Nov 26, 2022Social studies diorama project shines with Interactive Stage lights and motorsMandarin Oaks Elementary School in Jacksonville, Florida, USA 4th grader social studies diorama project shines with Interactive Stage lights and motors for extra STEM creativity credits: My Book Report on the Grand Canyon! The Grand Canyon is mainly in Arizona, North America. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long…Education1 min readEducation1 min read
Aug 5, 2022Summer Book Review on Untold Women Heroes in STEAMInspired by a high school girl’s speech given about Gladys West (video was previously post here: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6946458522469511168/), I set out to find more children’s books about female role models to inspire our young readers. How I picked out the following books: This summer, our wonderful local libraries are giving out…STEM4 min readSTEM4 min read
Apr 26, 2022Experiential Programming — a new approach to teach Computer ScienceWhat is Experiential Learning through play, and how it has led us to the design and development of Experiential Programming in the Interactive Stage? Our first release to Google Play allows users to program the Interactive Stage hardware kit. More features will be released as we adopt the Experiential Programming…Stem Education3 min readStem Education3 min read
Apr 9, 2021School Choice: STEM school or arts school? An analysis of Duval Public School System for elementary school age studentsOur family recently moved to Jacksonville, FL., which is part of the Duval County Public School system. We chose this school district because it is a school district with many choices for students. I want to give my children a good well-rounded education, but also allow them to make a…Education4 min readEducation4 min read
Aug 21, 2020Embrace STEM in your homeschool environmentParents with young children are suddenly taking on a bigger teaching role due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Homeschooling for a few weeks has turned into months. Homeschooling might become the norm until America figures out how to have our freedom and be protected from this lethal virus. In the…STEM4 min readSTEM4 min read
Feb 12, 2020Women Inventors at Women in Toys Empowerment DayI wanted to write a piece about the second time I attended the Women In Toys Empowerment Day event in Dallas, TX. I have not attended any other toy industry inventor forum except this event, but I have been told that other such inventor events are mainly dominated by men…Stem Education2 min readStem Education2 min read
Feb 5, 2020A STEM Book Review: The SpacesuitI have recommended several children’s STEM books that I enjoy reading to my students. The 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 moon landing made space a big topic of conversation. There are so many children’s books about the universe, galaxies, planets, moon and space travel (fiction and nonfiction). Finding a book…Stem Education3 min readStem Education3 min read
Dec 18, 2019Why Play Is Important to LearningWhat is play based learning and why is it such an important tool in early childhood education? When children play there is more going on than children simply amusing themselves. Play is practice for life as children imitate grown-ups. They mimic adult work, social roles, and how adults interact with…Education4 min readEducation4 min read
Aug 24, 2019What Is Cooperative Learning Theory?Cooperative learning theory is an offshoot of constructivism, the practice of building new knowledge upon the foundation of previous learning. It incorporates the idea that the best learning occurs when students, of mixed levels of ability, are actively engaged in the learning process and work in collaboration with other students…Education5 min readEducation5 min read
Aug 13, 2019Baby Monster Group Contributor SpotlightRachael is one of the earliest contributors to Baby Monster Group. She has worked on the user experience and UI design of the software application for the Interactive Stage and the Baby Monster Group website. She has also contributed to the design and execution of the pilot after school program…Education4 min readEducation4 min read