Treehouse Class - VA Kids Group - 04.01.22 

A fun class that teaches basic design skills!
​In this new class we researched, designed & built a treehouse, learning how to draw plans and elevations to scale like a real Architect, and then turning it into a 3d structure!!! HOW COOL!!!

First, we looked at crazy cool modern treehouses, these are not the one's we had years ago as kids. Like a Mirror Tree House in the forrest, a human Bird-nest, one's that look like the should be on Endor or part of BB-8's body, ones that look like hobbit's live there, or spherical ones, or Thai ones.

BUT you can't learn about treehouses, without mentioning SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON!!! It was the ORIGINAL treehouse and inspired me as a kid, and then adult who wants to build their own treehouse one day!

We learned how to do basic design skills: floor plans, elevations & 3d scale model (all using grid paper). Using our imaginations to really make cool treehouses, things like a huge fish tank, a fireman's pole exit, video game & theater wall, an indoor hammock, ice cream machine, rope bridges, bean bag chairs, etc. 

We researched, designed & built cool treehouses like Jr Architects! 

Reef surprised us all and built his treehouse out of Lego! It was soooo cool. My photo wasn't the greatest, but I can't tell you how proud I was of him! The creativity was inspiring! Watching Grace, Knysna & Saige working together to create whole connective treehouse was awesome too! Everyone did an awesome job!!!

❤️Thanks to all the kids & parents for their support!!!❤️

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WV Kids Group - Big Bubbles Class - 04.20.22

🧼💭🛁💬🧋 Last Wednesday, we had beautiful weather the perfect weather for BUBBLES! Everyone was from a different locale 3 from WV, 2 from VA, 1 from TN, 1 from NC, 1 from GA, and 2 from PR!!! 🌎👀

Making our own bubble solution, our own bubble wands. We had kids using molasses, karo syrup, maple syrup, honey, filtered vs unfiltered water. Bubbles need something more than water (high quality water or at least no IRON and minimal hard water as this doesn't allow for bubbles to form), and for bubbles to last longer they need to be thicker, hence different type of sticky/syrupy solutions. BUT it's the ratio that's important!!!

EVERYTIME I teach this class I always get so excited, I've taught it 8 times now! I also love the smiles and even how excited some parents & even grandparents get! ‘Bubbles may be fleeting, but they bring constant amounts of joy!!!’

❤️Thanks to all the kids and moms for their support!!!!❤️

#themcnuttyprofessor #ilikebigbubblesandicannotlie #bigbubbles #bubbles #minimalsurfaceareastructures #science #math #funscienceexperiments #familyfun #onlinegroupclasses #onlineclassesforkids #onlineclassesforadults #homeschoolevents #homeschoolgroupclasses #privatepartiesforkids #onlinemathclasses #onlinescienceclasses #summerkidsactivities #homeschoolmama #soapridsawaythemope #soapsudsequalshappybuds 

​MEMORIAL MOON CLASS - VA KIDS GROUP

Today was a very special class, not only was it the largest (22 kids), it was a class to reinforce a very special occasion, the Memorial of Jesus Death. How to know when to celebrate this occasion as specified in 1 Corinthians 11:24? 

To really know when the exact date of the ancient Jewish holiday like Passover, you would have to use their Lunar calendar and convert it over to our Solar calendar. Religious leaders, scientists, and mathematicians all play a part in the modern calendars that we have today. 

To remember something or plan something, in today's world we'd have a calendar (paper or electronic) to remind us. Calendars didn't always exist. So what is their history? What types of calendars do exist? What kind of Calendar do we use in the Western world? Who keeps track of calendars? 

CALENDARS are super complex and have a lengthy (and looney) history. So I tried to compress the highlights, for this class in a fun way. Lunar (moon) & Solar (sun) calendars exist and to understand them, we need to explore the science surrounding them.

Through a few short videos, a drawing activity, and Oreo cookies to help demonstrate the 8 moon phases we began to understand the differences between the lunar & solar cycles. Helping us to understand why we need BOTH calendars in todays world - LUNISOLAR calendars.

FYI - to find the exact day for Easter, you start off similar to Memorial and Passover. The 1st FULL moon after the Spring Equinox (March 20), also called the 'Paschal Moon'. The first Sunday after this FULL moon is Easter. 

We ended with a super fun Kahoot review game! Can't go wrong with Kahoot!

HAVE A HAPPY MEMORIAL TOMORROW EVENING!🍷🫓🌕

#themcnuttyprofessor #memorialmoonclass *lunarcalendar #solarcalendar #memorialofjesusdeath #passover #onlineclasses #onlinekidsclasses #science #math #religion #calendars #lunarcycles #solarcycles #phasesofthemoon #oreomoonphases #jwkids #onlinetutor #nisan14 #nasa #lunisolarcalendar 

Apologies for not posting in the last month. I’ve not been feeling 100% and combined with my schedule, I’ve been more exhausted than normal. Anywho, today is a good day, so let’s catch up!!! ❤️

Last month, Teen STEAM class we did a String Art (aka curved stitching) lesson, but using 360° rotations. First, using pencil, we took 3 shapes and rotated each, and documented this with penciling the shape each time it was rotated. We did this until we completed the rotation, then repeated with other shapes. What did we learn? That ANY shape when rotated 360° creates a circle.

Remember Spirographs from the 80s? I recently purchased one for the Dollar Store & used it to reinforce the rotating shapes idea in a very quick manner.

We took this next step, and starting stitching the rotations. Since sewing and drawing are very different types of media, we had to adapt the patterns. Using 18, 36 or more holes depending on the shape/s you want to recreate.
If you decide to layer more than 1 shape, it becomes super cool artwork, or you can turn them into very personalized greeting cards!

❤️MATH meets ART!!!❤️

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They say “seeing is believing.” It is true that we tend to believe what our eyes tell us, but in the case of optical illusions, what our eyes tell us is not always the truth. 
Optical illusions take advantage of short cuts between eye and brain and uses them to fool the brain. There are many different kinds of illusions. 

We learned about Optical Illusions, what they are and various types such as Kanizsa Triangle, The Rubin Vase & The Ponzo Illusion. 

We also explored a little into the Museum of Illusions in NYC online, and in the process learned about artists MC Escher & Bridget Riley. Perspective is key for any illusion!!!

We were able to do 3 different Optical Illusions or Op Art during class. We constructed an Impossible Cube in color, a Penrose Triangle with shading, and started to create a 3d sphere on a checkerboard.
​
An 'Unbelievably TRIPPY' class!!!

#themcnuttyprofessor #opart #bridgetriley #opticalillusions #msescher #ascedinganddescendingstairs #impossiblestaircase #inceptionstaircase #penrosestairs #penrosetriangle #escherimpossiblecube #impossiblecube #eschercube #kanizsatriangle #rubinvase #ponzoillusion #marthart #math #art #science #steam #onlineclasses #onlinesteamclasses #lego #legopenrosestairs #paradoxicalarchitecture #buildingtheimpossible #perspectiveiskey