Talking with Educators and Makers at Virtually Maker Faire!

 
VMF badge.jpg
 

Maker Faire is a world-wide phenomenon that has introduced people around the world to the idea that you can learn and grow through hands-on Maker activities. It’s run by the same company that published many of my Maker books for kids and other beginners and is now running Maker Camp, a wonderful resource for parents. And this year, with the global shutdown, the flagship event is going online!

For 24 hours on Saturday, May 23, you can watch talks by adults and kids who are making equipment to help us all stay safe from COVID-19, learn about projects of all kinds to make our lives better now and into the future, and see what people are doing to challenge themselves and provide fun and entertainment for others.

Here are the panels I’m moderating for this year’s Maker Faire and links to the videos. I hope you find them inspiring!

Reimagining Education in School and at Home

 
 

What will school look like in the new-normal world? How can we combine the best of traditional classroom, remote, and homeschool education? I talk with a panel of public, charter, library, and homeschooling maker-educators — Kristina Holzweiss, Bianca Forrester, Peter Rawitsch, and Rick Shertle — to discuss what models might work best for the diverse population of students, parents, and educators in the US and around the world.

 
 

While hospitals for the most part have finally found commercially-made supplies, there’s still high demand for re-usable, washable cloth face masks from office, retail, and services workers as well as the general public. I talk with mask creators Todd Thomas and Kelly Cheatle as we go through the challenges of designing an effective mask to make at home, from sourcing materials to breathability, and discuss how and why this low-tech solution to the problem of containing the coronavirus pandemic is so important to our country's recovery.

This page may contain affiliate links. Thanks for helping me to keep producing great learning advice and activities for kids!

Chocolate Cake in a Mug (Quarantine Version)

 
A la mode.JPG
 

You’re working at home and your mind starts to wander to snack possibilities. In the old days, you could mosey on down to the local cafe for a break. But now, of course, you’re on your own.

If you’re the parent of young children, it’s possible there are probably some prepackaged, good-until-the-next-millennium baked goods in your cabinet. However, you may want to save those to keep the kids placated during your 19th teleconference of the week.

Instead, try my recipe for Cake in a Mug! All it takes is a microwave, some hot chocolate mix, and a couple of ingredients you’re sure to have in your kitchen. Have no fear, this could easily pass for fresh, decadent, chocolate lava cake from your favorite bistro.

And if your prepper stash doesn’t include gourmet unsweetened cocoa, I’ve got you covered. This version is designed for the instant hot chocolate mix you keep on hand for the kids. Here’s how to make it:

Cake Ingredients

What You’ll Need
4 Tablespoons cake flour
9 Tablespoons hot chocolate mix
1 Egg
3 Tablespoons water
3 Tablespoons oil
1 Microwavable Mug

 

Like this recipe? Find more dessert and other yummies in my book Edible Inventions — available in softcover, Kindle, and as a PDF!

EdibleInventionsCover800px.jpg

Combine the Dry Ingredients

Measure out the flour and hot chocolate mix into the mug. Stir.

Add the Wet Ingredients

Crack the egg into the mug. Stir a bit. Add water and oil.

Stir until thoroughly moistened. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the mug with your spoon to avoid any leftover pockets of dry ingredients.

For a gooey lava-like interior, throw in some chocolate chips.

 

Bake

Put the mug in the microwave on high and set the timer for 3 minutes.
As it bakes, a cylinder of cake will start to rise out of the mug. Way cool!
When done, it will settle back into the mug.

Serve

The handle of the mug may be hot, so use a potholder to remove it from the microwave.

Tip your cake cylinder out of the mug into a dish. It may look a little wrinkled. This is normal.

Use a fork to break it up into quarters. This will allow steam in the center to escape. Arrange so that the more attractive interior of the cake is showing.

Make sure the cake has cooled enough to eat before digging in. Add whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

Enjoy!

This page may contain affiliate links. Thanks for helping me to keep producing great learning advice and activities for kids!

Exponentially Speaking

 
One Grain of Rice by Demi
 

I wish Tom Hanks and Idris Elba a speedy recovery from COVID-19. But by the time this is over, as many as 60% of us may get it.

The reason is that the virus is spreading exponentially. That’s a math term which means the rate of change is proportional to the original number. For example, if something decreases by half or grows by a factor of three.

Many people don’t understand how that works. To demonstrate, I highly recommend a great book by one of my favorite author/illustrators, Demi.

The book One Grain of Rice illustrates the concept of “exponentially” perfectly. It’s the story of a rajah who believes himself to be wise and fair, but he uses his hungry people's rice for himself year after year. Then a village girl named Rani devises a clever plan. She asks the raja for one grain of rice, and then to double it every day for a month.

On the first day the raja gives her one grain. The second day she gets two. By day eight, she’s up to 128. Soon the numbers explode. On day 22, she gets over 2 million grains of rice. By the thirtieth day, the page is filled with rice — enough to feed all the hungry people in his domain.

That’s how quickly something can grow — exponentially.

This page may contain affiliate links. They add nothing to your cost, and help support this website. Another way to help me keep producing great STEAM content for kids is to buy my books. Thanks!