The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: A Shadow Puppet Film

Matisse Paper Cuts Class

Mikro and I enjoyed an online class together, learning about Henri Matisse's paper cuts, and trying our hands at "drawing with scissors."

Free Scholar Exchange Online Sessions from the National Constitution Center

The National Constitution Center is offering online programs on a variety of topics that look amazing!  And they are free!  Great material if you are teaching civics!  Check out the full list of programs at the link above.  

2020 Not Back to School Interview (The Pandemic Edition)

Q: What is your favorite subject?

A: Paleontology, evolutionary biology, geology and history. Also archaeology.

Q: What are you best at?

A: Making connections between things and synthesizing information; communicating clearly in writing and verbally; designing objects for 3d printing; generating hypotheses; imagination; procrastinating.

Q: I need to get better at __________.

A: SAT math; handwriting; being more organized. Not procrastinating and waiting for mom to nag me about stuff.

Q: What's the best thing about being a homeschooler?

A: For this year, not being that affected by the pandemic. We already were set up to do our own thing, and my outside classes were either already on the computer, or moved online. So the plague hasn't caused me as much trouble as schooled kids. But I do miss being able to see my friends and Professor Wendy in person.

Q: What's the worst thing?

A: People's weird assumptions about homeschooling, and not being as comfortable with standardized tests as schooled kids, because I don't take them as often, which is in general a good thing, but now I have to get ready for the PSAT/SAT/ACT...

Q: What kind of work do you want to do when you grow up?

A: I want to be a paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and a professor. I would also lke to do fossil preparator work, maybe as a way to help pay for grad school.

Q: This year I want to learn about ________.

A: Medieval India, Foundations of Eastern Civilization, Archaeology, Paleontology (dinosaur paleobiology, preparator skills); anatomy; comparative zoology; the age of revolutions; anthropology; German; and maybe forensics. Scientific illustration and cartography. Survival and camping skills; special effects and animation; paleoart.

Q: I want to do more _________.

A: Science. And writing.

Q: I want to do less _________.

A: Math.

Q: Who is your best friend?

A: Koby. And Julian is a really good friend. And James and Jack, too.

Q: Once COVID 19 is over, I want to go on a field trip to __________.

A: Yale Splash; MIT Splash; The Penn Museum, the Mutter Musem, The Bruce Museum.

Q: I want to go on vacation to __________.

A. Not so much a vacation, but I want to go to Sternberg Science Camp in Kansas and do the field paleontology and fossil preparation programs. I also want to go on a dig with Big Horn Basin Paleontological Institute.

Q. The most fun or best thing I did last school year was:

A. Sternberg Science Camps (online because of the plague). I got to study Evolution of Vertebrates, Mass Extinctions, and Dinosaur Science, and meet lots of kids who love paleontology as much as I do. (I run a Discord server so we can keep in touch and geek out together over ancient life.) Joining the After School Fencing Club and learning to fence with Coach Mark. (I wish the pandemic hadn't cut the season short, and delayed this year.) I also loved doing Yale Sprout and MIT Splash, and visiting the Yale musuems, the USS Constitution, all the sites on the Freedom Trail and Harvard Natural History Museum. Our trip to Washington DC and the newly redone fossil halls at the National Museum of Natural History was great, too.

Q. What is the most stressful thing you have dealt with because of the pandemic?

A: Worrying about my grandparents and not getting to go see them since March.

Q: What has helped you deal with the pandemic?

A: Keeping in touch with my friends online via Discord, playing D&D, making bad puns, watching the local wildlife, and my mom makes us get out of the house and into nature.

Q: What is your biggest disappointment because of the pandemic?

A: Missing out on competing in the Finals of the National History Bee, not getting to take the trips we had planned for this year, not being able to do fencing, and not seeing friends and family except on the phone or computer.

Q. What is your favorite book that you read last school year?

A. The Complete Dinosaur by Tom Holtz & others; The Decameron by Bocaccio.

Q: What is your favorite song?

A: Bohemian Rhapsody.

Q: What is your favorite thing to do for fun with your friends?

A: Play D&D and sword fight.

Q. What is your favorite online class that you took last year?

A: All of them, but especially Evolution of Vertebrates, Mass Extinctions, Dinosaur Science, Medieval Literature (which was in person before COVID), German and How to Defend Humane Ideals.

Q. Of all the field trips you took last year, which was the best?

A. NMNH new fossil halls, and the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Also, the Freedom trail in Boston.

Q. What are you looking forward to doing this year?

A. Classes with Wendy Raver and Crystal Ferreira. Fencing. Being able to get back to normal life eventually.

Q. What are some colleges you might want to apply to?

A. Yale, Cornell, University of Alberta, University of Toronto, University of Montana, Richard Gilder (AMNH, mom), Columbia, SUNY Stonybrook, Hunter College Macauley Honors, NYU, Columbia, University of Chicago, Fort Hayes State University.

Looking forward to another year of learning together!