Before the latest snowstorm started here in Arctic Circle south, I was lucky enough to attend a splendid Math/Science fair at Emmeline’s elementary school.
Even in the chaos of helping Bonnie and Peter watch the kids (3 kids = 3 different directions), I still was able to enjoy the imaginative exhibits pulled together by the faculty.
In the cafeteria, they’d inflated a lifesize model of a whale, which was the focal point for a large exhibit on the biology of various species of whales, including drawings, essays and clay models.
In the gym, the teachers had set up numerous workstations for hands-on activities illustrating Venn diagrams, probability, geometry, and arithmetic, including the “Math Twister”.
My favorite was a clever game in which children were assigned random numbers, paired up, and by following some simple rules and a diagram, “sorted” themselves out so that in the end, their numbers were arranged in consecutive order. Think “discrete mathematics” and “computational algorithms”.
The hour and a half went by so quickly that we missed a whole set of exhibits in the library. The kids had a blast, and I hope the event reinforced the view that science and mathematics can be fun and intriguing.
Besides, as illustrated in the national events of this week in particular, we need to train future generations of voters in logical thinking, something which seems to be a major deficiency in (give or take) about 51% of the public schools?