Category Archives: This Week In the Classroom

This Week In the Classroom: Pendulum Art (Swinging From the Rafters)

A quick video of our last major math project in my co-taught Math/Sci course.  I will take no credit, Ms. J took the project out of my clumsy claws and completely rocked it! We nicknamed this the spirograph project and you can tell from the wikipedia link that we are WRONG!  It should probably be describedContinue reading “This Week In the Classroom: Pendulum Art (Swinging From the Rafters)”

This Week in the Classroom: Why Mothers Hate Me On Mother’s Day

As a parent, I know that art projects can be a mixed blessing.  Some are breathtaking.  Most should go in the circular file.  Worse still are things my kids build – they fall apart and break.  They take up space. God save me if my sons bring home noise-making pieces of art they have built.Continue reading “This Week in the Classroom: Why Mothers Hate Me On Mother’s Day”

This Week in the Classroom: Art Car

For the past three spring semesters (way back to my work at Citizen Schools) I have led a team of students in the design and construction of an Art Car.  An Art Car, if you don’t know, is an embellished vehicle of some sort.  Last year, I ran a sharkcar, the year before, a gatortruck.Continue reading “This Week in the Classroom: Art Car”

This Week in the Classroom: Diddley Bows

Make: Projects has great instructions on how to build your own diddley bow. Make it safe & keep the rubber side down.

If I Had a Boat (Sailing Curriculum Unit)

In my middle school/junior high class, we’ve been exploring the relationship between sails, force, momentum, foam boats and area.  I’ve used the unit to assess the graphing labs we conducted last quarter and introduce non-linear graphs. I began the unit by asking students to research old sailing boats and draw conclusions from the material theyContinue reading “If I Had a Boat (Sailing Curriculum Unit)”

This Week in the Classroom: The Pencil Caddy

Thirteen pencils began the day, thirteen pencils ended the day.  A new record!

This Week In the Classroom: Probability Dungeon Crawl

When I’m not being a father or husband or woodworking, motorcycling, teaching, or any host of other things, I’ve been known to engage in miniature wargaming.  For those not in the know, think green army men on steroids.  Or Dungeons and Dragons on the battlefield.  Or… Anyways, I have two students which need to learnContinue reading “This Week In the Classroom: Probability Dungeon Crawl”

This Week in the Classroom: The Boys Are Back In Town!

My boys are back in town and they are locked and loaded – here’s a few glamor shots of their beautiful simple benches. Remember – if these look good to you, come build your own version with me at TX/RX Labs in May.