Advanced Creative Math
Advanced Creative Math is exploring post-algebra math topics using problem solving and hands-on manipulatives (virtually)
to bring the spirit of creativity and discovery into math. We use James Tanton’s “Thinking Mathematics” series as our spine
and bring in puzzles and other books as needed (like the AoPS Number Theory book). Project leaders are two computer
scientists with a love for discrete and fun math, and this is a roundtable format, everyone works on the problems together and
learn from each other, not a lecture. Members should have Alg I/II and some Geometry, but even those members with more
math will not be bored, these are math topics not usually covered in high school.
Project meetings are virtual for now, and take place on Zoom using Explain Everything as a whiteboard so everyone can doodle while solving
problems and discussing them together. And finally, meeting day and times will be determined to fit every member’s schedule, but have generally
been weekday evenings or weekend daytimes, roughly twice a month.
Archery
The Archery project teaches the basics of Archery, how to safely shoot at a target, and retrieve your arrows. We meet
monthly at the Redwood Bowmen practice range in Redwood Park, south of the Chabot Observatory parking garage.
Covered are the following topics:
How to be safe: the rules of 4-H, and of the Redwood Bowmen range.
How to communicate with others: the basic instructions to use on the range.
How to prepare yourself for shooting.
The science, history, and techniques of archery.
There will be Archery videos to watch to learn more and provide additional background. Members can also do special projects, like doing a
presentation on Archery or preparing an exhibit for the fair. Members also write up entries for their Record books. Participants need to be 9
years of age by December 31st, 2022
The Book Was Better
This is a book club project for teens where we will be reading a selection of books that have been turned into movies. We
have an assortment of newer fiction and classics. Watching the corresponding movie isn’t required for the project, it’s just the theme we used to choose our books. Reading a good book is enjoyable, but experiencing it with friends is so much fun! We’ll have monthly in person meetings to discuss the books and all of our thoughts on them.
Community Service Project
This is an East Hills club-wide project, open to all ages and meets after the monthly Club Meeting (2nd Mondays). We will explore a wide variety of community topics like hunger, homelessness, senior citizens, environmental issues, veterans, and more. Each meeting will have activities and projects to do, and we’ll also schedule some field trips for community service that can’t be done during our meetings: Coastal Cleanup on September 17th, working at the Alameda Food Bank (for older members), and
anything else members would like to do.
Crafty Kids
An arts and crafts project for our younger members.
Environmental Stewardship: Plastics Pollution
This is our 15th year of the Plastics project in East Hills, and we are still focused on the problem of marine plastic pollution.
Our focus this year will be:
Beach Cleanups and Microplastic study: we’ll do individual coastal cleanups (cleaning up plastic debris at local shores in Oakland
and San Leandro) and continuing a “One Sq. Foot” study, where we do our own analysis on the soil on the beach/estuary to see how
much microplastic has infiltrated the soil. Please note that our first meeting will be International Coastal Cleanup on September
17th, location TBD.
We will also use our cleanups to participate in some citizen science projects, like Creek Freaks (help monitor local creeks) and
NOAA’s program to count marine debris. Project members will have a say in the projects we select.
After two cleanup meetings, we’ll then meet at the leaders’ house to sort and analyze the microplastics we’ve collected, using
microscopes, sieves, and balances, plus density testing and more.
We’ll continue experimenting with re-purposing plastic bags (like ironing them to make a fabric for sewing) – what else can we try?
And finally, the world of plastic “recycling” and “composting” is moving at a very fast pace these days, so we will learn about some
of these new technologies, the issues behind plastic “recycling”, and lots more, including greenwashing, microplastics, and marine
cleanup technologies.
Fiber Arts
Join us each month to do some handcraft work together. That could include (but is not limited to) crochet, knitting, cross stitch, embroidery, latch hook, weaving, plastic canvas, and felting. Project members are encouraged (but not required) to bring their own projects or project ideas. (Pinterest is an excellent place for finding ideas & inspiration) Beginners and experts welcome.
Foreign Language
This project teaches the basics of how to study and how to learn a foreign language. Students should select their desired language before the first meeting of the course.
We meet bi-weekly on Zoom at different times for each for each language. The first Zoom meeting is for all.
Covered are the following topics:
– Using old textbooks (cheap and/or free), videos, and web sources.
– Video recommendations.
– Note-taking and journaling.
Participants need to purchase some of the recommended sources on their own. All are welcome.
Go to Go
This is a club for all ages of kids to learn about the game of Go. I like this game because it is simple to learn but takes a long time to master, and it requires very strategic planning. We will play each other using an online site called OGS. I do not intend for this project to be competitive, I would simply like to teach other people about and appreciate the
game.
Hands On Astronomy
Come join us as we learn about the sun, moon, stars, planets, etc. through fun hands-on activities! One meeting will probably
be a field trip to the Chabot Space and Science Center.
Hiking
This project will meet once a month for a hike on local trails. All ages welcome, but we really will be hiking (rather than walking), so this project is not stroller friendly and is for participants who really want to move outside. We can all share our nature, outdoors, and seasonal knowledge while we hike.
Square Dancing
4-H members come join the fun! This is a county-wide project so you can meet members from other clubs. Boys and girls learn to square dance from basic beginner to Mainstream and Plus as well as some line dancing. There are also community service and project exhibit opportunities with this project. Square dancing outfits are not required, but be sure you wear tennis shoes, not slip-ons or sandals, and clothing you can move around in. In this project, you can have a lot of fun, meet new friends, and
get great exercise! Bring your friends (they don’t have to be 4-H members) and parents too!
Succulents and Plants for Wildlife
Succulents are an incredibly diverse family of plants that store water in their leaves which allow them to survive drought and harsh conditions, all of which makes them perfect plants for new gardeners. In addition, California has a huge variety of native plants that are also drought tolerant and provide food and habitat for birds, bees, and butterflies. In this project, we will learn about succulents and natives (and some very useful non-natives too!), how to grow them, how to propagate new plants from existing mother plants, and more. Members will be able to take home plants from the leader’s collection (for pots and home gardens), so save your pots to bring to meetings.