This week I've been participating in a Facebook Group for parents of homeschooled teens and tweens.

It's been both good and bad at times.

I see a lot of people who treat the education of their kids at home as just school at home. The same punishment/reward system that is used in school.

I mau have mentioned this before, but we are entirely student led when it comes to educating our children. I want them to want and see the value of learning what they need to learn.

My daughters both did and did a fantastic job of educating themselves.

I'll never forget when my oldest daughter signed up for community college classes she was shocked that her peers kept coming to her for help.

She was our first homeschooled child and had a hard time breaking free of the school mentality.

We tried school at home at first, but she hated it. Then we found unschooling and she was unsure she had prepared herself.

The truth is I had her write some papers when she was 11/12 years old that were written better than a lot of the people I went to college with.

I was never worried, but she was.

My other daughter decided a few years ago she wanted to try school and was quickly promoted to honors classes. She loves learning.

She sees school as a game.

Unfortunately my 13 and 14 year old sons pretty much just want to play video games and watch YouTube.

I'm working on motivating them, but it's hard.

To be honest, they both know some pretty interesting and incredible things they discovered on YouTube, but I want to convey to them how helpful it will be for them to learn how to write.

I HATED writing when I was their age and I can completely understand.

It wasn't until I was in my early 20s and I developed a love of reading for enjoyment that I really started to understand what good writing looked like.

My biggest fear is actually forcing something on them that they will ultimately hate. I have to remind myself that they are just younger versions of me.

There was one negative post I read about a mother whose son was plagiarizing his assignments. I tried to explain he just wasn't interested and maybe he should be involved in the things he is going to learn about.

Many of the moms in the group felt she needed to bring the hammer down on him.

I believe a good relationship with your child and encouraging them to become a confident learner is far more important than forcing them to do work that you think is important.

There was another one that made me happy.

It was a single mom who said she works during the day and her and her son do work together when she gets home from work then he games while she sleeps until 4 am.

Before I continue, I could not do this. But it made me think and it made me hold back any form of judgment.

What I saw was someone who loved their son and made it work. That's it. I thought it was beautiful, even if I don't think it's healthy for an 11 year old to stay up until 4 am.

​

It's that time of the week! It's MAKER Monday! Every week, we'll share things about things we or others have made, interesting artistic creations, fun new knowledge, education in the maker community, and leave you with a weekly challenge!

Monday Maker Magic:

OK, this week, there haven't really been any makers I was inspired by, but just in case you're unaware, I thought I'd share one of my favorite YouTube makers, Maker's Muse.

He is absolutely one of the best resources for all things 3D printing. From learning about interesting models to learning how to dial in your machine, he has it all.

If you are looking for a good resource to help you get going, he is the man!

​

Artistry in Action (Artist Spotlight):

I have been seeing some incredible artists all week. I honestly don't know who I would want to highlight because I have seen so many.

I clicked on one YouTube video and the algorithm was on to me. I'm sure you know how it goes. At lease it was better than when I click on a political video.

It's hard to pick a favorite, but given my recent dive back into mathematics, I think this is the one.

This man creates art working with spirals, the golden ratio, and the golden angle.

If you're unfamiliar with the Golden Ratio, it's A+B:A as A:B. You may have heard it as the Fibonacci Sequence, 0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55,89...

The Fibonacci Sequence, or the Golden Ration, is found all around us in nature.

Here's an amazing short video about how this man uses it to create these fantastic artistic spirals!

​

​

Knowledge Nuggets:

This week, on January 27th, was the 209th birthday of a pioneer in computer programming. In fact many consider her to be the very first computer programmer, Ada Lovelace!

In the early 19th century, Ada Lovelace emerged as a visionary pioneer, leaving an indelible mark on the world of computing. Born in 1815, she was the only legitimate child of the flamboyant poet Lord Byron. Her mother, determined to shield her from her father's erratic behavior, steered Ada towards mathematics and science. It was this unique upbringing that fostered her analytical prowess.

Ada's journey into the realm of computing was catalyzed by her collaboration with Charles Babbage, the inventor of the Analytical Engine. In 1842, she translated an article on Babbage's machine from French to English, adding extensive notes of her own. Among these notes was an extraordinary revelation—she introduced the concept of a machine not only capable of calculations but also of creating any form of content, given the right algorithms.

What sets Ada apart is her foresight. She perceived the potential of computers to extend beyond mere number crunching, foreseeing their application in art and music. Her notes included what is now considered the world's first computer program, an algorithm designed to be processed by a machine. Ada Lovelace envisioned a future where machines would become creative collaborators, a notion remarkably ahead of her time.

Education Exchange:

Recently I learned about something called the BBC micro:bit. It is a cool little microcontroller that was developed by the BBC with a goal to give it to 1,000,000 students in the UK.

It is really a fun little device to play with that can be used to create things on the board's leds or used to control peripheral devices and even make small robots!

They are incredibly affordable, and have a lot of great learning possibilities through coding.

It can be programmed through many languages including Python and even a block editor.

I am going to start working through a 14 week course using the micro:bit on my Facebook page.

If you'd like to join me, I'm going to introduce the first lesson this Wednesday morning!

​I bought this kit if you'd like to follow along. As the class progresses, there will be other necessary items, nothing too expensive, to complete the projects.

​

​

Rise to the Challenge (Weekly Challenge):

OK, here is your math challenge for the week! (I promise these will get better)

If the perimeter of a particular square is 2024 inches, what is the area of the square, in square inches? Express your answer as a decimal to the nearest hundredth.

​
In the arithmetic sequence –7, –4, –1, …, what is the first term greater than 2024?

​
If it is noon right now, what time will it be in 2024 hours? Be sure to indicate a.m. or p.m.

​

Thank you Reader for joining us this week on our making journey! If you have anything to add or you want to share what you've been working on, please don't hesitate to respond!

Please share this with your friends and help us grow our maker community! If you haven't already, like our Facebook Page and join our Facebook group, Homeschool Makers and 3D Printing Enthusiasts!​

Now get out there and create something amazing!