Ny Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/01/nyregion/at-street-fair-science-replaces-sausage.html?ref=science&_r=0
Woah, I've heard of many types of fairs, but never the "Geek Street Fair" before. In this fair, sponsored by Google, is designed to work in a place like Google, Facebook, or Microsoft (though I think Google is taking over everything! Google has Google +, Google Drive, Youtube, and Motorola Mobility; what's next? Starbucks?). The fair gives attenders a passport "that would earn them a pair of red shades, a yo-yo, or a Frisbee, once they collected five stamps for completing a set of exercises at the different booths (take the sunglasses!). It encourages participants to be active in this fair and really have a hands on experience, which I think is a wonderful way to learn, in contrast to lectures. The fair has Lego robots, virtual games, hands on experiments, and speed Rubik's "cubers".
I think this fair will have a very positive influence on the participants. The children were given an opportunity to make robots using Lego pieces, to tinker with metal objects and wires, and to even kick inflatable beach balls in the middle of the park! These children are exploring different areas of science at these fairs as well. They are engineers as they make robots, technicians as they tinker with metal objects and wires, and athletes as they kick around the beach ball. I feel like many of these children will wish to return again to this fair next time it occurs.
The fair also has concepts of math embedded in it. "Children were asked to cut out pictures of their favorite fictional characters, stick them on the end of a long stick, hold them out at varying distances, and take pictures." This introduces the concept of ratio to the children, as the picture grows smaller and bigger as it approaches the camera. The fair also shows the the mechanisms of the Rubik's Cube by taking it apart and "uncovering a mechanical structure of pivots and screws. Then the fair showed three people who solved the Rubik's Cube in less than 15 seconds, which is incredible (but don't get me wrong, I can make all the sides the same color too! Just give me an hour to take it apart and reassemble it).
In conclusion, the "Geek Street Fair" is really one of a kind. It shows how science and math is present in everyday life and entertains many children as well. I hope they have more of these interesting fairs!
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On a different note, does anyone actually read my responses to the comments? It's nice to get comments on my blogs (even if it's mandatory) and I try to make the blogs with lighter topics more interesting by expressing my thoughts (in parenthesis!). I wonder if I scared people out of reading this blog because I wrote so much. I actually considered writing at the top (Hey you! Don't be intimidated by the length of this blog!). For me, it doesn't matter how much someone wrote, it's how interesting it is. Well if anyone read this, (you're cool) do you think I should keep responding to comments? (oh and I added a reactions at the bottom, so you can check what you thought it was) Thank you for your time!
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ReplyDeleteOooh, I will forever be curious as to why this was deleted. :O
Delete"The world may never know!" (I've actually really wanted to try counting how many licks it takes to get the the center of a Tootsie Pop.) I guess I have a new goal to reach before I graduate high school! (CLASS OF 2015!!!!!!!)
I really enjoyed reading your article as opposed to reading something about politics or economics. Your description and commentary made me want to attend this event! It seems really fun and it's like a flashback of my childhood with the legos and such. This is a good idea because with our progressing technology children rarely go outside anymore. I would have liked to have seen how this fair had come about and how long they've had it running. Unrelated to the topic, you random tangent was quite entertaining. It didn't seem like a long passage, but I think what really drew me to read your article was the interesting heading. But anyway, good job!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I had a lot of fun with this topic! Legos are so much fun! Until you step on them that is, then it's like a moment of severe blinding PAIN.
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed my random paragraph at the end! :D
This article was really interesting and made me want to go to the Geek Street Fair! I did not hear about this kind of fair before, but reading your comments and opinions of the article convinces me that this fair is really great and fun. I want to point out how I like your side comments because they add a humorous touch to your article. You were able to use the right amount of concrete details to support your commentary and thoughts. (Good Job!) Overall, you made this article really interesting to read and wrote out your commentary clearly.
ReplyDeleteIf you somehow get in, I'd love to hear what you think about it! It seems so interesting (and I want those sunglasses)! I'm happy that you like my side comments too. I like to add what I'm thinking in because it makes the blog homework seem a lot less like homework.
DeleteThanks for your comment!