Alright, myth lovers, have you ever wondered about the thyrsus of Dionysus? His staff, or wand, was always my favorite of the Olympian gods. Ever since I've taught Myth Makers, the mythology class I've developed around maker culture, students have asked me about the thyrsus. "Why does it have a pinecone on top of it? Why do the Maenads (the followers of Dionysus) also carry it?" If you want to know the answers to these questions and more, you should read this article. It explains that the pinecone is really an artichoke. As interesting as this is, that's not what this blog post is about, but I couldn't help but mention it! It's too nerdy not to.
These scepters also represent the gods in a visual way. As the students begin to learn about the Olympians, these symbols help them remember the gods more easily.
I use this concept to spark a maker challenge: the make-your-own scepter challenge! Students begin by learning some basic paper folding techniques. Learning to fold paper skillfully can be tricky for some students so trust me: start simple.
I leveled up my myth-making game when I discovered Engineering with Paper. Godwyn Morris founded this small after-school maker lab in New York City for kids to learn making (you can watch a short video about the concept here.) I highly recommend their free projects like catapults and city blocks, but if you want to learn about easy folding techniques, purchase the "Design Your Own Creatures" packet. Once kids learn to fold basic shapes such as tubes, rectangular prisms, flaps, etc., they can adapt them as they design their own scepters. As I teach each structure, I add it to a display board so students have a visual reminder of what they learned.
This project literally uses three things: paper, tape, and scissors. All three are cheap and easily accessible, but make sure that all students have their own scissors and their own tape. I highly recommend Lichamp masking tape for this project. You'll also need to teach them to tear tape with their fingers (not kidding with this one. I think years of typing on screens has moved our kids away from using their hands for cutting, tearing tape, and other small tasks for which fine motor skills are needed.) Another good trick to teach is pre-tearing at least 5-6 pieces and attaching those to a desk before they start folding and building.
Once they've learned to build, they start dreaming by creating and labeling a sketch. Years ago, when I learned to teach STEM, my mentor taught me that sketching ideas and labeling them should always be the first step. Once my students understood that they weren't being graded on their drawing skills and that sketching was just a way to put their ideas into a 3-D format, they loved starting projects with this simple first step.
After sketching, the students picked out colored paper to bring their ideas to life. And oh, what ideas they were! One student based her scepter on the power to heal cats. Another built one that could retract like a fishing pole because he loves to fish. These projects actually helped me to get to know my students early in the semester - what they cared about, what they were interested in, etc. The daily work also allowed me to see who might need help, who was self-sufficient, who was bold, and who was shy.
Honestly, some were not so great, and these students struggled to bring their ideas to life. Others didn't want to finish because they were having too much fun creating. That's just the nature of a STEM challenge - the struggle is part of the process.
Once they've learned to build, they start dreaming by creating and labeling a sketch. Years ago, when I learned to teach STEM, my mentor taught me that sketching ideas and labeling them should always be the first step. Once my students understood that they weren't being graded on their drawing skills and that sketching was just a way to put their ideas into a 3-D format, they loved starting projects with this simple first step.
After sketching, the students picked out colored paper to bring their ideas to life. And oh, what ideas they were! One student based her scepter on the power to heal cats. Another built one that could retract like a fishing pole because he loves to fish. These projects actually helped me to get to know my students early in the semester - what they cared about, what they were interested in, etc. The daily work also allowed me to see who might need help, who was self-sufficient, who was bold, and who was shy.
Honestly, some were not so great, and these students struggled to bring their ideas to life. Others didn't want to finish because they were having too much fun creating. That's just the nature of a STEM challenge - the struggle is part of the process.
After we were done, I took glamor shots of the students in front of "Mt. Olympus." I wish you could see their faces!! The looks of pride and creativity - this is why I teach!
In case you're interested in bringing this project to your own classroom, here's a presentation that lays out the concept. And if you're interested in my Myth Makers class, see this video of a presentation I did a couple of years ago. Questions welcome!
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