We've reached the mid-point of the pilot year of The (K)indred Experiment, and the end of 2016. At the risk of getting caught up in all the end of the year list-making and Auld Lang Syne-ing, this seemed like a good point to stop and take stock of the program and the progress the students … Continue reading Fill the Void: Mid-Point Debrief

Macaroni fantasy maps are the greatest thing. I'm not much of an artist, and using the dry macaroni to create the land mass outlines of a fantasy world made it so easy. The students liked it too, and they were amazingly agreeable about keeping the macaroni on the paper and not getting it all over … Continue reading Toxic Lava & Radioactive Cookies: Lesson Two Debrief

Sixth graders are an excellent age for Science Fiction. I might even go so far as to say the perfect age. My group for the first lesson contained four boys and two girls, which was a nice mix of enthusiasm and maturity, since the girls at that age are much better at following instructions. I … Continue reading So Much Imagination: Lesson One Debrief

All hoops have been jumped through, permission slips distributed, and schedules ironed out. The (K)indred Experiment is all set to have its first ever meeting on October 14th. This is fantastic, and I'm stoked, if a little nervous, but due to school schedules and my schedule only allowing me to easily skip work on Fridays, … Continue reading Only the Essential

I've been reading a lot of articles about SF lately, as I've been planning the introductory lesson for The (K)indred Experiment. My big question is two fold: what is Science Fiction, and then, how do I explain an entire genre to a group of kids who may or may not have been exposed to it, … Continue reading What Is Science Fiction?

The (K)indred Experiment has been a long time coming. It formed both slowly, over time, and in a short, explosive burst. This sounds counter-intuitive, but it's accurate. I've always been a writer and a giver of books. I take enormous pleasure in introducing others to a story that I love, or that I think they'll … Continue reading The (K)indred Experiment: Genesis