Tinker Maker Artist Learner

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Seed Bombs!

The girls learned about the Japanese biologist and farmer Masanobu Fukuoka. He was the original guerrilla gardener! We created seed bombs, or as the girls called the "Throw and Sows". We used native plant seeds, compost and powdered clay, mixed them together and molded them into small round shapes. Then we let them dry. These "greenades' are to be throw anywhere where there needs beautification.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Dis-assembly Day

The girls had a dis-assembly today. It was really fun to see the girls so excited about using tools and taking apart things. We had an old stereo receiver, a VCR cam-corder, an electronic key board, other electronics and a couple of battery operated toys. I heard a lot of the girls wondering if they had to put their piece back together. They are always thinking. We had a lot of laughs at seeing Elmo and Cookie Monster dissembled yet still moving!

Taking things apart and demystifying the inner workings
of objects we interact with on a daily basis is a profound way to get to know how the world works.
Dis-assembling toys and old electronics is a playful platform to explore the mechanical and electrical “guts” of the items while
gaining practice using many different tools.

Thanks to all the staff who came to see the girls at work. I envision building an art robot with all of the scrap.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Microbes! They are everywhere.

This week the GLOS girls learned about microbes. We also sewed a felt microbe. The girls worked hard learning, creating and helping each other during this fun activity. It was the first time for some of the girls to sew, they did a great job and some of the girls used a blanket stitch. Tomorrow morning the girls are going to wear their creations to school. Mr. Hedges is going to mention them on announcements, asking classmates to ask the GLOS girls about their microbe/art. Here are a couple resources we used this week:

Here are the creations:

Measles

Malaria

The common cold

The flu

And Rabies:

All our microbe friend!

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Women Mathmaticians Rock!

Maryam Mirzakhani is the first woman to ever win the Fields Medal – known as the "Nobel Prize of mathematics" – in recognition of her contributions to the understanding of the symmetry of curved surfaces.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Girls Letting Off Steam* GLOS

Today at Shamrock Springs was first meeting of the girl-only steam club. To start things off, the girls started writing in their lab journals. They jotted down some ideas and interests they would like to pursue in the club.

Lab journals

Then Mrs. D explained the Lego robotics activity that we were going to create.

The girls worked together to build and program their creations.

Then they programmed their creation. Success!!!

Interesting People

Every once in a while, an engineer comes along whose work combines different disciplines in a way that is both fascinating and inspiring. Natalie Jeremijenko is one such engineer. - See more at: http://www.egfi-k12.org/whats-new/trailblazers/natalie-jeremijenko#sthash.vlNXNoMh.dpuf

Theo Jansen is a Dutch artist. In 1990, he began what he is known for today: building large mechanisms out of PVC that are able to move on their own, known only as Strandbeest. His animated works are a fusion of art and engineering; in a car company (BMW) television commercial Jansen says: "The walls between art and engineering exist only in our minds." He strives to equip his creations with their own artificial intelligence so they can avoid obstacles by changing course when one is detected, such as the sea itself.