Engineering + Art + Inventing = Making

 
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What I love about the concept of Making — particularly for education — is that it highlights the overlap between arts & crafts, engineering, and science.

To explore this idea, a while back I made a little Venn diagram to illustrate the similarities and differences between engineering, art, and inventing.

In school, Making (using the capital because Make: magazine has kind of made that a thing) is most tied to engineering.

To me, it’s more about how engineering concepts can enrich the creation process. Think about Leonardo da Vinci — probably the poster boy for artists who are also scientists and inventors. He designed flying machines using his imagination, but based upon his knowledge of physics, anatomy, and materials.

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That’s why in my classes and books, I like to frame the activities I share with kids as “inventing.” I think it's a great way to get at engineering through art skills many of us already have. To my mind, engineering, inventing and art all use the same process:

  • Come up with new ideas and solutions to problems.

  • Test your ideas to see if they work.

  • Take note of what went right and keep working on what didn't. (Iterate!)

  • Record your results so you or others can repeat them.

That last part is very important (although, like other dabblers, I sometimes get caught up in the excitement of inventing and forget to take photos or keep notes). Adam Savage of Mythbusters has a famous quote about it: "The only difference between screwing around and science is writing it down."

What’s more, engineers ask questions that can apply equally well to inventing and art (particularly when it comes to using new materials and techniques):

  • What is it made of?

  • What makes it behave the way it does?

  • What are its limitations?

  • How can it be improved?

  • How can it be standardized to make it easier to reproduce?

 
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Kids can be encouraged to do that too. These students are building Solar WobbleBots, simple solar-powered spinning robots. (The instructions for this project appears in my book BOTS!, and there's an advanced version in Making Simple Robots that works in low light conditions thanks to a capacitor.)

As they put them together, they’re exploring materials such as recycled CDs, Slurpee cup lids, and solar panels ripped out of garden lights. They’re experimenting with designs to give their robots unique ways of moving. They’re using familiar tools and techniques (screwdrivers, tape, hot glue) and adding new ones (wire stripping). And they're using crafts materials to give their creations personality.

The concept doesn’t end there. I truly believe the process of Making can be used to enhance any academic subject. I’ll write more about that soon.

Meanwhile, I’d love to hear what you think!

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Chocolate Cake in a Mug (Quarantine Version)

 
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You’re working at home and your mind starts to wander to snack possibilities. In the old days, you could mosey on down to the local cafe for a break. But now, of course, you’re on your own.

If you’re the parent of young children, it’s possible there are probably some prepackaged, good-until-the-next-millennium baked goods in your cabinet. However, you may want to save those to keep the kids placated during your 19th teleconference of the week.

Instead, try my recipe for Cake in a Mug! All it takes is a microwave, some hot chocolate mix, and a couple of ingredients you’re sure to have in your kitchen. Have no fear, this could easily pass for fresh, decadent, chocolate lava cake from your favorite bistro.

And if your prepper stash doesn’t include gourmet unsweetened cocoa, I’ve got you covered. This version is designed for the instant hot chocolate mix you keep on hand for the kids. Here’s how to make it:

Cake Ingredients

What You’ll Need
4 Tablespoons cake flour
9 Tablespoons hot chocolate mix
1 Egg
3 Tablespoons water
3 Tablespoons oil
1 Microwavable Mug

 

Like this recipe? Find more dessert and other yummies in my book Edible Inventions — available in softcover, Kindle, and as a PDF!

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Combine the Dry Ingredients

Measure out the flour and hot chocolate mix into the mug. Stir.

Add the Wet Ingredients

Crack the egg into the mug. Stir a bit. Add water and oil.

Stir until thoroughly moistened. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the mug with your spoon to avoid any leftover pockets of dry ingredients.

For a gooey lava-like interior, throw in some chocolate chips.

 

Bake

Put the mug in the microwave on high and set the timer for 3 minutes.
As it bakes, a cylinder of cake will start to rise out of the mug. Way cool!
When done, it will settle back into the mug.

Serve

The handle of the mug may be hot, so use a potholder to remove it from the microwave.

Tip your cake cylinder out of the mug into a dish. It may look a little wrinkled. This is normal.

Use a fork to break it up into quarters. This will allow steam in the center to escape. Arrange so that the more attractive interior of the cake is showing.

Make sure the cake has cooled enough to eat before digging in. Add whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

Enjoy!

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How to Turn a Book Into a Class

 
 

A wonderful example of how educators are coming up with creative ways to keep kids learning during this difficult time comes from Chicago-based educator Kathryn Born. She and her daughter are following along with my book Micronations, using it as the basis for a series of lessons that she’s also sharing online, with the hopes that other families will join them.

Thanks to the generosity of my publisher Nomad Press, she is also able to show some of the material on her blog for a limited time. Born writes:

“Micronations is a great book, especially right now, and especially with an influx of parents who are suddenly homeschooling for the first time. The book is a great resource as you can simply read it and do the exercises, there isn't a lot of direct instruction they have to design themselves. You can also do all the activities with supplies they already have.”

Educators often tell me they use my books as a teaching guide — which is only natural, since many of them grew out of afterschool classes I taught when my kids were young. My micronations class, which was called “Invent Your Own Country,” was one of my favorites. (My youngest son told me it was the best class he had ever taken, so there you go.)

In my classes, I loved the ideas the students came up with for their countries, and the great artifacts they made to represent them. They even expanded upon my lessons by reaching out to other micronational governments in the class to form their own alliances and trading agreements — a remarkably diplomatic concept for fourth- and fifth-graders to embrace! Here’s a sampling of what they produced:

Born’s project with her daughter reflects the times we’re living through:

“The book asks, If you were going to start your own nation, from scratch, how would you design it? How would your government run? What would your laws be? I’m doing a COVID-19 version of this with my 12-year old, so we are adapting it to ‘if your household was a nation, a kingdom, an imaginary country, how would we run it?’ (Which is kind of what’s happening with this isolation many families are in. Our homes have become our micro-universe.) ”

What’s more, Born writes, the project is giving her daughter a way to talk about the anxieties she’s facing in these uncertain times. “This book is a good discussion starting point about why countries are making the decisions they are right now,” she says.

Born is hoping to host an online World’s Fair with other “emergency homeschoolers” when the project is done. I can’t wait to see it!

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Decompressing — Ease the Move from School to Homeschool

 
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Kids who have suddenly gone from a classroom to learning at home often need some time to adjust. Homeschoolers have a word for it — “decompression.”

Decompression (also sometimes called “deschooling”) means holding off on school-type activities, and take a more relaxed attitude toward learning. And it can make all the difference between utter chaos and a smooth transition.

Decompression gives children feeling overwhelmed time to recover. And it can help the whole family find a new normal. That’s especially true if you are having trouble yourself balancing a structured homeschool experience with your own responsibilities to work and to keeping the household running.

Instead of scrambling to keep up with the classroom, or diving into a pre-set curriculum, consider activities that don’t depend on a lot of formal work on the part of you or your kids. That can include:

  • choosing their own reading materials, without worrying whether or not they're "schoolish;"

  • watching videos on fascinating topics;

  • playing with educational toys that make learning fun;

  • experimenting with hands-on science experiments and engineering projects using everyday stuff;

  • observing the peace and beauty in nature;

  • using art to express feelings and creativity;

  • using physical activity to release tension and channel restless energy.

How long the period of decompression should last depends on your children. Younger kids may only need a week or two. For teenagers, the adjustment can be longer. My advice? Follow your family's lead.

Some kids will be thrilled to finally have to freedom to follow their own interests. Let them. Chances are, they'll learn more on their own than if you try to plan out a course of study for them. When you’re all a bit more settled, you can start to suggest adding in subjects you feel they need at a gradual pace. On the other hand, if your children seem lost without a schedule, sit down and make one up together.

Above all, don't fix what isn't broken. If kids seem happy and productive, leave them be. That’s way more valuable than any curriculum.

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You Can Do It! Teach Your Kids to Read

 
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Teaching your child to read can feel like an enormous challenge. But think about it: kids in the U.S. have been learning to read at home since colonial days. If pioneer families could teach their children to read by candlelight, you can do it too! Here are some tips to get you started:

Read to Your Kids

One of the most effective ways to introduce kids to reading is simply to sit and read to them. And let them sit where they can see the page as you read. It's not unusual for kids who have been following along as you read their favorite books to start recognizing sight words on their own.

Keep it Interesting

Make it enjoyable for all of you by finding material that interests you AND them. There are plenty of high-quality picture books at your local library or bookshop or available for your e-reader.

But you don't have to stick to beginner's books. As reading advocate Jim Trelease has pointed out, young kids can understand much more advanced material than they would be able to read for themselves. At our house, my youngest was able to follow along with the Harry Potter series when he was only six. Just make sure the titles you choose are not too intense for the maturity level of your kids.

Help Them "Break the Code"

For kids, the key to reading on their own is being able to figure out how letters come together to form words. So exposing your kids to the alphabet and the sounds letters make is a necessary part of learning to read.

You can use a phonics curriculum or flashcards, but there are other choices as well. Young kids often learn through touch, so letter-shaped puzzle pieces and alphabet blocks are great starters. And I can thank Sesame Street for teaching my older child to read while I was busy with the new baby.

Of course, reading is about meaning and getting the message, not just getting the words right. So along with sounding out the letters, remind your child to keep checking back with the sentence and the story as a whole, to make sure that the word they are trying to figure out makes sense in context.

Special Note: Don't worry if your child isn't an early reader! While it may be nice for a child to learn to read at three or four, studies have found that there's no long-lasting advantage.

Resources to Help Kids Read

There are plenty of reading instruction books and programs that provide guidance – but you can do just fine without them. Try some of these resources:

Word books: These are books that label everyday things, letting the illustrations tell the “story.” Back when my kids were little, we loved paging through Richard Scarry’s word books, featuring Lowly Worm, Huckle Cat, and people in their town going about their jobs and activities.

Storybook apps: If you can find them, animated storybooks highlight each word as you hear it read. They not only keep a young child's attention, they're also great for helping the brain make the connection between the written word and the sound. Scholastic has some recommendations for reading and book apps.

Easy reader books: These books have limited vocabularies and large type to help kids start to read on their own. They come in different levels, some with just a few words per page, and others with full-fledged stories. They include classics like anything by Dr. Seuss, and the Frog and Toad series by Arnold Lobel. There are also great easy-to-read books on nonfiction topics, like Robert Ballard's Finding the Titanic. Librarian/blogger Betsy Bird mentions a few new titles.

Graphic novels: Books with a comic-book format are still books! Kids will happily sit and “practice” if the material is engaging. Popular graphic novel books for young readers include the Dav Pilkey’s DogMan and Babymouse.

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