It has been several days since I came back from the incredible Atlanta Science Festival, and I am still savoring the experience. The magnitude of the event is best conveyed by this graphic:
I had the honor of being part of the booth hosted by Mathhappens Foundation, which has been “putting the M in STEM Since 2014”, in their own words. Mathhappens has been providing Geometiles for museums and organizations for several years now, but it was my first time collaborating with them at a real life exhibit. Mathhappens Foundation is all about enjoyable, tactile appreciation of mathematics, and the synergy of their materials and Geometiles at the booth was outstanding, as you can see in the main photo. If that’s not enough, we were fortunate to have with us Jason Harron, Professor of instructional Technology at Kennesaw State University, who built this delightful model of the Pythagorean Theorem.
This is one of the pictures that summarizes my experience at the booth-it’s me in my element. Standing in front of me is a kindergartener eager to show off her creation.
And here is an animated view from our booth taken by a spherical camera. The Olympic rings made with Geometiles are a tribute to Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park,
One of my takeaways from this event was how very young children can benefit from Geometiles. Geometiles were designed for children age 6 and up, but all of the kids you see below were under age 6!
What I love most about engaging kids with Geometiles is when they teach me something new. These two elementary school students gave me a lesson in cell biology using Geometiles!
As this gif shows, the fun in Atlanta never stopped!
