Brick Scholars would like to wish you a beautiful Easter holiday and season. May it be filled with love, peace, and joy.
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One of the influences on Brick Scholars’ pedagogy is Constructionism, which is when the
hands create knowledge, so does the mind. Literature and language back up this idea, as does neuroscience. A look at mythology allows us to see that the Ancient Greeks believed in the power of hand-mind connection [1]. Athena was born straight from Zeus’ head, fully formed. As a product of his brain, she became the goddess of wisdom and knowledge, but she is also the goddess of weaving and handiwork. Clearly even thousands of years ago, ancient peoples understood the power of this connection. Etymology can also give us a look at this partnership. Brain cells are also called “neurons,” and the roots for that word come from Ancient Greek roots for the words “fiber,” “cord,” or “thread.” Brain cells, then, are thought to be connected to something else. One of those things is the hand, which helps us to understand the world around us. Babies as young as two weeks old start reaching out for things in front of them; it’s an instinct to learn through touch. With a touch, those neurons start making connections in the brain. From a neuroscience standpoint, this connection is integral to learning, especially to what Brick Scholars does. The corpus callosum is the part of the brain that links the two halves of the brain together [2]. The left side of the brain is what performs the logical tasks, such as science or math. The right side of the brain is associated more with creativity. So the corpus callosum is what gets the brain from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) to STEAM (Arts), which is what Brick Scholars offers. Children can make connections between STEM and the Arts, putting them together for creativity, imagination, and voice, all the while using their hands, which affects the pathways and neurons in the brain. When the brain changes due to experiences, behavior, and thoughts, this is called neuroplasticity [3]. While most people associate this term with the brain having to “rewire” after an injury, it also explains why musicians have more “space” in their brains dedicated to hand motions and why taxi drivers have more “space” for spatial reasoning. The more people do with their hands, the more pathways the brain makes; it’s like a workout for your brain. Brick Scholars can help create more pathways through the power of your hands. And you might be surprised what you find out! 95% of what underlies our actions and behaviors are unconscious [4], and working with your hands is a great way to unleash knowledge you didn’t know you had. References: [1] Auer, Arthur. “Hand Movements Sculpt Intelligence.” Learning About the World Through Modeling—Sculptural Ideas for School and Home. Association of Waldorf Schools of North America. [2] Lynch, Matthew. “From STEM to STEAM: More Than Just a Good Idea.” The Tech Edvocate. 2016. [3] Liou, Stephanie. “Neuroplasticity.” Huntington’s Outreach Project for Education, at Stanford. 2010. [4] Szegedy-Maszak, Marianne. “Mysteries of the Mind.” US News and World Report. Written by: Nikki Cox, Brick Scholars Intern Legacies and Legocies A legacy is what a person leaves behind after his or her life. All people leave behind a legacy of some kind, whether in a will, in having family, and in having that family remember them. Others leave behind a larger legacy, often because they were famous. Some leave behind a legacy of being the first person to do something, such as Amelia Earhart, remembered as the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Others leave an imprint on our culture, such as Michael Jackson, with his influence on music, dance, and fashion. Other legacies exist due to a person changing public perception, such as Rosa Parks and her refusal to move on a bus sparking other events within the Civil Rights Movement. There are many ways to leave behind a legacy. Artists, for instance, leave behind the legacy of their art. We are all familiar with da Vinci’s painting of the Sistine Chapel, van Gogh’s blue bedroom, and Monet’s lilies. We are taught in school various media and techniques for drawing, painting, and sculpture. What some might not be familiar with is a new medium for art: the LEGOⓇ brick. Nathan Sawaya is a former lawyer turned artist who uses LEGOⓇ bricks to build sculptures. After coming home from his former day job, Sawaya wanted a creative outlet. Eventually, after trying other media, he turned to his childhood toy to continue developing his craft. His work eventually became so popular that he was able to take an exhibit with pieces entirely made of LEGOⓇ bricks on tour. Andrew Whyte is a long-exposure photographer who takes a LEGOⓇ minifigure, who himself is a photographer, on adventures and documents them. He calls this set of art Legography, and he traveled around the world for 365 days capturing the experiences of his minifigure. Another artist is Sean Kenney, who has been creating sculptures with LEGOⓇ bricks for a variety of clients for over a decade. Like Sawaya, Kenney had a job that did not fulfill his need for creative output, so he left his desk job to pursue his passion. The thing that Kenney focuses on in his art is capturing the spirit of the object he recreates with the bricks. Creating something, having an impact on others in some way, and much more can leave behind a positive legacy. Brick Scholars can help you give a voice to what you want to leave behind with its Legocies Brick by Brick program. You will use LEGOⓇ bricks to build and put into words what you want your legacy to be.
Hello 6th Grade Team! Brick Scholars is very excited to work with the 6th grade team and conduct Legocies Brick by Brick workshop March 6-10 at Carroll Magnet Middle School. We are condensing a five-day residency into a ninety minute workshop. In order to ensure your success, I would like you to think about some things in preparation for our upcoming workshop. Please read this post and complete the graphic organizer included in that post prior to my visit March 6-10. Some of the LEGO artists we study during Legocies Brick by Brick residency are Nathan Sawaya, Sean Kenney and Legographer, Andrew Wythe. Below you will find videos of their work. Please view these videos and think about what you want to create in our Legocy workshop. The main thing I want you to think about is what is and/or what do you want YOUR legacy to be? Some questions you can ask yourself are: 1. What are your goals for your future? 2. What are you most proud of right now as a 6th grade student? It can be a hobby, a passion, something you excell at, or even something you wish to learn more about. Allow yourself the freedom to explore the possibilities. Here are some articles and videos on Nathan Sawaya's work.
Another LEGO sculptor we study in this residency is Sean Kenney. Here are some videos and articles you can view to learn more about his work. Since we will be taking a large percentage of our time in the workshop to construct a 3D LEGO model, it is important to capture the build (as you will not be able to keep your models). The next LEGO artist I want to introduce you to is Legographer, Andrew Whyte. He is a photographer with a unique traveling companion (mini-figure photographer). During Legacies Brick by Brick residency, students have time to explore photography technique and perspective, but in our workshop, we will not have that much time to dedicate to learning about photography techniques. So, I want you think about how you want to capture your 3D model in a photograph, since you will be pairing your Legocy photo with your written legacy statement. The "magic" will happen when you have your hands on the bricks and you create your Leogcy 3D model in the workshop. It will help you with understanding perspective to take a look at Andrew Whyte's website and view his unique photography. Here are some articles that showcase Andrew Whyte's photographs. Finally, I want to share some videos of Legocy models from students I worked with at A.B. Combs Elementary School. It may give you some ideas as you start to think about your own legacy. I have created a graphic organizer to get you thinking about your legacy and what you want to construct during the workshop. You can download it here. It is OK if you do not know exactly what you want to build. It will help though if you take some time to explore Nathan Sawaya's and Andrew Whyte's LEGO artwork.
I look forward to seeing you March 6-10 at Carroll Magnet Middle School. We are going to have an exciting week. Brick-tastically Yours, Megan Oteri CEO and Founder, Brick Scholars One of the influences on Brick Scholars’ pedagogy is Constructionism, which is when the
hands create knowledge, so does the mind. Literature and language back up this idea, as does neuroscience. A look at mythology allows us to see that the Ancient Greeks believe in the power the hand-mind connection [1]. Athena was born straight from Zeus’ head, fully formed. As a product of his brain, she became the goddess of wisdom and knowledge, but she is also the goddess of weaving and handiwork. Clearly even thousands of years ago, ancient peoples understood the power this connection. Etymology can also give us a look at this partnership. Brain cells are also called “neurons,” and the roots for that word come from Ancient Greek roots for the words “fiber,” “cord,” or “thread.” Brain cells, then, are thought to be connected to something else. One of those things is the hand, which helps us to understand the world around us. Babies as young as two weeks old start reaching out for things in front of them; it’s an instinct to learn through touch. With a touch, those neurons start making connections in the brain. From a neuroscience standpoint, this connection is integral to learning, especially to what Brick Scholars does. The corpus callosum is the part of the brain that links the two halves of the brain together [2]. The left side of the brain is what performs the logical tasks, such as science or math. The right side of the brain is associated more with creativity. So the corpus callosum is what gets the brain from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) to STEAM (Arts), which is what Brick Scholars offers. Children can make connections between STEM and the Arts, putting them together for creativity, imagination, and voice, all the while using their hands, which affects the pathways and neurons in the brain. When the brain changes due to experiences, behavior, and thoughts, this is called neuroplasticity [3]. While most people associate this term with the brain having to “rewire” after an injury, it also explains why musicians have more “space” in their brains dedicated to hand motions and why taxi drivers have more “space” for spatial reasoning. The more people do with their hands, the more pathways the brain makes; it’s like a workout for your brain. Brick Scholars can help create more pathways through the power of your hands. And you might be surprised what you find out! 95% of what underlies our actions and behaviors are unconscious [4], and working with your hands is a great way to unleash knowledge you didn’t know you had. References: [1] Auer, Arthur. “Hand Movements Sculpt Intelligence.” Learning About the World Through Modeling—Sculptural Ideas for School and Home. Association of Waldorf Schools of North America. [2] Lynch, Matthew. “From STEM to STEAM: More Than Just a Good Idea.” The Tech Edvocate. 2016. [3] Liou, Stephanie. “Neuroplasticity.” Huntington’s Outreach Project for Education, at Stanford. 2010. [4] Szegedy-Maszak, Marianne. “Mysteries of the Mind.” US News and World Report. Written by Nikki Cox, Brick Scholars intern LEGOⓇ Boost: How Brick Scholars Can Help With Coding The LEGO® company has recently released information about an exciting new product: LEGO® Boost. It made its debut last week at the CES Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. This set, which will be coming out around August 2017, will be $160 and includes everything needed to make five different programmable robots: a robot, a cat, a builder, a multi-purpose vehicle, and a guitar. When paired with an app that will be available for iOS and Android, children aged 7 and up will be able to use pre-written code blocks on the app to have the robot perform behaviors and have personality. The bricks will also be interchangeable with any other bricks and sets so that users can personalize the robots even further. This set will enable kids to learn the basics of programming. LEGO® envisions it as a stepping stone for the more advanced LEGO® MINDSTORMS® programming sets. For users who are more advanced, there will be a way to go further into the pre-written code blocks and tweak them. With the basic setup that is in the app, children will understand how a series of codes put together leads to different outcomes, particularly once they work with each of the different robots and learn how to program different behaviors and create personalities for each one. Being exposed to coding and programming at a young age will help children in their futures; many jobs now require a level of experience and comfort with these skills and not just in technology-oriented industries. Health care, manufacturing, and finance are other industries that now want to see coding skills in their workers. For today’s children, these are vital skills to learn and become engaged with early in life to be prepared for the future. There are not many places where elementary- and middle-school aged children can learn coding. Studies predict that by 2020, the world will be in need of 1 billion more coders than it is predicted to have. Coding is a new form of literacy that today’s kids need to know and be able to do in order to be successful in tomorrow’s workplace. Brick Scholars offers enrichment classes, in-school field trips, workshops, residencies and professional development in Robotics and Coding for a variety of age groups. With LEGOⓇ Boost, we will be able to offer even more to help jump-start an interest in coding and programming. Currently, we offer programs using WeDo™ 2.0, featuring coding blocks that are similar to what LEGOⓇ Boost will use. During February of this year, we will have, for grades 1-5, classes from 5:30-7:00 PM at Education Exchange on the 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th. We also use NXT MINDSTORMSⓇ in other classes, for grades 4-8, and those will be at Greenfield School on Wednesdays from 3:45-5:15. In addition, we can provide residencies for schools, after-school programs, summer camps, and in-school field trips. If you are interested in booking a class featuring robotics and coding, contact Megan Oteri for further information. Written by: Nikki Cox Congratulations to Communities In Schools in Wilson for receiving the North Carolina Arts Council Grassroots Arts Program Grants Award (awarded by the Arts Council of Wilson).
Brick Scholars would like to recognize Bridget Lay Akins for her outstanding work in the community and tireless efforts on this grant proposal. We are excited to bring Brick Scholars’ Legocies Brick by Brick program to Darden Middle School in partnership with Communities In Schools and Wilson County Schools. Stay tuned for updates on this exciting community engagement. GRASSROOTS ARTS PROGRAM GRANTS The Grassroots Arts Program (GAP) provides per capita-based funding for arts programming to all 100 counties across North Carolina ensuring opportunities for citizens to experience the arts in their own communities. Activities include festivals, concerts, dance and theater productions, artist-in-schools programs, galleries, Native American powwows, art classes and African drumming circles. "You can learn more about a person in an hour of play than you can from a lifetime of conversation" – Plato LEGO® Serious Play® is a facilitated meeting, communication and problem-solving method, where participants are led through a serious of questions, which go deeper and deeper. Each participant builds his or her own three-dimensional LEGO model in response to the facilitator’s questions using specially selected LEGO bricks. These 3D models serve as the basis for group discussion, knowledge sharing, and problem solving and decision-making. The purpose of LEGO Serious Play is to maximize the full potential, insight, confidence and commitment of all the people around the table. Email us at [email protected] to learn more about how we can help your business, school, or organization communicate more effectively, gain insights, and discover answers and solutions to your business/organization needs. Each LEGO® Serious Play® workshop is tailored to your needs as a group. Each workshop is facilitated by a certified and trained LEGO Serious Play facilitator. Brick Scholars is thrilled to have a poet-in-residence at our camp this week. We were honored to have Lydia Byrne, a rising 6th grader from New Hope Elementary as a STEAM poet-in-residence. She wrote about our program, Robotics and Coding for Kids. Brick Scholars has been at Imagination Station this week for camp. We love the idea of writing poetry about robotics and computer programming. Thank you Lydia for sharing your beautiful poetry. Brick Scholars By: Lydia Byrne Brick Scholars, Is a free style of fun, You can make ducks dance, Computers speak, And alligators move. In Brick Scholars, Everything is challenging, but fun, You learn about coding, The key to the computer. Everybody at Brick Scholars learns something new, Everyday it’s something different, Not just the same coding. Brick Scholars is awesome, Because you can be who you are, At Brick Scholars! Robotic Programming By: Lydia Byrne Robotic Programming, Makes the gears in my brain whir, Faster than lightning. Robotic Programming, Makes my heart sing, So loud, it’s frightening. Robotic Programming, Makes me calm, It’s soothing. Robotic Programming, Is the thing for everyone, So come and join the fun! Brick Scholars is thrilled to have a poet-in-residence at our camp this week. We were honored to have Lydia Byrne, a rising 6th grader from New Hope Elementary as a STEAM poet-in-residence. She wrote about our program, Robotics and Coding for Kids. Brick Scholars has been at Imagination Station this week for camp. We love the idea of writing poetry about robotics and computer programming. Thank you Lydia for sharing your beautiful poetry. Robotic Programming |
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Brick Universe is coming to Raleigh April 2-3, 2016. Get your tickets now and stop by the Brick Scholars vendor booth and say hello. Read all about this event in this Raleigh News & Observer article.
Click here for Brick Universe FAQ. We look forward to seeing you there.
Click here for Brick Universe FAQ. We look forward to seeing you there.
30% OFF tickets to LEGO Fan Expo using "ROAR" at https://t.co/eowd6S6FQ0 @Panthers #CarolinaPanthers #BrickUniverse pic.twitter.com/zt8FZLJT5r
— BrickUniverse (@BrickUniverseNC) January 22, 2016
Know someone who loves LEGO? Tickets to BrickUniverse LEGO Fan Expo (Raleigh Convention Center, April 2 & 3)... https://t.co/8YLsOemEZz
— BrickUniverse (@BrickUniverseNC) December 9, 2015
Awesome tech club meeting today feat. guest speaker Megan Oteri, our scholars had a ball learning today! pic.twitter.com/1IVH0mcAHG
— david koonce (@mrkoonce_wpa) March 11, 2016
Students got a chance to program their own Lego robot! pic.twitter.com/LEkTi1oPV6
— david koonce (@mrkoonce_wpa) March 11, 2016
@brickscholars had a great time working with @mrkoonce_wpa and the #technology club students#WilsonPrepatoryAcademy. Thank you for inviting#BrickScholars to work with the students using#LEGO #robotics. #kidswhocode #edtech #stem#steam
#brickandlearn #legos — at Wilson Prepatory Academy.
#brickandlearn #legos — at Wilson Prepatory Academy.
If you are still wondering what our Robotics and Coding class is all about, check out our photos and videos. If you have questions, please contact us. We love to talk LEGO!
Download our brochure and share with others or scroll and read it below as well.
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Classes are held at Education Exchange, located at 3042 Forest Hills Rd SW in Wilson, NC. See map below.
Why should my kid learn to code?
Here are some short articles to tell you why. Two of the article feature the robotics program we use in Brick Scholars classes.
Here are some short articles to tell you why. Two of the article feature the robotics program we use in Brick Scholars classes.
- Why Kids Should Learn to Code and How to Get Them Started
- 6 Reasons Why Your Child (and Mine!) Should Learn to Code
- Design Thinking in Education: Empathy, Challenge, Discovery, and Sharing
How to pay for Brick Scholars Classes
You can pay with:
You can make your payment and receive a receipt Education Exchange (for cash or check). You will receive a receipt via email if you pay via PayPal.
You can pay with:
- PayPal (click on link to go to Brick Scholars account -- you must have a PayPal account to pay using PayPal)
- Check (payable to Brick Scholars, LLC or Megan Oteri)
- Cash
You can make your payment and receive a receipt Education Exchange (for cash or check). You will receive a receipt via email if you pay via PayPal.
robotics_and_coding_for_kids_i_price_list.docx Price list of classes (with discount specials) -- black and white version | |
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new_brocure.docx Download our brochure about Robotics & Coding for Kids I | |
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Free Robotics and Coding for Kids I demo class February 26 at Education Exchange from 10 am - 5:30 pm. Reserve your 1/2 hour spot today. Your child will be able to sample a mini-lesson from one of our units. This Google Docs document will allow you to reserve your 1/2 hour time slot for our class demo. Please only reserve a time slot for students who are grades 2 - 5. We will be offering more free classes at later dates.
The video below is one of the robots we will build during our Mechanical Minds unit. There are 2 offerings for Mechanical Minds in March:
- Mechanical Minds – Homeschool, will meet four times between March 3 – 24 on Thursdays from 1:00 - 2:30 pm
- Mechanical Minds – weekend, will meet on two Saturdays March 12 & 26 from 12:30 - 3:30 pm
View Current Classes tab for more information on class structure, ages, pricing, discounts, registration and payment methods. We look forward to working with your child and seeing you at our free demo class on February 26 at Education Exchange.
If you can't make the Open House at Play Date of Wilson this Thursday, November 19, join us Sunday, November 22 from 1-5 p.m.
.
Light up your child's imagination before coming to see Light Up Brentwood by coming to Play Date of Wilson from 4 - 5:30 p.m. on November 19 for a free StoryStarter Build a Holiday Tale event. We can accommodate up to twenty students during three separate thirty minute sessions.
Three time slots available:
4:00 - 4:30 p.m. - 6 available spots for children ages 5 - 12
4:30 - 5:00 p.m. - 6 available spots for children ages 5 - 12
5:00 - 5:30 p.m. - 6 available spots for children ages 5-12
Sign-up for your child's spot by emailing [email protected] or by calling (252) 230 - 6865. You can also sign-up by calling Play Date of Wilson at (252) 399 - 7559.
You'll also have an opportunity to learn more about Brick Scholars classes and events. Brick Scholars will be offering LEGO® Education classes on-site at Play Date of Wilson on Mondays and Tuesdays 4-6 p.m., as well as Friday evenings 5-8 p.m.
Light up your child's imagination before coming to see Light Up Brentwood by coming to Play Date of Wilson from 4 - 5:30 p.m. on November 19 for a free StoryStarter Build a Holiday Tale event. We can accommodate up to twenty students during three separate thirty minute sessions.
Three time slots available:
4:00 - 4:30 p.m. - 6 available spots for children ages 5 - 12
4:30 - 5:00 p.m. - 6 available spots for children ages 5 - 12
5:00 - 5:30 p.m. - 6 available spots for children ages 5-12
Sign-up for your child's spot by emailing [email protected] or by calling (252) 230 - 6865. You can also sign-up by calling Play Date of Wilson at (252) 399 - 7559.
You'll also have an opportunity to learn more about Brick Scholars classes and events. Brick Scholars will be offering LEGO® Education classes on-site at Play Date of Wilson on Mondays and Tuesdays 4-6 p.m., as well as Friday evenings 5-8 p.m.
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