how to homeschool Archives - How to Do Stuff With Ethan

How to Homeschool with Ethan! Pt. 5: Scratch [Video]

Ethan Kwan — Wed, 29 Apr 2020 07:46:31 +0000

The post How to Homeschool with Ethan! Pt. 5: Scratch [Video] appeared first on How to Do Stuff With Ethan.

Unschooling Journal March 22-28, 2020

carl376 — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 05:02:09 +0000

This week, Ethan spent more time indoors but it didn’t seem to bother him too much. He was plenty busy and still got in some fresh air by going jogging in the morning. We all went together when the weather was nice. The beach here is fairly quiet in the morning, so plenty of distance from other people.

Here’s Ethan’s week…

March 22

Making breakfast!

Learning about elliptical pool from numberphile. I wanted to watch this because these videos are fun and they explain things really well.
Carl: This was an interesting video using pool to demonstrate how an ellipse of a certain shape and size would allow you to sink the pool balls no matter where they hit the side of the ellipse.

March 23

Learning about density curves on Khan Academy.

I solved some problems for density curves.

Learning about pendulums on Khan Academy.

Then, I learned about what could be at the edge of the solar system, including Nemesis! (oooo!)

Writing about what is at the edge of the solar system.

Ethan also made the following videos on this day.

March 24

Learning about D-Day. This was a SelfDesign virtual “Field Trip.”

Here is the discription!

Doing some CSA activities to get into the space camp. This was how to drive a rover on Mars! (Basically)
Carl: We did this together. We took turns navigating the rover with verbal instructions from the other person. Only the navigator could peek. The goal was to collect five objects in five minutes. You had to wait 10 seconds after receiving instructions before you could move the rover. This was to simulate what it’s really like to control the rover from Earth.

Solving some problems about the area under density curves.

Still learning about the area under density curves.

Making a video of “Nemesis!”

I’m doing a beta reader feedback form for the “Tell your story” program.
Carl: The Tell Your Story program was offered by the library. It was originally an in-person program but they moved it online. Ethan had to submit something he wrote, which would be critiqued by other participants and eventually published as an e-book. Ethan had to provide constructive feedback, highlighting positive aspects of another writer’s work, as well as things they might want to consider improving. The e-books will be published in June or July. Ethan is using the “Adventures of a Piece of Paper” comic series he made a couple of years ago.

Here I am learning about World War 2.

JoggingTime!

Drawing time!

Doing an online taekwondo practice.
Carl: Next week, Ethan will take live taekwondo classes via Zoom. The instructors will be able to observe each student as they practice. This online class will count towards testing for Ethan’s next belt.

Here is my plan for spring break. (dad: “stop covering up the chalkboard!” me: “but- OW! my neck!”)
Carl: Ethan’s mom wrote everything in Korean for Ethan to translate.

The videos that Ethan made and published today.

March 25

Here is the beta reading done by somebody else, for me!

Joggingtime!

Ooo, cool photo!

Drawing and digging hole time!

Carl: Ethan drew geometric shapes in the sand. Some were hexagons and he tried to draw a decagon (a 10-sided shape).

Redoing my “Adventures of a piece of paper.”
Carl: Ethan redid these based on feedback from the beta reader in the Tell Your Story program. He has to scan the books afterwards and share them with the instructor for publishing.

Here is the cover I created for it!
Carl: The participants in Tell Your Story had to create a book cover using Canva. Ethan learned how to make a drop shadow effect. He also took feedback from his mom and incorporated it into the cover design.

Learning about stick figure animations and using “Mpuppet”, a animation software.
Carl: Ethan watched a tutorial about the 12 principles of animation and wanted to create his own animations afterward. We installed Final Cut Pro X and he learned about keyframing and wireframes. He also made the stick figure in Graphic and imported it into Final Cut Pro for this project.

ViolinPracticeTimeOfMinuet!

March 26

JoggingTime!

Me staring at the boats until my eyes hurt.

Another “fieldTripZoom!” from SelfDesign. This time, it’s poetry!

Yum, breakfast is yummy!

Learning about the person who hosted the FieldTripZoom! This is his website!

Remaking “Adventures of a Piece of Paper, Book 2” so it looks neater.

Wow, much better than the old ones!

This is my teacher for the Tell Your Story program. I’m just sending her the books.

Nice!
Carl: This is the finished book cover Ethan made for Tell Your Story.

This is what I have to taIk about with my teacher today! I wrote it down so I won’t forget.
Carl: The teacher is the Tell Your Story teacher, Patricia.

Violin practice!

Learning about how to use Mpuppet in Final Cut Pro.

Here is my Skype call with my Tell Your Story teacher!

Learning how to code the game of life. For some reason, it didn’t work.
Carl: This was in JavaScript.

Here is me editing and upIoading a video about box and whisker plots.

Here is where I learned it from!

And here are all the videos I made today!

Rereading “Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll.
Carl: Ethan read this because the field trip about poetry talked about the fun poems in this book. The instructor mentioned how Carroll used made up words and how that’s ok. Ethan enjoyed learning that you could use whatever words you like, even made up ones.

The videos Ethan made and published today.

March 27

Watching the live stream for Khan Academy.
Carl: Khan Academy had a live stream teaching Algebra.

Taekwondo Practice time!
Carl: This was a live class on Facebook.

March 28

Learning how to animate with Adobe Animate.

Ethan had a very busy week, learning new things about history, math and getting into animation by using Final Cut Pro and Adobe Animate. We still went out for some fresh air by going jogging when the weather was nice but also kept our physical distance from others.

Hopefully, this blog provides some inspiration for the families wondering what to do with schooling during this current coronavirus situation. Hope that you and your family are staying safe and healthy.

LC Response

Spring Connection:

My I Can… statement

I can get better at making new equations, and figuring out new equations.

My photo

I put in this image, since I was having a hard time copying yours.

My strengths

Complete these statements related to your I Can … statement

I feel I was really good at:

Figuring out those formulas was hard, and so was figuring out how to prove Heron’s formula, which said that if you have a triangle and you know it’s side lengths, you can figure out the area. (a, b, and c are the side lengths.)in fact, if s = (a+b+c) / 2, area = sqrt(s * (s-a)*(s-b)*(s-c)).

Thank you for your reflections Ethan, you are exceptional at figuring out new equations and finding new ones too.

I want you to notice:

That the above photo does not at all look like area = sqrt(s * (s-a)*(s-b)*(s-c)). so, I proved that they are in fact, the same! here is khan academy explaining it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZu7IZLhJRI

You are so resourceful at finding math equations and proofs which are of interest to you.

My stretches

If I could change one thing, it would be:

I would want to make a formula that solved both even and odd numbers.

because:

It can be a hassle to remember if it’s even or odd, and remember 2 formulas.

You have to use different equations based on whether the number is odd or even?

I know you are on Brilliant, have you seen these questions: https://brilliant.org/practice/area-of-triangles-herons-formula/

I guess they have challenge quizzes too.

I know you love visuals:

Heron’s Formula: a Proof

The area S of a triangle ABC, with side length a, b, c and semiperimeter s = (a + b + c)/2, is given by S² = s(s – a)(s – b)(s – c).

Heron’s formula is named after Hero of Alexandria (1 century AD. The formula is a specialization of Brahmagupta’s formula for cyclic quadrilaterals. For, after all, every triangle is a cyclic quadrilateral with two coalesced vertices. I find the proof presented below rather amusing because it exploits the dissection of a triangle induced by the presence of the incircle.

Self-reflecting is a tool to deepen your learning, thank you for engaging in this. You can use it anytime as you learn and evaluate new infomation:

You are an inspiration Ethan and your passion for learning is infectious. I wonder what new innovations and ideas are going to spark and ignite as a result of your passions.

Self Reflection on Core Competency

This was your submission for the Fall Connection:

I can … I can get new ideas, build on others’ ideas, and add ideas of my own, or combine other people’s ideas in new ways to create new things or solve problems.

Here is my example: I know I can because I figured out that, if you have a number that is even, and you add that to the next lower number, like n+(n-1)+(n-2)+…+3+2+1, you can rewrite that as (n+1)*n/2, or (n^2-n)/2, and from that, I figured out that, if you have an odd number, n, for n+(n-1)+, etc. +3+2 +1, that is n*(n+1)/n or ((n^2-n)/2)+n

My learning goal is:I can get better at making new equations, and figuring out new equations.

Now for the Spring Connection:

Please complete the following questions – you can use photos, videos, audio, drawings, stories, artifacts, or anything you want to answer the questions.

To edit and type right in this content block, double click on the title of this block. Make sure to press “Save” when you have completed it.

To print these questions, click here and choose print. Once complete, you can upload as a part of your Observing for Learning.

My I Can… statement

I can get better at making new equations, and figuring out new equations.

My photo

My strengths

Complete these statements related to your I Can … statement

I feel I was really good at:

I want you to notice:

My stretches

Complete these statements related to your I Can … statement

If I could change one thing, it would be:

I would want to make a formula that solved both even and odd numbers.

because:
It can be a hassle to remember if it’s even or odd, and remember 2 formulas.

Ethan’s response to week 28

Hello Natasha!

how are you?

I’m fine, just learning some new stuff.

here are the answers to your questions!

How has the week been progressing for you, Ethan?

My week has been great, I’m just learning math at home, doing science problems at home, hanging out with my friends online… that sorta stuff.

I make sure to get outside and exercise every day. What have you been doing outside most these days?

Well, I jog almost every day (my mom made me), but that’s pretty much it! On Sunday, I did a 10-minute workout at home on youtube.

Does it feel like homeschool as usual or have some things shifted?

Well, I still feel normal, just that I can’t go out and play and hang out with my friends. That’s it. COVID-19 hasn’t affected my life much at all!

I am sorry that this class was probably canceled due to covid-19? It was an in-person class, wasn’t it?

Actually, The class finished before the COVID-19 things. So I got to finish my city. and yes, it was an in-person class.

Are you able to work on some more of the designs at home? Do you some inspiration or new ideas?

Yes, I am able to work on my ideas and designs at home. And yes, I do, from the class. I’m thinking about adding more parts to the city, like an apartment building.

Do you draw your designs first before you build them in 3D?

No, I don’t draw my designs first. Actually, I just start building and see how it goes.

Thanks,

Ethan

ps. I really liked the videos. the one with the fog was really cool, but you had a typo with the URL. it should have been https://vimeo.com/69445362, not https://https://vimeo.com/69445362. 😉 Also, you said that the oceans came from comets, that’s wrong. the oceans actually came from asteroids! 😉

The post Unschooling Journal March 22-28, 2020 appeared first on How to Do Stuff With Ethan.

Unschooling Journal March 8-14, 2020

carl376 — Tue, 17 Mar 2020 04:42:41 +0000

It’s been an interesting week as we watch the news reports and see how coronavirus has indeed forced children to temporarily be homeschooled. Best wishes to everyone coping with this situation.

Ethan maintained his regular pace of activities and learning. Here’s what happened…

Ethan made quite a few videos this past week. He learned about several new topics related to space from the CSA activities. He had to research and wrote about what he learned as part of the activities. He has really been enjoying the activities from the CSA.

He made several videos about space because he learned many new things about space this week. I asked him to remember to give credit to wherever he learned things from so he added short messages to some of his videos.

He did quite a lot of coding on Scratch and Python, as well. For example, he made his own version of Flappy Bird.

We also played around with shooting time-lapse videos of the full moon and other things, too.

March 8

Eating with the family we know. Chinese food, to be exact.

March 9

Jogging, and collecting sea glass!

Learning about the Galton Board. The Galton Board is this thing in the image.

Simulation of the Galton Board that I made in Algodoo.

I made this simulation, too!

Learning about multivariable normal distributions on Brilliant. This is related to the Galton Board I learned about.

March 10

Learning about the different layers of atmosphere for the Activities at the CSA.

Writing about the different types of atmosphere layers.

Solving some problems for bison on the Canadian Reader.

History about the volcano. The Laki volcano, to be exact.

Making a video on “density curves.”

Playing with the flashcards I made for violin class.

learning about how safe 256 bit security is.

256 bit security is veryyyyy safe. Here is 256 bits, randomly generated:
1010111011010010111101010111101011010100001011101010010110101011010111101100111101011001111001010111101011101101001011110101011110101101010000101110101001011010101101011110110011110101100111100101011110110010110010101110101011110100000111010101010101010110.
Use that as your password. 😉
(Don’t actually)

Learning about the definition of amplitude and period.

Reading “The Island Of Dr. Libris.”

March 11

From Mink, Ethan’s teacher at Soaring Eagle Nature School…

The Ravens took off early again, and headed toward the lake. Stopping at Toadstool Ridge for a warm-up game of “Shrew Ball”, they eventually settled on the sunny dock on the east side of the lake. Here, Mink introduced a new project: Knot Boards! These are beautiful display boards depicting many different kinds of useful knots–a great opportunity to make knot-tying fun, and a reference tool in case the useful knots are eventually forgotten! Kids took turns with the saw cutting rectangular pieces out of the plywood provided, and then sanded them to perfection. Next, they applied a primitive stain made from black walnuts, to get a nice dark colour. It was fun to experiment with the stain and make the boards into little pieces of art! Even after a break for a few more games, which allowed the boards to dry, there was still enough time to start learning and tying new knots! Can’t wait to get back to this project after our break. Stay healthy everyone!

here is my work, for…

Project from the 3D architecture class.

An airport runway.

a shack

A treehouse with a pin on top

A statue.

Learning about the ozone layer for CSA to get into the camp.

Doing some games. You have to move the snake and eat the candy/snacks.

March 12

learning about density curves more.

Doing some Duolingo and Spanish practice.

Here is the CSA activity that I’m doing today!

Learning about natural disasters for the CSA.

Coding Flappy Bird on Scratch.

Doing some IXL. I’m not sure what I did today.

Doing some brilliant. Learning about things that are round and spinns with teeth all over. Gears!

Making a video about what would happpen if we brought the sun to the Earth. (SPOILER ALERT: You die)

March 13

Umm not sure what I’m doing here. Probably CSA, and probably about renewable sources of energy.

doing some arras.io.

Doing research for a writing project.

Reading while poking myself.

March 14

Writing: How Did the Oceans Form? Pt 1

Here is where I got the Information, from the Discovery Channel.

Writing from this past week

We weren’t sure which days Ethan wrote these, so we thought it might be easier to show them in their entirety.

This was writing about the Ozone layer.

This was writing about what would happen if we brought the sun to Earth.

Writing about the top 7 natural disasters.

Writing about how the oceans formed.

Writing about different kinds of energy.

Writing about how Uranus and Neptune helped form Earth.

And that was Ethan’s week! Let us know if you have any questions about how to homeschool your child during the school closures that might be affecting you.

LC Response

How has the week been progressing for you Ethan?

Thank you for taking a holiday week so I can catch up and adjust to these very quickly changing times.

I make sure to get outside and exercise everyday. What have you bee doing outside most these days?

Does it feel like homeschool as usual or have some things shifted?

I imagine you are missing your Nautre school, the community centre and violin with your peers.

Your work for the CSA is impressive. You are really putting your creativity, hardwork and heart into these projects.

Once again I have to note how much you are writing!

I really like the time lapse videos you have been making.

I posted one of my favorites filmed here in Nelson where I live.

I know you are practicing with night shots and day time time laspes. I wonder how you are thinking of incorporating these films into the videos you are making. Any ideas percolating, themes, topics? I see you do a lot timelapsing in space as well as you show how objects move and change over long periodes of time.

Here is where I got the Information, from the Discovery Channel.

I appreciate how you are siting your sources more these days. It helps your viewers know where they can look to find more information too and I might be able to suggest some other sites as well. Well done! You are becoming more professional all the time!

It’s important to cite sources you used in your research for several reasons: To show your reader you’ve done proper research by listing sources you used to get your information. To be a responsible scholar by giving credit to other researchers and acknowledging their ideas.

Project from the 3D architecture class.Shack, tree house, airport runway

I am sorry that this class was probably cancelled due to covid19? It was an in person class wasn’t it?

Are you able to work on some more of the designs at home? Do you some inspriration or new ideas?

We have some great resources in the LE Library in case you want to keep pursuing an interest in Architecture and Design:

https://selfdesign.learning.powerschool.com/selfdesignlearning/library/cms_page/view/35499719

There are also a lot of free digital architecture programs available. Most of the people I know like SketchUp.

Do you draw your designs first before you build them in 3D?

https://library.sdlc.selfdesign.org/content-collection/design-apps-programs/

Doing some Duolingo and Spanish practice.

Good for you! I am happy to hear you are enjoying Spanish in Duolingo.

This was writing about the Ozone layer. So much writing!!

Thanks for posting all of your films this week.

I still am amazed by the idea that the oceans came from comets, I have heard this a few years ago, but it is still so difficult for me to imagine. Thank you for taking the time to add more to my understanding and share all you know!!

Looking forward to reading your self reflection for week 30. If you have any comments or questions feel free to email me or share directly into the week 30 text box. This process is an invitation to have a conversation and reflection on the I Can Statement and anything else you want to reflect on this spring.

Take care,

Natasha

Fog in San Francisco

This time lapse takes me back to growing in the fog belt in San Francisco.

Maybe there are some time lapses you can find of Vancouver?

vimeo.com/69445362

Nelson timelapse

https://youtube.com/watch?v=WNsv5g7_j7M%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26rel%3D0%26wmode%3Dtransparent

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