The Site of Rik Panganiban
The Raccoon Circle is a collection of games and ice-breakers all centered around a circle of rope or tubing used by a group (typically youth). There are hundreds and hundreds of Raccoon Circle activities that have been created and shared virally for years. You can find several online listings of activities (Jim Cain’s being the most …
So much to love about this promotional video by NASA: the diversity of people, the acknowledgement of all the pioneers who came before, and a powerful vision of space exploration as a noble cause. So well done.
The New York Times recently ran a series of articles on how parents are increasingly worried about the amount of time their children are spending on their digital devices. The click-baity headlines include: “The Digital Gap Between Rich and Poor Kids Is Not What We Expected“, “A Dark Consensus About Screens and Kids Begins to …
Despite having lived in San Francisco for seven years and working in a tech field, I’ve never actually participated in a hackathon. Since I’m not a developer or a designer, it just never felt like something that I would have much to contribute to. That changed this weekend. For the past couple of months, I’ve …
In these difficult times for anyone who cares about science, the state of our educational system, fact-based inquiry, and the values of diversity, ‘Science Fair’ could not come sooner. A National Geographic documentary, ‘Science Fair’ follows seven teams of dedicated young scientists from around the world, all vying for a spot at the International Science …
Thoughout most of my career, I’ve had the enormous benefit of having my jobs custom-made for me, based on my skills, interests and background. That was true at the Cal Academy, Global Kids, TechSoup, even at my first real job at the World Federalist Movement so many years ago. I’m so fortunate to have had …
Art doesn’t spring from nothing. It emerges from something that already exists in the world. As Michelangelo famously said: “The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.” A major barrier to creating art is how to …
I never understood why in the 1990s there seemed to be shelves full of educational games at my local computer store, and then suddenly they were all gone. According to The Outline, that was the work of one man, Kevin O’Leary, a businessman trying to break his way into the lucrative educational software industry. In …
It’s been awhile since I’ve had a work-related dream. But a couple of nights ago I dreamed that I was leading a group of young people in some sort of after school program that was going very badly. The youth were supposed to learn some poem or chant in an African-sounding language. I think they …
On September 27, 2008, the California Academy of Sciences officially opened their new space to the public – a dramatic, modern, environmentally-friendly science learning facility designed by world-renowned architect Renzo Piano. Ten years later, 15 million visitors have experienced powerful exhibits, eye-popping planetarium shows, awe-inspiring animals in the aquarium, and incredible views from the living …