  • How are these engineers using robots to learn about nature?
  • Why are cheetah’s ultra complex to recreate?
  • What did the engineers learn when the were in the park
  • What animal would you choose to recreate as a robot? What part or parts of this animal would be ultra complex to recreate?

6. One modern robot flier is called ornithopter. Ornithopter looks and flies much like a real bird. One sweet little ornithopter is used as a nano-spybot, equipped with a tiny camera.

7. On your recording sheet define ornithopter.

8. Watch this video about Ornithopter and write a summary of the video on your recording page.

9. On your recording page, answer these questions.

  • What materials are used to make this robot?
  • What other material come to mind that might work?
  • Have you ever seen a servo motor? If not where else might it be used? If you have seen one, what was its purpose?
  • What is visually interesting to you about this robot? What woud you change?

10. Share your STEAM mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

#30: Make Slime

Full STEAM Ahead, Learning Opportunities, Mini Challenges

 Slime is a fun way to study science. Check out this mini spark to learn about the science behind slime. Then check out the Slime Science badge to make your own slime.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your STEAM mini spark recording page: #30: Make Slime

2. Watch this video about making slime.  Take notes on your recording sheet while you watch.

3. Using the information from the video, create a quiz for other kids to play. You can use kahoot or google slides. Include at least 10 questions and include the answers as well.

4. Share your STEAM mini spark recording page and your slime quiz with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Make slime using the Slime Science Badge at the EY Website.

#29: Bitsbox-Code an App

Full STEAM Ahead, Mini Challenges

In this STEAM mini spark you will learn how to sign in to Bitsbox and how to code your own apps. You will learn about the text and stamp commands, as well as how to work with coordinates.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your STEAM mini spark recording page:#29: Bitsbox-Code an App

2. Watch this intro video.  On your recording page, record 5 new things you learned about coding.

3. Bitsbox is an online resource. Click this link to get to bitsbox.

4.  Click the sign in with google button to get to your tablet.

5. Go back to the video from step 2 and code “snacks, please”.  You do not need to sign up with your email like he does in the video since you are already logged in with google.

6. After you finish the app, you can modify it with your own stamp, text, and colors.

7. Take a picture of your code and add it to your recording sheet

8. Click this link to get to a few free coding projects provided by Bitsbox. If you would like, you can print them out.

9. Code 3 of the projects. Take a screenshot of your code and add it to your recording page.

10. Share your STEAM mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

#28: Rocket Launcher

Full STEAM Ahead, Learning Opportunities, Mini Challenges

National STEAM day is celebrated on November 8, but you can create STEAM all year long! Check out this rocket launcher experiment that you can do to celebrate the national day dedicated to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your STEAM mini spark recording page: #28: Rocket Launcher

2. Watch this video. Write down the materials you will need on your recording page

3. Collect the materials you need. Contact the EY coordinator in your building via email if you need help with this step. Add a picture of of your supplies to your recording page.

4. Go back to step 2 and rewatch this video while you are working.

4. Take pictures from your experiment and add them to your recording page.

5. Take a video of your rocket launcher.

6. On your recording page, create a one paragraph summary about your project.

7. Share your STEAM mini spark recording page and your video with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Check out the DIY superstar badge on the EY website

Post adapted from https://projectmc2.mgae.com/#/experiments

#37: Create Your Own National Day

Reading Enrichment

Everyday can be a celebration. Did you know that November 3rd is national sandwich day, December 7th is national letter writing day and January  7th is national bobblehead day?

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your language arts mini spark recording page: #37: Create Your Own National Day

2. Look over this teaching page. On your recording sheet, write about each of the highlighted days, the history, and how it is celebrated.

3. What day do feel deserves to add to the list of national celebrations? Pickle day?  It’s observed on November 15. How about National fuzzy sock day? Wear your cozy socks and keep your feet toasty warm all day long. People celebrate this day on December 21st!  Look over this national day list and find 5 more funny days that are national days.

 

4. What would be a day that you would LOVE to celebrate? Start brainstorming to think of a special day that you would like added to the calendar that is not already observed. Make a list of 5-10 days.

5. Choose your very favorite day from the list you created. Create a colorful information page about your day. Include this information:

The name of your day

3-5 facts about your topic

How can people celebrate this day?

Add color and illustrations to your project.

6. Read about the process of how to formally submit your national day idea to be selected as a “National Day of Celebration”. What information is most important to know about the process.

7. Share your language arts mini spark recording page and project with your teacher/EY coordinator.

#38: Celebration Days

Early Enrichment, Uncategorized

Everyday can be a celebration. Did you know that November 3rd is national sandwich day, December 7th is national letter writing day and January 7th is national bobblehead day?

Spark your thinking!

  1. Set up your language arts mini spark recording page: #38: Celebration Days
  2. Look over this teaching page. On your recording sheet, write about each of the highlighted days,  its history, and how it is celebrated.
  3. What day do you feel deserves to add to the list of national celebrations? Pickle day? It’s observed on November 15. How about National fuzzy sock day? It’s a day people celebrate on December 21st! What would be a day that you would LOVE to celebrate? Start brainstorming. Create a list of 10 days that you would enjoy having as special days on the calendar.
  4. Choose your very favorite day from the list you created. Create a colorful information page about your day. Include this information:

The name of your day

3-5 facts about your topic

How can people celebrate this day?

Do research to find out if your day is already celebrated. If so, add that date to your project.

  1. Read about the process of how to formally submit your national day idea for review. 
  2. Share your project with your teacher or the EY coordinator in your building.

#54: Multiplication Tricks

Math Mini Sparks

Multiplication. It is one of the four types of operations you learned in math (along with addition subtraction and division). There are many different ways to multiply numbers. However, sometimes, multiplying really big numbers can be a challenge. Luckily, there are many different techniques you can use to solve large multiplication problems.

Spark your math thinking!

  1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #54: Multiplication Tricks
  2. Watch this video about multiplying using lines. Take some notes as you watch to track the process.

3. Print out (or have your teacher print out) this worksheet. Use the method in the video to come up with answers to multiplication problems. You can check your answers on the second page of the worksheet.

4. If you feel comfortable with those problems and want to try multiplying bigger numbers, then print out this worksheet.

5. Share your math mini spark recording page and Explain EDU project with your teacher/EY coordinator.

*Lesson inspired by multiplication lessons from East Asian schools

#52: Super Egg

Math Mini Sparks

Numberphile is a YouTube channel that posts many videos about many different math concepts. The channel has numerous videos on many real life examples. It is a great channel to learn about concepts not necessarily taught in school. One video that the channel contains is about a super egg, or a superellipse.

Spark your math thinking!

1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #52: Super Egg

2. Watch the Numberphile Video and share something new you learned about math, geometry, and engineering on your recording sheet.

3. After watching the videos, click on this link and answer the questions. Write how you think you did on the quiz on your recording sheet.

4. Write 3 things you liked about the video and 2 questions you have and 1 thing you did not like about the video.

5. Share your math mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

*Lesson inspired by Numberphile video about superellipses.

#50: Pandigital Numbers

Math Mini Sparks

Why is 361,654,729 awesome? Dive into this math mini spark and find out!

Spark your math thinking!

  1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #50: Pandigital Numbers
  2. Check out this video about pandigital numbers.

3.  Check out the 3 levels of the Pandigital  Number Quiz  at Transum.  Pick the level that suits you. Keep playing your level until you earn a trophy. Add a screenshot of your trophy to your recording page.

Level 1 – Basic questions about pandigital numbers

Level 2 – More challenging questions about pandigital numbers

Level 3 – Excruciatingly difficult questions about pandigital numbers

4. Share your math mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

#51: Movie Math

Math Mini Sparks

Today’s age is filled with a wide variety of forms of entertainment. Television shows and movies are some of the most common forms today. Usually we don’t associate math with these however there have been some movies and episodes with a focus on a math topic. One such movie is Good Will Hunting. The movie has a particular math problem in which an MIT professor claims it took him years to solve. The problem basically is to draw all shapes that fit the description. There are ten shapes in total. MIT is one of the best universities in the world. Are you able to solve the problem that supposedly took an MIT professor a long time to solve in a day or less? Find out!

Spark your math thinking!

  1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #51: Movie Math.
  2. You are going to watch the video that introduces a problem and explains how to solve it.  Pause around 2:30 so you don’t see the answers until after you attempt the problem. Good Will Hunting Math Problem

3. After pausing the video, try drawing all 10 trees. You can check your answers near the end of the video in which he shares the answers

4. On your recording page, write about something new you learned. 

5. Share this video with your parents, friends, and/or adults and ask them if they can solve the problem as well

6. Share your math mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

*Inspired by the movie Good Will Hunting