Peggy Healy Stearns: Under the Big Top With Maker Studio

The following blog post is by Peggy Healy Stearns, Lead Software Designer, Fab@School Maker Studio at Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning and Creativity. This post first appeared on her blog.

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At the STEAM Carnival in San Francisco, kids were eager to use Fab@School Maker Studio to design and fabricate paper and cardstock pop-ups, lanterns, buildings, and movable constructions. For adults, the colorful and lively carnival stirred memories of circus tents and pinwheels and cotton candy – and inspired carnival themed-projects. We set out to design these projects with Maker Studio. (All but the cotton candy, that is.)

Basic Pinwheel

Make a square and draw diagonal lines connecting opposite corners. Add a hole in each corner and one in the middle. Cut from the corners to about an inch from the center. Then fold all four corners to the center and place a pin through the corner and center holes.

This simple activity offers numerous opportunities to talk about shapes, angles, measurement, fractions, and other math concepts. More complex pinwheels, like that on the right, provide extended learning opportunities.

Beyond math and engineering design, pinwheels are a great introduction to windmills and turbines and related energy and environmental issues.

It’s easy to move from STEM to STEAM and integrate the arts. Let kids color pinwheels to create intriguing effects when spun. Challenge students to design more complex and unique pinwheels. There are plenty of models on the Internet. Test your pinwheels on a windy day or with a fan, and celebrate with a pinwheel art festival.

Circus Tent

Designing a circus tent is more challenging and involves some more complex mathematical and design thinking.

The sides are simple red and white panels. We (1) created a rectangle in Maker Studio, (2) used the Tab tool to automatically add a tab, (3) replicated the part, and (4) snapped copies together using the Magnetize tool to align them. Snap, snap, snap. Easy.

But how many panels do we need? And how wide should each panel be? That depends on the size of the tent. Kids tend to keep adding sides without thinking about the circumference of the tent, but this is part of the learning process. They’ll have to revisit this decision when they design a base to stabilize their tent and need to calculate the diameter.

Now on to the big top! What shape are the roof panels? How many panels do you need? How wide is the base of the panel? And how does the height or length of each panel affect the shape of the roof? There are dozens of questions, alternatives, and deliberations. Our first fabrication was not quite right, but fabricating with paper and cardstock is fast and inexpensive, so multiple iterations were easy, and we ended up with a satisfactory model.

We could have downloaded templates from the Internet, but allowing children to engineer their own tent supports deeper learning and greater pride in their work. And aligning hands-on activities with kids’ experiences, whether it’s a carnival or holiday or some other current event, makes learning more meaningful and memorable.

FableVision Learning Launches Year-Long Creative Learning Curriculum in NY DOE’s District 75

In a collaboration with FableVision Learning, the New York City’s Department of Education’s District 75 is accelerating its innovative effort to foster creative self-expression with special needs students. 

District 75 is the nation’s largest special education district providing critical educational and support services to 58 school organizations. Through its Middle School After School Digital Content & Literacy Curriculum program, students will be engaged in a rigorous, year-long exploration of literacy, creativity, and STEM using our complementary, award-winning creative learning software program, Animation-ish.

Special Needs Student in NYC Using Technology to Foster Creative Self-Expression

Student in New York City's District 75 Using Creativity Software Program

Both tools were inspired by FableVision founder and New York Times best-selling author and illustrator Peter H. Reynolds  (Judy Moody, The Dot, Ish, Sky Color, and The North Star).

 “Our mission for nearly two decades has been to help ALL learners navigate their full potential – no matter what their abilities,” Reynolds said. “We’re looking forward to working together with District 75 for many years to come – inviting all these students to use their creativity to make their mark.” 

Donna Dimino, Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction in D75, said,  “In the words of Albert Einstein, ‘It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.’ The mission of District 75 is to promote challenging educational experiences with equity of opportunity and access that will enable our special needs students, commensurate with their abilities, to become participants and contributing members of a multicultural society. We believe our collaboration with FableVision will bring this vision to a reality in our schools.”

The Digital Content & Literacy Curriculum supports students in writing and animation through the use of FableVision award-winning software tools. 

After writing their books, students will animate their stories using FableVision’s Animation-ish software. Both programs are hosted by Peter H. Reynolds, who is known around the world as a champion for creativity in learning

The FableVision team will continue to support D75 teachers and students throughout the year culminating in a district-wide celebration of creativity. FableVision's Dr. Denine Jimmerson is taking the lead on designing and implementing teaching, learning, evaluation and measurement of this program – and overseeing the implementation of rubric-based tools and reporting systems. 

Denine Jimmerson: Nature vs. Technology?

The following blog post is by Denine Jimmerson, Creativity Curriculum & Evaluation Specialist at FableVision Learning and the Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning, and Creativity. This post first appeared on Denine's blog: and how are the children?

Most people are familiar with the Nature vs. Nurture theory: which attempts to explain human behavior as the result of heredity or their environment. But I would like to pose a different question. How do people learn? Do they learn best using a natural environment as the basis of their learning activities, or is it more effective to teach people by using technological tools?

Many experts believe that it is one or the other-that nature and technology cannot be used together to create an effective learning space. As a result, these two types of pedagogies are often kept very separate in the development of a child’s learning activities.

This week I was talking with colleagues about nature-inspired learning, in which a child’s natural environment inspires children in the design and construct of their learning. We wondered if the integration of technology with nature-based pedagogy even works? Is it one way or the other, is it nature vs. technology?

Sure, children could create digital representations of objects in nature and then print them out, but is this authentic? Would these types of activities promote deeper learning? Probably not. We started to brainstorm about ways children could investigate and create models of nature using digital fabrication, but would that promote a critical study of objects in nature? Would these digital recreations of nature inspire inquiry and critical thinking?

Then I ran across the article Biomimicry: Designing to Model Nature, by Stephanie Vierra. She posited that “Humans have always looked to nature for inspiration to solve problems”. For example: Leonardo da Vinci applied his investigation of birds to design his ideas of human flight, and photovoltaic systems (which harvest solar energy) replicate how leaves harvest their energy. After reading this article, I asked myself why shouldn’t children use technology to model and study nature?

Vierra recommended the application of broader methods of thinking when building products inspired by nature:

• How would nature solve green building challenges?

• How does life make things?

• How does life make the most of things?

• How does life make things disappear into systems?

These questions would make excellent essential questions that could be used to drive student investigations. Learners could also the Biomimicry Design Spiral as tool to help jumpstart the creative process: Identify, Interpret, Discover, Abstract, and Emulate. And in reflection, the learner could evaluate their product by asking these questions:

• How do your ideas compare to Life’s Principles, the successful principles of nature?

• Develop and refine design briefs based on lessons learned from evaluation of Life’s Principles.

I think it is fair to propose that technology and nature do not have to be used as an “either/or” in nature-inspired pedagogy. Learners can use technology to investigate and build their knowledge of the world around them and how they fit into this world. The Fab@School Maker Studio can be used to investigate and solve challenges in the world using nature as the inspiration. Animation-ish can be used to create engaging animations that document the learner’s path of inquiry and deeper understanding of nature-inspired investigations. It is not necessarily Nature vs. Technology after all, and STEAM may soon become “IN-STEAM”… inquiry, nature, science, technology, engineering, art and math.

Letting Off STEAM in San Fran: Celebrating Creativity & Innovation at the STEAM Carnival, San Francisco

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The ed-tech duo Paul Reynolds and Dr. Denine Jimmerson decided to let off a little STEAM in San Francisco last weekend. Representing FableVision Learning and the Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning, and Creativity, they helped teach and entertain some of the 15,000 curious visitors to the STEAM Carnival on Nov. 6-8, 2015. 

Described recently by Fast Company magazine as a cross between a video arcade and Cirque do Soleil, the 3-day playful tech-palooza, shows off the circus-like fun that can be enjoyed when the “A” - arts – is added to STEM—Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. The result was 120,000 square feet of arts and tech-infused fun and frolics in San Francisco’s cavernous Pier 48, which focused on play, virtual reality, science exploration, as well as creation and invention.

Thanks to generous sponsorship from Cisco Systems, the FableVision/Reynolds Center teams provided hands-on demonstrations of a duo of its new creativity/maker software programs designed for elementary & middle school, which are opening new doors for student-centered invention and creativity.

The FableVision/Reynolds Center booth was swamped with boy and girls who were immediately hooked by the notion of  quickly designing and 3D printing right in front of their eyes. Fab@School Maker Studio is an online platform that delivers easy-to-use digital design and fabrication software to elementary and middle schools learners. Developed by Dr. Peggy Healy Stearns and the FableVision/Reynolds Center teams, in partnership with University of Virginia and fellow Fab@School partners, the web-based 3D design and printing toolset allows students to create 3D models, pop-ups, and working machines, including original inventions scanned from the Smithsonian’s historical collections. Because the software is designed for affordable scrapbooker-style digital cutters - using paper, cardstock and cardboard, Maker Studio hopes to address some of the access and equity issues around the Maker Ed movement that often has been the realm of only those who can afford the pricey maker-ware.

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Strolling past the Flambe fire chamber, Virtual Reality rides, and legions of robots, STEAM Carnival visitors who came the Reynolds Center booth also came upon a familiar technology – the book.  Young and old alike were excited to learn that they too could “show what they know” in STEM by using their creativity and writing to design and publish their very own books – now with a little help from technology.  Get Published is an online platform for grades 3-8 that gives teachers all the writing/design tools needed to turn a classroom into a mini-publishing company.  The software is hosted by New York Times best-selling author/illustrator Peter H. Reynolds.

Peter’s identical twin brother Paul Reynolds, co-founder of FableVision/Reynolds Center and author of a series of STEAM-themed books for kids (Going Places, Full STEAM Ahead, and Go Green!) notes, “Celebrating the critical nature of creativity in STEM learning and work is key to our mission – arts, for us, is all about the creativity required for STEM innovation and invention. Participating in STEAM Carnival was especially meaningful, because – while the big, high-tech STEAM exhibits were incredibly fun - our STEAM toolset lets kids, teachers and parents bring maker activities back home and into the classroom in easy, affordable ways.” 

Creativity shines at Georgetown Middle High School

The following guest blog post is from Mary Lyon at the Georgetown Middle High School in Massachusetts. The school holds an annual Creativity Showcase for the students. Paul Reynolds will be keynoting this year’s event on Nov. 5, 2015.   

Innovation has changed the course of history. The 20th and 21st centuries have seen an acceleration of technological and social advancement. Students have the power to be a part of innovation and change. Georgetown High School believes that creative problem solving nurtures and develops skills that will enhance their ability to perform and function in this ever changing environment.

Inspired by the need for creativity and innovation in the workplace, Georgetown Middle High School Principal Peter Lucia instituted a “Creativity” graduation requirement for freshman. Taught by the Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology department, the quarter long course teaches creative problem solving. Creativity, Inspiration, and Innovation (CII) is a hands-on course where creativity is explored as the basis of future entrepreneurial and business endeavors. Students learn creative problem solving techniques, design unique solutions to problems and explore various technologies to present and model their innovations.

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The course culminates with a “Creativity Showcase” where students proudly present their innovations to parents, other students and the community. Their projects range from high tech gadgets prototyped using 3D printed models, apps designed using prototyping software, and media presentations describing their unique service. Some of this year's projects include a pen that writes in specific fonts, a website for special concert events, shoes to help people with diabetes, and many more.

Georgetown Middle High School is honored to have Paul Reynolds introduce the showcase on Thursday, Nov. 5, and explain the importance of creativity in learning and business.

Sydney and Simon “Go Green” in Book #2 of Paul and Peter H. Reynolds’ STEAM-Powered Early Reader Chapter Book Series

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Last we saw them in the debut book of the STEAM-powered adventures of Sydney & Simon: Full STEAM Ahead!, the creative problem-solving siblings were using their science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) skills to save their prized flowers wilting during a prolonged heat wave. Along with learning lots about the water cycle and evaporation, they used their creative maker skills to build a watering invention based on Archimedes’ pump. Now the twin mice are back to apply STEAM thinking to promote sustainability and to protect marine animals impacted by trash.

In Go Green! the adventure starts on a class field trip to the aquarium. Sydney is upset when she learns that Greenie, a sick green sea turtle, is recovering from digesting plastic that made its way to the ocean. She must convince Simon that trash can accidentally get swept into sewers, streams, rivers, and possibly end up in the ocean where it harms living creatures – like Greenie.

The twins collect data on the trash habits of their household and school and find they are all part of the problem. They need to figure out a way that their family, their neighborhood, and their school can cut down on garbage production and make better use of their discarded items. Along with learning about the science of trash decomposition, Sydney and Simon create a recycled art sculpture, as well as write and perform a hit song that gets the attention of everyone the city of Wonder Falls to rethink their trash habits.  

“Our planet is facing so many challenges – many of them environmental," FableVision’s CEO Paul Reynolds says. "Peter and I hope that the Sydney & Simon series will inspire the kind of creative STEAM thinking & doing that will foster the next generation of creative problem-solvers who will be the stewards of a cleaner, greener world in the decades to come. “

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Short chapters written by Paul, paired with Peter’s lively illustrations will inspire readers to take a closer look at protecting the environment by implementing small changes that make a big difference. The book also models holistic literacy which helps support all four components of literacy: listening, talking, reading and writing/creative self-expression, which furthers the work FableVision has been doing with Reading Is Fundamental and the National Writing Project.

Visit www.SteamThinking.org for more information about GO GREEN! and to share your stories about how you, your school, your community is adding the “A” to STEM.

Celebrate the book launch with Peter and Paul! Everyone is invited to the Sydney & Simon: Go Green! book signing and launch party on Saturday, Oct 17., from 10:30-12 p.m. at The Blue Bunny Bookstore in historic Dedham Square. For more details visit The Blue Bunny online. 

Peter H. Reynolds visits St. Peter's Catholic School

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Peter H. Reynolds made a special visit to the St. Peter's Catholic School in Lincoln, NE earlier this week. The school’s principal Sister Mary Michael wrote about Peter’s visit on her blog: A Note From Sister Mary Michael. The following is an excerpt from her blog.

“Two scenes from the day come to mind, firstly, repeatedly, Peter said in his own way with his actions, “Let the little children come to me.”  The committee knew Peter had a day’s worth of work ahead of him signing books, so they tried to get him some quiet time.  Peter invited all the kids who were here on Monday in to where he was signing and knocked chat out of them while he signed.  He also spent part of the few moments for lunch the next day, back in with the kids in the cafeteria, enjoying them.”

To read the full post, click here. 

Read more about Peter's visit:

• Lincoln Journal Star: St. Peter Catholic School Festival started with a drawing, ended with a visit from award-winning author

• KLKN-TV: Special visitor rewards diligence

​International Dot Day

Note: This post, by Terry Shay, originally appeared on the Pippin Insider, the blog for Pippin Properties, Inc.

International Dot Day first started in 2009 when I sent a Facebook message to Peter H. Reynolds, author of The Dot, with a vision of one day where kids in schools take a break from normal school work and test-preparation and get creative. I’ve been a teacher for twenty-nine years and I am always astounded how much attention is now focused on testing. Dot Day seemed like a way to counteract that, at least for a day. I always say that you should share your ideas and dreams with someone who will pour gas on them, that’s certainly what happened with this idea when I shared it with Peter.

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The first year, I tweeted about the very first Dot Day. Some friends picked up on it, and started celebrating too. Through retweeting and sharing, more people started to jump in.

Counselor Teresa O’Meara and I did a joint unit with fourth grade vocal music class where we talked about “making your mark,” and the kids decorated dots that we hung around the room. In high school chorus, I laid out butcher paper and bought watercolors for them to make dots. In junior high chorus, we made a human dot! It was great fun.

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That year, I was surprised to learn that schools I didn’t have any connection to were celebrating too! I was completely blown away by the response, including Richard Colosi’s work with his kindergarten class. I quickly realized the Dot Day, along with Peter’s book was something that spoke to people. The power of social media was palpable.

In 2010, more schools joined the movement. We didn’t keep track of numbers or participants, but it was fun to see people celebrating and sharing the work on Twitter. In 2011, two stellar and connected librarians, Shannon Miller and John Schumacher connected to Dot Day and with each other to super-charge the mission and the movement. They celebrated all week and used social media to spread the word.

Having super-connected teacher librarians made a huge impact. 2011 was the first year we kept track of participants—the total number was around 18,000. Far beyond my wildest dreams.

That same year, I received an email from Newbery Medal winner, Sharon Creech which contained a dot she created. I was struck by how cool it was to see what kind of dot a literary hero would make. Thus, Celebridots was born.

With the help of the Celebridots and passionate social media advocates, Dot Day 2012 grew to 839,000 participants. After that, the numbers continued to climb, 1.3 million in 2013, 1.8 million in 2014, and this year, 2.3 million. In addition to growth in participants, the number of countries involved in Dot Day has grown as well. This year, we had participants from 116 countries.

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One of the best examples of the power of creativity can be seen in photos from a pediatric cancer hospital in Vietnam. These photos were so inspiring to everyone connected with Dot Day.

Matthew Winner, Shannon Miller, and Andy Plemmons had a huge impact on participation with their idea for an online document for people to seek connections with other classrooms, using Skype Classroom and Google Hangouts. Watching this develop has been a joy. With this tool, classrooms are connecting, reading the book, sharing their creations, and learning about other schools, states, and countries.

DOT DAY CONNECTIONS, 2015

The success of International Dot Day is owed to many people who believed in a more creative and connected world and made it happen. Dot Day has been celebrated in classrooms, whole schools, after-school programs, homes, daycares, district offices, bookstores, hospitals and probably many more places. If you search the Internet for “International Dot Day” or follow #DotDay on Twitter, you will see that all of these celebrations went above and beyond that first year of butcher paper and human dots. It all started with the perfect book, which launched the imaginations of children and adults around the globe.

LuLu Jr. makes an AWESOME mark on Dot Day 2015!

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What happens when two organizations championing creativity and self-expression “connect the dots”? Something AWESOME!  Lulu Jr. and FableVision, after their award-winning My Awesome Book kids’ bookmaking kit collaboration, partnered to create My Awesome Publishing Company, an innovative online writing/design platform that gives teacher the tools they need to turn their classroom into a publishing company. 

Designed and hosted by FableVision’s Founder and New York Times bestselling illustrator Peter H. Reynolds, My Awesome Publishing Company guides K-6 students through writing, illustrating, publishing, and promoting their very own book. Currently being piloted in schools across the country, My Awesome Publishing Company encourages kids to make their mark. 

Which is why we were delighted to see the team at Raleigh, NC-based Lulu make their own AWESOME mark for International Dot Day 2015, which is now celebrated in by over 4 million people in 116 countries. Check out Lulu Jr.’s video!

It’s not too late to celebrate Dot Day. If you, your company or school are planning something awesome, let us know – and we’ll share it with the Dot Day community.  

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International Dot Day Celebration 2015

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Join more than a million educators and students for International Dot Day, a global celebration of creativity in the classroom based on Peter H. Reynolds' award-winning book The Dot. Learn more by visiting the official Dot Day website.

Will you be joining in the fun this September 15th? Please let us know by signing up — you'll also receive the free Educator's Handbook for International Dot Day.

We're all looking forward to Dot Day, but we'll be celebrating creativity all year long — and we encourage you to do the same! Here are some new posters by Peter...

Dot Day 2015

fablevision_dot_day_2015

I'm Celebrating Dot Day All Year Long - Poster 1

¡Estoy Celebrando el Día del Punto Todo el Año! - Poster 1

I'm Celebrating Dot Day All Year Long - Poster 2

¡Estoy Celebrando el Día del Punto Todo el Año! - Poster 2

We're Celebrating Dot Day All Year Long

¡Estamos Celebrando el Día del Punto Todo el Año!

Here's another poster — this one features the official International Dot Day logo:

And here's the new Spanish version — we LOVE seeing the International Dot Day logo en español!

Enjoy this other wonderful poster in French — it's such fun to see the logo en français!

Download this certificate of participation that Peter designed for educators, students, and all other creative individuals who are making their mark:

Make Your Mark .... Make It Matter

If you want to help spread the word about Dot Day, please feel free to also download this poster by Peter H. Reynolds:

Say it loud and proud with yet another poster:

Are you connecting with another school via Skype in the Classroom this year? Click here to get this as a printable poster!

Make your mark by printing out this Dot Day poster.

Here's a Dot Day poster in Italian! (Clicca qui per leggere tutto Dimensioni Poster Day Dot stampa.)

Here's an alternate version in Italian. (Clicca qui per un supplente piena di poster formato Giorno Dot stampa!)

In closing, here is a Spanish version too! (Haga click aquí para una versión imprimible de este cartel.)

How will you or your school be celebrating on Dot Day? Let us know! Download this certificate. 

FableVision Creative Educator Spotlight – Rayna Freedman

For this week's teacher spotlight, we salute Rayna Freedman! Rayna is a 5th grade teacher and Information Technology Specialist at the Jordan/Jackson Elementary School in Mansfield, MA.  She is on the board of MassCUE and started a STEM literacy team in her district with several colleagues and administrators.  Truly an amazing educator and colleague!

Rayna “connected the dots” between Peter & Paul Reynolds’ book - Full STEAM Ahead! – the first title in the twin brothers’ early reader chapter book series called The STEAM-Powered Adventures of Sydney & Simon.  The series features twin mice who are truly creative problem-solvers. The book series helps underscore the notion that the “A” in STEAM education – is more than just mixing art into STEM studies – it is about the creative thinking that leads to invention and innovation.  Bringing that concept to life, Full STEAM Ahead! features two curious, creative learners taking on water-themed challenges and learning – including the water cycle and Archimedes’ invention of the water pump.

As so many of our creative educators do, Rayna was able to activate the Full STEAM Ahead! story in the classroom – using it to teach the engineering design process. Freedman’s class chose six water-themed challenges - one teacher-driven, the other five “student-tested and student-approved.”  Here’s a sampling of the projects they tackled:

• One group created their own irrigation system using a network of paper funnels and straws.  They tested their system by repeatedly attempting to successfully move water from the sink to the other end of the classroom, and adjusting the system continually in order to avoid leaks.

• Another group placed white flowers in a glass of water and then added food coloring.  In order to track the dye’s movement up the roots and into the flower, they attached construction paper to the flowers with an elastic band in order to chart how it travels up.  The group also made lab sheets for other classes to use when attempting to replicate this phenomenon.

• A third group similarly planted flowers. Instead of food coloring, they simply tracked the growth of the plants using data sheets.

In addition to creating lesson plans for their own purposes, Freedman’s class also helped teach others.  Her students helped implement the Emerging Engineers Program, through which they taught some of the basics of STEAM thinking to kindergarten classes.

Thanks to Rayna and her students’ creative “arts & smarts”, we now have lesson plans available for ALL teachers to teach the engineering design process using the Full STEAM Ahead book. Click below for a downloadable PDF featuring details about the student-centered STEAM projects, including materials required for each experiment.  Also, Freedman’s students wrote reflections on their experiences, which may be helpful for teachers to keep in mind when introducing this project to their own classes. 

Follow Rayna on Twitter at @rlfreedm!

FableVision Creative Educator Spotlight - Suzy Brooks

For this week's teacher spotlight, we salute Suzy Brooks who has twelve years of experience teaching 4th grade at Muleen-Hall School in Falmouth, MA.  She is a big supporter of FableVision Learning and uses three of our learning tools in her classroom: Stationery Studio, Big Screen Books, and Mapping the World by Heart.  When asked how these tools impact her classroom, Suzy replied:

"I use Stationery Studio every day as a tool for me as well as a tool for students. I share it with teachers in all of my professional development presentations, and I even have teachers ask about it when we are at the copy machine. The themes match what we are teaching in the classroom and breathe life into our finished products. The students love the artwork and have learned how to enhance their letters and reports through the use of student-created art and borders. I also love sharing the products we create as images on our classroom blog. 

Each year my students love making their mark on Dot Day. We use Big Screen Books to share The Dot as a class and talk about how we can each make a difference in the world. Students create their own dots to hang in the classroom for the whole year as a reminder of their power to help others."

Thanks Suzy for your creativity, hard work and determination!