First-year students explore the primitive world of prehistoric life while they create mock fossils and simulate an archaeological dig to learn how such clues help us understand the past. The young anthropologists then use the information they’ve gathered about early people to create primitive clay pots, ceremonial tribal masks, and clay dioramas.
The dioramas become the foundation for set designs, which come alive when the anthropologists turn into movie producers to create their own claymation video productions using digital technology on the computer. Claymation and animation illustrate how their senses can be fooled, thus kicking off a quest to unlock the mysteries of illusion.
The mysterious world of biology unfolds as students investigate the human body. They take a hands-on look at fingerprint science, work on bone and muscle experiments, dissect a chicken leg, and build their own paper skeletal model.
Children test concepts of perspective, positive and negative space, and camouflage as they explore the dazzling work of M.C. Escher and other illusionists. They also experiment with geometric space design using graphic computer programs for academic enrichment.
