Project time {Making an App}

Knowing how much E14 likes to fiddle with programming and try out some things and knowing that he now has his own Samsung Galaxy Player (an Android version of the iPod Touch for all you iThings folks), I suggested he try his hand at making an app.

I also hinted that a certain Homeschool Blogger might enjoy having an app for her blog...

After looking around at many different app makers, he found apps bar which is pretty much the only site he found that didn't charge to submit the app. He had made the app on two other sites which claimed to be free, but when he clicked submit, it revealed the membership fee requirement. Of course, the paid sites are much better because they allow you to make more things (like games) and put more into your app, but it comes with a cost.

The results are pretty cool! He actually ended up making one for Blog, She Wrote and Miss Bliss- they were given to us as Christmas presents. If you load the app on your device, it will give you some options for navigating the blog. For example, you can go to the blog or you can check new content only. There's even a button that will take you to my social media sites.

With apps bar you build the app and submit it. Then they check it through and make sure it all works. They approve it and send you the link where you download the app on to your device. The downside is the menu of choices for what you can put in the app is rather limited, but they are adding more.

If you want the app available in the Google Play store, you pay a one time fee of $25 and you can make your app available for the masses. Otherwise, you can send the link to those you know who want the app.

So, you know...if you want a Blog, She Wrote (or the Miss Bliss) app just let me know!

The Auto Flusher: A Moment in {UN}Schooling

How do you homeschool a young inventor? You give him plenty of time for inventing! 

I always knew J7 was going to be a little more independent and a little more challenging to homeschool. He always has a plan. Early on I thought it was a toddler thing, but as he's grown the challenge continues. He is always thinking about his next big invention or idea. He's not necessarily trying to be difficult. He's simply entrenched in his busy, thinking world. This is a kid who told me straight out, "Mommy, this is AMERICA. I can do math the way I want!"- when I told him he ought to align his math problem a little differently. He wants to have a go on his own even if it means having to back track. Most of the time though, things turn out just fine and he's learned extra things along the way.

Now that he's in second grade, I've learned a trick or two in working with this fierce independence. I try to remember that he doesn't always have to do things my way. Academically speaking this is very true and it does carry over to other areas of life if we aren't talking about items of safety. There are non-negotiables. However, most of  the time I try to give J7 choices along the way and to choose the "mountains I will die on" very carefully.

Such was the case one day about a month or so ago when I could see J7 needed a break from the ordinary (if a typical school day here could be called ordinary). I knew he'd be engaged in a project if I gave him permission to go and invent. And that's just what I did. 

I gave him some parameters this time (though not always) - I told him to get to know our home LEGO NEXT kit and to go and invent something cool and show it to me. I reminded him of the available resources as I let him loose for the afternoon. That was it. The rest was up to him.

He ended up making an automatic toilet flusher like the ones in public restrooms. The ones that always seem to flush too soon and strike fear into the hearts of small children the world over. Dan had been preparing some videos to share at a First LEGO League (FLL) event and found one with a flusher. He showed it to the kids briefly- all of a couple minutes. J7 recalled the video and set out to make his own- with no instruction.

The results are in the video below. It's only a few minutes long and worth the time to see his brain in action! It's not a very elegant robot, but the programming is right on the mark. Listen carefully as the ultrasonic sensor waits 15 seconds after J7 gets up to say thank you and move the motor arm. And his use of the word, "basically".



The amazing part is that he figured out how to use the ultrasonic sensor and program the wait blocks with the NXT software so that it would sense the movement and then wait before saying thank you and moving the motor. Pretty slick for age 7. He is so ready for First LEGO League!

Channeling this boy's energy takes a lot of time. I'm excited to learn more about Project Based Homeschooling so that I can record and help him to record all this crazy learning he does. I bought the Kindle version and I've been pouring through it. I am happy to report we do a lot of this in our homeschool already, but it's been exciting to learn more about facilitating all this stuff and how to record it well.