Since the turn of the twentieth century, audiences have been amazed by the technical and artistic marvel that is motion pictures. The very first movies were live-action, but it wasn’t long until artists started bringing their drawings to life in animated shorts and films.

Let’s learn about why we see animation, how computer science plays a big part in some of your favorite movies, and how to make our own Victorian animation device, a zoetrope!

People have always been fascinated with the world around us and the cycles it goes through, and one of the most famous examples of that is Stonehenge. Stonehenge is an ancient monument in England, and it consists on a ring of large standing stones. There are around 160 of these stones, each about 13 feet high and 7 feet wide.

For decades, archaeologists and historians have debated why Stonehenge was built, but there’s no denying that there is a relationship between the seasons and this prehistoric site. Every year, on both the winter and summer solstices, thousands of people gather at Stonehenge to watch the sunrise. On the days of the solstices, the path of the Sun lines up with the stones, suggesting that the ancient people who built this monument may have had some sort of ritual relating to the changing of the seasons.

Today, we’re challenging you to recreate a scale model of this engineering marvel!

Tangrams are a geometric puzzle that have been entertaining people for centuries. A set of tangrams is comprised of seven shapes: 2 large right triangles, 1 medium right triangle, 2 small right triangles, a square, and a parallelogram. In a tangram puzzle, you want to use all 7 shapes to form the given picture. This can be tricky since there are billions of ways to arrange the shapes, but you’re trying to find the one that makes the right shape.

As you work with tangrams, you’re growing in your analytical skills, your spatial awareness, and your understanding in how shapes can be manipulated. Let’s make our own set of tangrams and working on our problem solving abilities!

As we move into warmer and sunnier spring days, outdoor activities in our yards and driveways become an option while we are all social distancing. One classic outside activity is drawing with sidewalk chalk. Playing with chalk is a great way to get creative, and we can add an extra educational element by creating out own chalk paint! With younger learners, you can use the process of making the paint to explore color mixing, division, and ratios.

Blowing bubbles is a fun and simple activity for all ages. You dip a wand in bubble solution, blow through it, and create little spheres of soapy water. But have you ever thought about why bubbles are spherical?

Let’s explore the science and math behind bubbles!

For centuries, spies, armies, and diplomats have used codes to transmit secret messages. In the present day, with so much of our data stored on computers, encryption of information has become even more important. Cryptography is the study of writing and breaking codes. Modern cryptography draws from mathematics and computer science to create more security.

Let’s learn about different encryption methods and use them to create an escape room in this all-ages activity!

Computers work by adding binary numbers using circuits of logic gates. In this module, learn about some of the most common types of logic gates, and model them by building circuits out of dominoes.

This module is geared toward upper-middle and high school students.

We can study the way regular polygons interact with each other, and one way they can do so is through tessellations. A tessellation, also called a tiling, is a way to cover a surface with a repeating pattern of flat shapes such that there are no overlaps or gaps. A good example of a tessellation is actual tile, like what you would find on a bathroom floor.

This is a geometry activity that is good for all ages!