Home Schoolers: Welcome to Derek's home school classes, where children get to design and build a wonderful variety of structures and learn about neat scientific principles.
These classes have been designed:
So each student gets individual attention during his/her whole project.
To challenge each child to create a personal design.
To enhance each child's problem solving skills.
To build confidence working with tools.
To link the activities with real life!
Courses come with an outline linking the outcomes of the B.C. science IRP's with what the students have done in the class.
Home Schooler (and others!) Class Schedule for 2007: All classes are now being taught in schools, or at the JDF Rec Centre in Colwood. Check their schedule for information about what classes are being offered.
Building Medieval Siege Devices Siege engine classes. Nothing like building your own siege engine and taking over the hamster cage! Trebuchets, siege towers, catapults, onagers, we build them all.
Lever Madness - Building Hydraulics Machines Levers and Hydraulics - this class is for students who are interested in designing and building their own hydraulic machines (and who isn't interested in that!).
Automatons Along with Cams and Automatons there is an Advanced Cams and Automatons class for those who want to hone their automaton skills.
Building Bridges Forget those big bridges, too much steel and concrete, students in this class make working bridges from wood!
The classes are best suited to children aged 9 to 18.
All classes are held at the Juan de Fuca Recreation Center in Colwood.
Teachers and Principals: These science classes can be done in your school. Great for an end of unit activity (great for the middle of a unit too!).
In the workshops, the students act as a team and work cooperatively in small groups, building a structure or mechanism of their own design. Most classes will see between six and eight mechanisms made!
All classes are 6 hours (all day usually, but they can be given over two days). Great for grades 4 and higher.
Workshops in Your Class Include:
All materials needed to make the machines or mechanisms.
All tools to cut, glue, drill and make the models.
Web activities to follow up the class.
Written materials to link the activities to math or science (if appropriate to the workshop).
