Foto Friday--Geo-Designers

Ms. K (a recently retired gifted education teacher) visits our house every Tuesday from 2:30-4 pm, and my little boys look forward to it all week.  She comes with mind puzzles, activities, experiments, games, and projects.  She guides their time together by evaluating the boys' interests and aptitudes then creates lessons to fit them as individuals.  Micah dissected a roasting chicken and did an entire semester focused on the Greek gods and goddesses when he was infatuated with Percy Jackson.  Hyrum has done logic puzzles, creative thinking, and even designed (and named) his own Pokemon (Dbor, just in case you were wondering).  They love her because they know that she loves them and that she respects the ways they think.  She's one of a kind--the best teacher I've ever known--and we're lucky to get one-on-one time with her every week.

Last week, Ms. K taught both of the boys about geodesic domes--how they are cheaper to construct than spheres, how triangles are inherently strong and spread the weight of the dome over many angles, and how an American convinced two Germans to try this new idea on a planetarium they were building.  Together, the boys and Ms. K rolled out dozens of newspaper tubed into two different lengths, then the boys had to wait an entire week before she came back to help them assemble their very own geodesic dome.

Micah took the construction very seriously.  Here he's trying to hop over the first layer without destroying the structure.

 It's pretty big and took more than an hour to assemble.  Luckily, it was perfect weather for construction--60 degrees, clear, no wind.

 This picture looks like he was messing around, but he was actually trying to tear the tape with his teeth.

Ms. K even let an inquisitive baby sister help with some of the taping.  Evie was in heaven at being included with the bigger boys.

Although it is made of paper and tape and not sturdy enough to climb on, the dome is huge, and the kids loved climbing through its open triangles.

Later that night, big siblings and Dad helped carry the unwieldy dome up the stairs to its new home--the boys' room.

We covered it with two sheets, and it's been a camp-out in their room every night since.

I am so grateful that Ms. K is in my boys' lives.  I can't sing her praises enough, and if you want to know more about her teaching or are interested in having her as your kids' very own Mary Poppins (but better!), leave me a comment.  I'll get you her information.