Tag: scicomm

Feeling ghosted – Animations with kids

mh

I feel like I have very bad follow-through sometimes when it comes to my Science animations with kids program. Sometimes, it's my fault. Like at my last viewing party, about 30 parents, grandparents, aunts, everyone, showed up. I gave them all a little slip of paper with the URL of my website (the one you're… Continue reading Feeling ghosted – Animations with kids

Helping out at the Science Festival

mh

We had a "Science Festival" on Union Street, and I got to share about my Animations with Kids project. In typical fashion, I started making my poster about 5 hours before the event started. (But I got it done in time!) Now, I'm pretty proud of my poster, because in keeping with the environmental theme… Continue reading Helping out at the Science Festival

Animations with kids: do the kids actually learn anything?

mh

The main idea of "Animations with kids" is that the kids learn some science in a friendly, storytelling way. So when I was writing the story for "Mr. Glump and the poisonous pond", I had hopes that the second-graders, and anyone watching the film, would come away knowing exactly how algae kills fish: that when… Continue reading Animations with kids: do the kids actually learn anything?

The unestimable sweetness of fifth graders

mh

Yes, I said once that 'I don't understand' fifth-graders. And I think I still don't. I related many anecdotes of my difficulties. But they're sweet, nonetheless. The way they all eagerly contributed to ideas when I asked them to pick a title for their story. It came time to vote on the ideas ... and… Continue reading The unestimable sweetness of fifth graders

Watching kids watch each other’s animations

mh

I made "Mr. Turtle Gets Sick" with a class of second-graders in Chapel Hill 4 and a half years ago. And every time I go into a new classroom, those kids watch "Mr. Turtle", too, so they have an idea of what this project is like. It makes me really happy to think that after… Continue reading Watching kids watch each other’s animations

Me and Anne Shirley teaching: Animations with Kids

mh

I just finished re-reading Anne of Avonlea (the sequel to Anne of Green Gables.) In that book, Anne is sixteen-and-a-half years old and starts teaching, and of course, she becomes the best teacher the kids ever had. I always liked reading this book. I loved reading about Anne as a teacher. Except this time when… Continue reading Me and Anne Shirley teaching: Animations with Kids

Quiet pause in the class

mh

After some rough days, I just had one of the best lessons I conducted today at Wolf Meadow. This was with a group of kids whose lesson last week was a complete wash, mostly due to some miscalculations on my and my partner teacher's part. Well, we tried again this week, and it went so… Continue reading Quiet pause in the class