Today was quite exciting with Dr. Jen Eli. She had the students create and experiment with several different optical illusions. Then she had them creating mathematical models (and other models!) with 3D pens. The students really enjoyed today’s creative outlet session; some probably brought some of the STEM art home with them today!
In robotics, they began their programming and started some basic challenges. While Lego has some really nice basic challenges to begin with, Mr. Evans and Mr. Randall like to change it up each year and provide students with challenges more appropriate towards the final challenge they will be doing at the end of the week. So today they worked on driving around curves without hitting walls. There were lots of great successes!
In their words…
What did you learn about today that you did not know before?
- How to draw a art that tricks the eye. How to use a 3-d pen to make things
- How neutral colors impact optical illusions.
- That complementary colors are what mostly make illusions pop out
- I learned about the parts of a 3-d pen
What did you like about what you learned today?
- That optical allutions [sic] take the mind and eye to work
- I liked learning about how 3-D pens work
- I like making the 3d shapes
- I used the 3-D pen to draw a shape and decorate it
Was there anything you did not like about what you learned today?
- Nope! Except that we had to stop! I could have gone on forever!
- No, i had a great time!
Would you like to learn more about this topic? Why or why not?
- Yes, because it is AWESOME + FUN!
- Yes because i want to learn more about what shapes you could do
- Yes i like making 3d stuff
- Yes because there’s so much to learn and it interests me
Conversation Starters…
- What is an optical illusion?
- How do colors affect optical illusions?
- What did you make with the 3D pen?
- How does the 3D pen work?
- How could you use a 3D pen to build a model?
Photo of the Day… We took our STEM Camp photo today! Not all of our helpers are in here, but this is all the students and some of our helpers! Aren’t they a great looking bunch this week? Click here to view the rest of the photos from yesterday and today!
