The Philosophers Club
For kids who need more
We do some pretty deep science learning… but some kids need even more.
So we created our Philosophers Club — extra lessons & activities for kids taking the current topic who do the Deep Dives and take the Scary Test.
It meets in the “off weeks” — the week after each five-week topic.
How do you get in?
It’s super-expensive totally free! If you’re taking our current topic, all your kid has to do is…
do each of the Deep Dives (parts 1, 2, 3, and 4) and
take the Scary Test
The Deep Dives are sent out after each lesson. The Scary Test is sent out the Friday after the fifth lesson.
At the end of the Scary Test, you’ll get the one link for the whole week’s festivities.
Secret lessons
Some of the coolest stuff has to get cut. In our Secret Lessons, we explore a riddle that almost made it into the usual line-up.
These meet for about 60 minutes at some (but not all) of the normal class times. They’re always done in our cameras-on seminar style — but are (of course) open to webinar students, too. (Recordings will be available for students who need ‘em.)
Students also get a chance to shape the next month’s lesson by asking questions about the coming topic.
Secret Lesson for “Light is Weird”
If you get into the Philosophers Club, you can choose any of these times
Monday October 14
12pm Eastern / 9am Pacific
Monday October 14
7pm Eastern / 4pm Pacific
Tuesday October 15
8pm Eastern / 5pm Pacific
Wednesday October 16
4pm Eastern / 1pm Pacific
Secret Lesson for “Fire is Weird”
Monday November 25
12pm Eastern / 9am Pacific
Monday November 25
7pm Eastern / 4pm Pacific
Tuesday November 26
8pm Eastern / 5pm Pacific
Wednesday November 27
4pm Eastern / 1pm Pacific
Secret Lesson for “Eyes are Weird”
Monday January 20
12pm Eastern / 9am Pacific
Monday January 20
7pm Eastern / 4pm Pacific
Tuesday January 21
8pm Eastern / 5pm Pacific
Wednesday January 22
4pm Eastern / 1pm Pacific
Secret Lesson for “Volcanos are Weird”
Monday March 3
12pm Eastern / 9am Pacific
Monday March 3
7pm Eastern / 4pm Pacific
Tuesday March 4
8pm Eastern / 5pm Pacific
Wednesday March 5
4pm Eastern / 1pm Pacific
Secret Lesson for “Apples are Weird”
Monday April 14
12pm Eastern / 9am Pacific
Monday April 14
7pm Eastern / 4pm Pacific
Tuesday April 15
8pm Eastern / 5pm Pacific
Wednesday April 16
4pm Eastern / 1pm Pacific
Secret Lesson for “Cats are Weird”
Monday May 26
12pm Eastern / 9am Pacific
Monday May 26
7pm Eastern / 4pm Pacific
Tuesday May 27
8pm Eastern / 5pm Pacific
Wednesday May 28
4pm Eastern / 1pm Pacific
MarioKart
We’re all about respect, but sometimes you just need to throw a red shell at your teacher. (WARNING: HE MAY THROW ONE BACK.) It’s also a chance for us to relax and have fun.
To participate, students need to…
be in the Philosophers Club
own a Nintendo Switch
own a copy of MarioKart
have a subscription to Nintendo Online
We do one MarioKart event in each Philosophers Club week. (The Zoom link will be the same link as the “secret lesson”.)
MarioKart for “Light is Weird”
Wednesday October 16
6pm Eastern / 3pm Pacific
MarioKart for “Fire is Weird”
Wednesday November 27
6pm Eastern / 3pm Pacific
MarioKart for “Eyes are Weird”
Wednesday January 23
6pm Eastern / 3pm Pacific
MarioKart for “Volcanos are Weird”
Wednesday March 5
6pm Eastern / 3pm Pacific
MarioKart for “Apples are Weird”
Wednesday April 16
6pm Eastern / 3pm Pacific
MarioKart for “Cats are Weird”
Wednesday May 28
6pm Eastern / 3pm Pacific
Kahoot quiz
Some kids hate competition. Others crave it. For the second group, we make Kahoot quizzes.
Kahoot quizzes are also live competitions of trivia from the Deep Dives’ YouTube videos. Two students (Blue Panda & Yellow Jaguar) lead the group in a fast-paced, information-rich quiz.
The exact dates & times for the Kahoot quizzes will be forthcoming!
But why “philosophers”?
Aren’t these science classes?
A fun fact: Newton never called himself a “scientist”. Neither did Galileo. Even Darwin didn’t — they all called themselves “natural philosophers”.
Why?
Philosophy is the quest to understand how everything connects with everything. (All the academic disciplines were born inside philosophy, which is why we call the highest college degree a “Ph.D.” — short for philosophiae doctor.)
The word “scientist” was only invented in the 1800s, when scientists specialized and began splitting off from the rest of thinking.
Specialization has its advantages, and the splitting has continued. But there are downsides, too — it’s common to hear scientists complain that they have little understanding of what’s going on inside their own disciplines. (Not only might a biologist not understand what a physicist is doing, but a molecular biologist might struggle to understand what an environmental biologist is up to.)
This splitting helps scientists amass details, but it blocks deep understanding. Specialization might be good for academics, but it’s bad for kids.
At Science is WEIRD, our secret mission is to help nurture a generation of big-picture thinkers — writers, experimenters, artists, entrepreneurs, teachers — who can use the biggest scientific discoveries to tackle the problems of the late 21st century.
“Splitting” gets in the way of that. We’re following the lead of E.O. Wilson’s Consilience to tie the sciences together and let them shine on the rest of human experience.
And the word we use for that is “Philosopher”.
Philosophers Club FAQ
Q: Can I do these if I’m doing the recordings of Year 1?
The MarioKart and Kahoot quizzes are live events. We record the Secret Sixth Lesson, and you’ll be able to watch them if you’ve done all the bonus stuff listed above!
Q: I’m in Year 1, and my kid has done that work, but I’m struggling to find the Secret Sixth recording.
We had a tech snafu on that one, and are working to fix it. If you ping us, we’ll be able to send you what we’ve got right now.
Q: How do you know if students have really done the work?
We carefully built an accurate, unhackable system just take your word for it!
Q: Do we have to get all five recommended books?
We know this is easy for some (and nigh-impossible for others), so to get into the Philosophers Club, you just have to try to get each book (or one of the others recommended).
Q: Do my kids have to read all five books?
Nope! They have to spend at least five minutes skimming each book. (Skimming: an undervalued skill.) If they get hooked, they can read more.