MIT's Scratch

My daughter and I were introduced to MIT's Scratch through Help Your Kids with Computer Coding by DK Books. These DK Books were sold at Costco a while back, and I thought it'd be a good way to get our feet wet.

As you can see, it's very kid friendly. 

There are loads of information on Scratch and how to use it 

- for educators and for parents.

Here are some starter projects on the website, but the book also does a great job getting things started.

MIT's Scratch Website

I'm an engineer who likes working with physical, moving parts, and coding has never been my strong suit. But I think it's important to expose our kids to all kinds of STEM and arts.

Awesome books link: Help Your Kids with Computer Coding by DK Books

I'm not sure if this book is still available at Costco, but if you come across it, buy it. It's a great deal for ~$12 (I think that's what I paid several years ago).

Inside and Outside Twister

Can you be inside-out and outside-in at the same time? No? What if you can?

It's called a Möbius Strip, and we're going to make one today. It's surprisingly easy and fun.

My Möbius Strip after I cut along the middle.

Usually, a Möbius Strip is made with thinner strips of paper (1 in width). But I made this with thicker width because I wanted to cut it along the middle and make a longer one.

List of Materials:

• Paper
• Scissors
• Tape

I folded a piece of paper in half, then again in half, to make 4 quarter width thick strips.

I'll only be using two strips.

I overlapped the 2 strips and taped along the width, front and back.

Then I twisted the strip and taped the other ends, both front and back.

Began cutting along the middle, all the way around the Möbius Strip.

Half way done cutting along the Möbius Strip.

Now, I have a Möbius Strip twice as long.

And if I decide to cut along the middle of this strip, it will keep its shape. It'll just be twice as long as this one.

Interesting Facts:

• Möbius Strip was invented by a German Mathematician, August Möbius who was interested in Topology.
• Topology is a study of geometrical shapes that won't change when it is bent or stretched.

Did you know?

When I first saw this twisted strip, I thought, hmm.... Interesting. Yum..., brain candy. I could imagine all kinds of possibilities. But I didn't know what kind of practical use a shape like this would have. But you know what I've learned recently? That Möbius strips have been used as fan belts in cars and conveyor belts in factory set ups. 

Imagine that!

Stock Market Game

I love this competition. This one is all about Math, but what a great and fun competition it is!

So, the premise of the Stock Market Game is that each team gets $100,000 to invest for the competition period. There are three awarded competition periods - 8 weeks in the fall, 8 weeks in the spring, and a year-long competition that runs from Oct to Apr. Teams that place 1st, 2nd and 3rd receive awards from the Stock Market Game organization.

The United States is divided into regions, and top 3 regional winners are invited to an award ceremony. In northern California, the award ceremony is held at the Bank of America building in San Francisco.

The Stock Market Game Website

The 1st page of the website. This website offers a lot of resources for the teachers to use in classrooms. You can also request a professional to come out to your classroom to do a presentation to your students. I have several kids participating in this program as an after-school activity. So, that's an option for you to consider as well. The regional manager I interact with is great. She is responsive and prompt. 

This is one of my team's rankings in the year-long competition. This team was ranked as high as 3rd in Dec/early Jan but fell in the rankings since. The key to this competition is to encourage your students to trust their research and NOT to be impulsive when stocks are sliding. And not to trade too often. One teacher I know limits trades to 3 trades in the 8-week competitions.

This shows how much of a team's money is invested and how much  is held in cash.

This screen shows the top holdings of all the teams that are participating in the competition. Yes. You do see a lot of usual suspects, but I also encourage my student to dig around a little and find at least three stocks on their own (these would be stocks you wouldn't normally see on the top holdings list).

Other programs the Stock Market Game offers.

Why do I like this so much? I find that this website makes Math come alive for many of the students. Before we start, I have the students do research stocks and ask them to compare the stocks they like (we look at short-term, 2 months, and long-term, 7 months performance) and tell them to decide based on their research and calculations.

It's amazing what kind of responses I get. One time, I saw a stock symbol I've never seen before and asked a student about it. And she said, I know my money could do better in big name stocks, but this pharmaceutical company has a kidney cancer drug coming up for FDA approval in next February (meaning right now), and it’s going to take off. According to my research, it is highly likely that the drug is going to get approved because it's already doing well in another cancer study. 

Isn't this an amazing explanation? I didn't expect that from a 6th grader. 

And it's also fun to say, "Don't you want to know how your investment is doing?" when a student asks, "Why do I have to learn long division?"

I guess I like this program, because it's SO much more than just about stocks.

And the best part? It's not too late to participate in the spring or the year-long competition. So, why don't you check it out? 

Have a great day.