So...I just tried to build a design for a roller coaster. There are countless people in the world who have benefited tremendously from me NOT going into that line of work. My cars slowed at the top of a loop-de-loop. They crashed coming to a stop. At one point they didn't even make it up the first hill and started skidding backwards and...well, if this had been a rated "M" video game, the whole deal would have gotten rather messy. Still, the fun I had was spot on! Can't wait to challenge the kids with this today!
The roller coaster creation game was just one tiny morsel of what The JASON Project has to offer. I LOVE this site. And it's not just because my nephew/godson's name is Jason, either. No, The JASON Project is an AMAZING example of what can be done when someone gets a real thrill out of pumping kids up with a love of learning. In this case, that "someone" comes in the form of a joint effort between Sea Research Foundation and National Geographic and was founded by Dr. Robert Ballard (the guy who found Titantic, among other discoveries.) JASON seeks to education students by connecting them (virtually and physically) to researchers and scientists. The curriculums are designed for teachers to use in classrooms, or for parents to introduce at home. It's one of those sites that you have to see for yourself, especially if your kids enjoy science. You will find subjects such as tectonics, weather, storms, energy, ecology, and motion taught interactively via videos, digital labs, games, interviews with experts.
Registration is free, as are curriculum packages, provided you download them.
By the way...it took me six tries to put my coaster together without incident. Think you can do better? Let me know how you did!
