Practicing Chinese calligraphy
Simon uses this book for his Mandarin lessons.
Author: Geeks out of the Box
This is a blog about Simon, a young mathematician and programmer, and his little sister Neva. We write this blog together, share their projects and thoughts on their journey towards self-dicovery. They’re growing up in a supportive non-coercive learning environment. We deeply believe in interest-based, self-paced education and have had to move countries to make this possible as a family.
Visit Simon’s website at https://simontiger.com/
We are a family from Amsterdam who moved to Antwerp because homeschooling is illegal in The Netherlands.
This blog started as https://antwerpenhomeschooling.wordpress.com in March 2016. Over the years, most of our entries have gravitated towards exploring together with Simon as he has developed an insatiable passion for programming, math and science. His sister Neva is treading on his heals. We changed or name to Geeks of the Box in May 2021.
Building dinos and looking them up in the encyclopedia
Although Simon doesn’t have the Magformers Dinosaur Set, he does have all the pieces (he collects the set using the pieces from other sets). It’s great fun to be able … Continue reading Building dinos and looking them up in the encyclopedia
For the first time
During an extended family visit to the Hoge Veluwe natural reserve (where it rained the whole weekend so we barely ventured outside), Simon tried two things for the first time: … Continue reading For the first time
Bouncing Ball Chaotic System
Simon demonstrates chaotic systems using a bouncing ball that is being forced downward from some height.
Rational Approximations for Phi
“If I get the next two digits right, I’ll be ecstatic!” Simon says, as he hurries on with a φ (Phi) approximation algorithm using Fibonacci numbers. He keeps dividing every following … Continue reading Rational Approximations for Phi
The way to own your knowledge
Simon went further on his research about what exactly valence is, and what determines how many other atoms an atom can bond with. “What about Helium? My question is, how … Continue reading The way to own your knowledge
Valence and bonds
Simon has been down with a serious flu for the past three days and yet, the moment he started feeling just a little more alive he resumed his learning: following … Continue reading Valence and bonds
The Theory of Everything: Simon’s thoughts on bringing quantum mechanics and general relativity to a common denominator
“Quantum mechanics says that space and time are different things, general relativity says they are the same thing. Quantum mechanics says it’s a 3D changing universe and the future doesn’t … Continue reading The Theory of Everything: Simon’s thoughts on bringing quantum mechanics and general relativity to a common denominator
Physics Experiments: Hurricane on a Soap Bubble
Simon learned this trick from Physics Girl. Scientists actually perform similar experiments to mimic real hurricanes!
Physics Experiments: Hydrodynamic Levitation
A really fun phenomenon that Simon learned from the Veritasium channel, based upon the Coanda effect. Simon later went on to repeat this experiment several times, even in the cold … Continue reading Physics Experiments: Hydrodynamic Levitation
Physics Experiments: How to build a simple generator
Simon came up with the idea to make this simple electric generator a while ago, but we had bad luck with the ceramic magnets we ordered: they had chipped ends … Continue reading Physics Experiments: How to build a simple generator
Geeks out of the box 