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a February 14th, 2013

  1. Get Your Geek On

    February 14, 2013 by admin

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    Have you been to the Wonders of Physics in Madison?  Or have you checked out Vi Hart’s Facebook page for her latest YouTube video?  Perhaps you have flipped through the book, Math Doesn’t Suck, by Danica McKellar?

    The Wonders of Physics  is put on annually at the University of Wisconsin-Madison within Chamberlin Hall.  Professor Sprott and his helpers enact a “themed” presentation exploring various laws of physics.  It is free to the public, though reserving your tickets in advance is essential as it draws quite a crowd.  During the hour long production, you’ll witness many exciting science experiments and perhaps get to participate in one when they ask for volunteers.  The event is an all-ages, completely family-friendly affair.  Our 4 year old got fidgety only at the very end and our 10 year old was fully engrossed.

    Tip:  A few experiments are quite loud but they are marked as such on the program.

    Vi Hart  puts up simply incredible YouTube videos pondering many mathematical and occasional musical situations.  Her fast pace can leave you a bit breathless as you try to keep step with her brilliant mind.  She will get you thinking about math and music in an entirely different and immensely enjoyable way.   Her content is accessible but requires concentration as it can be complicated.  In our opinion, this puts her main audience around 10 years old and up.

    Danica McKellar (you may remember her as Winnie from the TV show, The Wonder Years) has found a niche with trying to encourage young women to embrace math.  Her tween/teen accessible books  help to give girls confidence in an often male dominated field.  Math doesn’t have to be something to fear, or something that is mastered only by boys.  Unfortunately, the trend of discouraging girls to enjoy and excel at math, and of presenting math to both genders as something to just plod through, continues in our schools.

    The common thread running through of all these recommendations is that they spotlight people that are finding a way to make Science and Math fun!  One of the greatest gifts you can pass to your child is to help them realize that learning is an exciting adventure that should never end.  And as an adult, you, too, should continue to challenge your intellect.