"Mom, I Want to Build Something!"

The most recent statement from our child who recently announced, 

"I want to be an engineer." 

How did that child come to that conclusion? Not certain we had ever done an "engineer" study. Must know an engineer? Did the child overhear conversation with an engineer? Hmmm. Where did the revelation come from? 

A child has a longing, a desire. Louis Pasteur asked questions and searched for answers. He got answers, and saved lives. The Wright Brothers wanted to fly. They experimented and they did. A child inspired. Where will that inspiration lead? Pondering how to fan the flames, like Jeanne Roqui, Susan Wright, and many other moms.

Another day another idea.

Finding some PVC pipes, elbow and connectors, a tent frame erected in the front yard. Same child.

Now, convinced this is more than a passing thought, I notice the common thread. Building is part of the unique design.

Almost immediately I remembered an older sibling designing with an extensive set of KNEX, 13 years ago. Dug out of the back of a closet, the set was reopened, rediscovered, pieces rumbling. Something was happening, like a mind-quake.

What is being built? The curiosity bubbled inside me. I couldn't wait to see the results of a imaginative mind, a curiosity.

Before long..

"Look what I built!"

Complete with a rotary dial, which was added after consultation with an older sibling.

"Mom, I want to build something!"  

What an ingenious builder you are!

How can I help you be the best builder you can be?

Pondering...

Experiential Learning: ECHO

What an amazing day!

On a recent stay in Fort Myers, at the encouragement of our friends, we visited ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization). What we learned was astounding!

Our morning began with a informational video about the organization. The guide explained the geographical barriers of cultivating food in such a way that our children understood the difficulty of growing food in urban areas or on mountain side villages, rendering farmers poor. Once we understood the geographical barriers, the guide escorted our small group out to the working farm where volunteers research and experiment to overcome geographical barriers with no waste. My children observed how problem solving skills, out-of-the-box thinking, can feed people. Their solutions, innovative.

The organization also provides seeds, plants, and agricultural knowledge to farmers struggling to provide food for their families. They research raising animals and finding ways to reuse or re-purpose everything, all in hopes to use what can be used naturally in areas where agriculture is difficult.

My children were introduced to turkens, a breed of chicken which can survive in tropical climates because their their necks are featherless. They stay cooler than the chickens with which we are familiar with.

Amazing agricultural engineering. Use what people have access to. Make is sustainable. Waste nothing.

The visit reminded me of my our friend John Drake whose creative genius, ingenuity, and determination brought self-sustaining windmills to Malawi. He recognized a problem. He surveyed the resources available to the people. He created a solution. Through his non-profit, African Windmill Project, John has not only designed a windmill to bring water to crops, but also has empowered the people of the area to use what they have available to sustain the equipment they install to help them solve their irrigation issues. Ingenuity.

At ECHO we learned geography, engineering, agriculture, science, and math. But perhaps the greatest take away was my children interacting and listening to people who were not afraid to ask questions, to recognize a problem, and then find a solution, using what was available. Reminds me of the biographies we have read about the Wright Brothers, Edison, and others who have used what they had available to them to make a difference: seeing a problem, finding a solution.

The Wright Brothers

Looking for a new read-aloud, we headed to our home library. Majority vote determined The Wright Brothers (from the Landmark series) by Quentin Reynolds would be our next read. From the very first page, we were captivated. Science, geography, life application. Encouragement for mom. A great read for sure!

Side note: This book spoke to me as a mom who strives to encourage children to ask questions, to remain curious, to love learning. Pages 4-6 impacted me, so much so that I often quote this passage when I speak to mama of little learners. Susan Wright inspired her children with her ability to encourage questions and cultivated wonder. Her efforts changed technology.

     "What makes a bird fly, Mother?" Wilbur asked.
     "Their wings, Will," she said. "You notice they move their wings and that makes them go faster."
     "But Mother, " Will said, not quite satisfied, "that bird that just swooped down didn't even move his wings. He swooped down and grabbed a fish, and then went right up again. He never moved his wings at all."
      "The wind doesn't just blow toward you or away from you," she said. "It blows up and down too. When a current of air blows up, it takes the bird up. This wings support him in the air."
   
The story continues as the brothers ask their mother questions about what they were observing. Wilbur insists he could fly if he had wings, if he could make wings. The narrator concludes the chapter:

"She knew that even an eleven-year-old boy can have ideas of his own, and just because they happened to come from an eleven-year-old head--well, that didn't make them foolish. She never treated her children as if they were babies, and perhaps that's why they liked to go fishing with her or on picnics with her. And that's why they kept asking her questions.

We finished the book and our children wanted to learn more about the Wright Brothers and flight. That interest led to asking the local butcher for Styrofoam meat trays from which we cut glider wings. Gliders led to creating a Science Fair project which hypothesized the effect of paper weight on the flight of paper airplanes. We folded, flew, measured and compared. What a journey! It all started with a trip to our home library.

Books
The Wright Brothers by Elizabeth MacLeod
To Fly: The Story of the Wright Brothers by Wendie C. Old
First Flight: The Story of Tom Tate and the Wright Brothers by George Shea

Learning resources

Wright Brothers unit study (includes instructions for making gliders)

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/58225main_Wright.Brothers_508.pdf

Another tutorial for making gliders

http://wright.nasa.gov/ROGER/1900model.htm

Wright Brothers time line

http://www.nasm.si.edu/wrightbrothers/who/index.cfm

Airplane parts and terms

http://www.nasm.si.edu/wrightbrothers/classroomActivities/k-3_flash.html

Maps

http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/109wrightnc/109locate1.htm

Inventors and Inventions

Creative juices flowing. Dreams of building something marvelous. Children love books about people who created something useful, something we use on a daily basis. Ah, the wonder of it all!

Looking for books to keep creativity stoked? There are several for younger learners. Some grew to be our favorites, checked out again and again at the library. When my oldest son went through the inventor stage and we couldn't find a picture book on the subject, I would check out books for the older learners and we would look at the pictures, read the captions, or I would read the book aloud to him, depending on his interest. I specifically remember one about Mr. Kellogg, the cereal genius. We read, both thoroughly engrossed with the process of making the tasty crunchies in our breakfast bowls.

The Childhood of Famous American series has provided us great read alouds about the childhood lives of famous folks. Several are about inventors. Interesting to see how their childhoods influenced their careers and ideas. Here are a list of our favorites books about inventors:

Young Thomas Edison, Michael Dooling (fabulous text and illustrations)

Snowflake Bentley, Jacqueline Briggs Martin (by far a favorite with more than one check-out)

• Snowed in. Can't get to the library? Scholastic provides this You-Tube telling of Snowflake Bentley. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8U9zRq15g0&noredirect=1

The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot, Alice Provensen

Stradivari's Singing Violin, Catherine Deverell (a definite favorite)

Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became an Inventor, Emily Arnold McCully

Click: A Story about George Eastman, Barbara Mitchell

Boss of the Plains: The Hat that Won the West, Laurie Carlson

Thomas Edison: Young Inventor (Childhood of Famous Americans), Sue Guthridge

The Great Horse and Carriage Race, Michael Dooling

Listen UP! Alexander Graham Bell's Talking Machine, Monica Kulling (Step Up to Reading- great for beginning readers)

Wilbur and Orville Wright: Young Fliers (Childhood of Famous Americans series), Augusta Stevenson

A Picture Book of Thomas Alva Edison, David Adler (one of our absolute favorite series)

Pioneer Plowman: A Story about John Deere, David R. Collins

Homer Price, Robert McCloskey (fictional)

Want to make learning experiential? Here are some ideas:

There are lots of hands-on, experiential activities which can enhance the learning of your young inventor.

Perhaps the best idea might be providing found objects which can be used in creative ventures. In an inventions box (a cardboard or plastic bucket) place:

• nuts and bolts
• glue
• newspaper or wallpaper
• paper clips
• staples and stapler
• pvc pipes and elbows
• duct tape
• scissors (age-appropriate, of course)
• dowel rods
• wood pieces
• craft sticks
• straws
• plastic spoons
• pipe cleaners
• colored wire

Build a model rocket. Estes kits have rockets suitable for beginner as well as advanced builders.

Design a kite. Catch the wind and give it a try.

Build a bridge. See how much weight the bridge can hold. Popsicle sticks and straws make great bridge building materials.

Invent a cookie. Yes, all cookie recipes start in someone's kitchen. My childhood friend and I spent many a Saturday trying to create the next cookie sensation.

Want to dig deeper?

• Watch this biographical story about the man who became known as Snowflake Bentley http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptLmA263hlk&feature=related
• Watch this video clip of the Wright brothers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3beVhDiyio
• Nest Entertainment has wonderful, animated biographical videos for children: The Wright brothers, Marie Curie, Thomas Edison and more.
• Our Journey Westward (blog) offers some fun ideas (including a lapbook creation).
• Homeschoolshare.com offers more resources.