About MikeAllanHeim

Did You Know? “How Do Satellites Communicate?” is the latest 4-H at Home activity co-produced with HughesNet. Through an augmented reality experience, users can explore an animated satellite model to learn about its parts and how they work together to bring internet access to homes across the world. Visit 4-h.org/SatelliteAR or scan the QR code to begin exploring and share with others! (Best experienced on a smartphone or tablet.)     ... View more

As the fall foliage lights up the gray autumn sky, take advantage of the cooler weather and get outside to try photography as your next hobby! Whether you are an iPhone, Android, or professional camera user, consider exploring new places in your hometown to capture the perfect fall photo. Or maybe, you are looking to get an early start to family Christmas photos? So, if you are like the 46% of people who report they typically pursue their hobbies with family, according to a survey of HughesNet users, photography may be great hobby for you and your loved ones to enjoy together! Whatever your desire, photography is a relaxing and creative activity for everyone! To help you on your photography journey, here are a couple online resources to enhance your experience. Follow CNET’s guide to how to take the best landscape photos, found here! Or, tie together photography and painting by uploading your photos to a computer, printing them out, and painting over the photo to create a unique piece of artwork or even a Christmas gift for a loved one. Follow some tips on how to make your photograph a unique piece on Improve Photography! Be sure to share you your landscape photos in the comments below! ... View more

Autumn is upon us, bringing a crispness in the air, a colorful change in foliage, and a collection of outdoor activities to do as a family. For many, it also marks the last few warm days to get out and enjoy the weather before the pre-winter chills and frost appear. But a cool fall breeze whistling through the leaves of a tree doesn’t need to mark the end of family fun. In fact, it is an opportunity to crack out the kites with the kids to take advantage of the strong winds. If your family doesn’t have kite, fear not. HughesNet and 4-H have teamed up to introduce Crazy Kites, a STEM education resource and activity teaches your kids how lift and air pressure work together to make things fly, with just a few household items! Using items found around the house, you can easily create a kite with your kids. All you need is: · 8.5” X 11” sheet of paper (1 sheet per child) · Tape · Scissors · Plastic straws · Sewing thread or string · Breezy day or a fan Your kids can take creative liberty and design their kites however they’d like! Create a kite shaped like a leaf, Jack-O-Lantern, ghost, or any other fall item! This activity allows your child to further expand their knowledge by testing their kite creations and making improvements to help their kites successfully soar in the sky. Adjust the length of the tail or the length of the bridle, or the overall size of the kite, it’s up to your children to determine what works best for their creation. The full activity can be found here. Be sure to share your child’s creations or improvements made to their kites in the comments below! ... View more

With Labor Day behind us and kids back to school, it can be hard to get back into learning mode, particularly after many long summer days. To help with this summer education slide, HughesNet and 4-H offer kids a series of exciting STEM activities they can do from home. For example, kids can explore electrical currents and their power with the HughesNet and 4-H “Science Bug” STEM Activity, which focuses on pairing electricity and biology into one fun activity to create their very own light-up Science Bug necklace. To try this activity with your kids and family, all you’ll need is: • 3 LED lights • 1 watch battery • String • Printer paper • Electrical tape • Colored markers • Scissors Visit this link for a step-by-step guide that your kids can follow to build their own light-up bug. Kids can personalize their bug however they’d like, using markers, stick on gems, string, stickers, and other objects around the house. Let their creativity run wild. Whether they are making a ladybug, a bumblebee, or their very own imaginary bug, “Science Bug” is sure to engage and teach kids about the power of electrical currents. Be sure to share your kids’ creations in the comments! ... View more

Looking for a new hobby that is sure to bring out your creative side? Then jewelry making may just be the activity for you! Demi D. from Texas shared with us how her HughesNet connection helps let her creativity fly as she uses semi-precious stones, beads, and more to create unique jewelry pieces for her friends and family. Demi notes the best part about making jewelry is that there are no rules! She says, “You can be infinitely creative in your designs, using whatever semi-precious stones, beads, and findings of all different shapes and colors in a multitude of combinations that result in a beautiful piece of jewelry.” Whether it’s making a friendship bracelet, a gift for a loved one, or a jewelry piece for a costume for the upcoming Halloween holiday, this hobby is sure to be a relaxing activity that you can do in groups or on your own. Demi added that with her HughesNet connection, she is able to support her jewelry-making business, mentioning how she uses her HughesNet connection to make her company, Essential Accessories, known to as many people as possible! Tell us what hobbies you explore with HughesNet. Share in the comments below! ... View more

As summer slowly fades into fall, make the most of the warmer weather with this family-friendly STEM activity created by 4-H’s 2020 Youth in Action winner, Joseph Huff. A perfect pairing of indoor and outdoor elements, this activity teaches kids how to build a self-propelling boat while learning about water resistance, thrust, and the transfer of energy along the way.   Step 1: Eat a bunch of popsicles with your kids, but don’t discard the sticks—you’ll need those! Step 2: Repurpose all those popsicle sticks and grab rubber bands, scissors, and sandpaper to construct your very own paddle boat, decorating it to match your own unique style. Step 3: Set up a friendly boat race between your family or friends of your child.   Whether your kids deploy their boat in a tub, a pool or a local creek, they will have a blast racing them to see how fast and far it will float.   The full activity directions, brought to you by HughesNet, can be found here. Be sure to share your creations in the comments below! ... View more

Sadly, summer is coming to an end as colder weather will be approaching before we know it. However, camping is a great activity that can easily transition into both a summer and fall hobby for the whole family! In fact, a past survey of HughesNet users found 45% of respondents said camping, fishing, and hiking were among their favorite hobbies.   Camping is an activity many across the United States enjoy, from exploring the beauty of nature to spending cherished time with loved ones. Perhaps, camping could be your last vacation of the season. If you are worried about disconnecting, the good news is most campgrounds and national and state parks today include public Wi-Fi, which will allow you to stay connected and share photos with those unable to join you. In fact, Hughes and its partners deliver reliable, high-speed connectivity to numerous sites across the country, including Yellowstone National Park and Mount Rushmore. Apps like AllStays Camp & RV and Camp Finder can help you locate campgrounds and RV parks with public Wi-Fi access.   If road trips are your thing, be sure to check out Roadside America, which is a fun website and app that helps travelers find offbeat tourist attractions across the country. For hikers, apps like AllTrails can help you decide which trail is best based on length and difficulty. Thanks to the power of HughesNet, you can look up new areas and recommendations where you can continue camping or exploring the great outdoors. We challenge you to give camping a try and share where you go in the comments below! If camping isn’t in the cards for this season, let us know where you would visit, if you could. Comment below about your ideal outdoor adventure, whether it’s camping deep in the woods, fishing on a lake, or exploring new hiking trails. We look forward to hearing about all your favorite activities and destinations! ... View more

Labor Day Weekend is just around the corner and with the holiday fast approaching, we want you prepared with a simple and sweet recipe to bring to your family BBQ! Kimberly G. from Arkansas curated her passion for cooking from her “Mamaw,” and channels the love into the food she makes for her family. Kimberly shared how some of her favorite memories center around baking with her daughters, noting that she uses HughesNet “to support my love of baking and cooking by searching new recipes on the internet, apps on my phone or asking for new ones on my social media page.” She loves to share her love with cooking with her family and friends, swapping ideas, and recipes—and we hope this post inspires you to do the same. Maybe you are already an avid cook or are looking to pick up a new hobby as the winter months approach. Whatever your motivation – see below for Kimberly’s fruit pizza that is sure to make a statement at your Labor Day BBQ: “Kimberly G.’s Fruit Pizza” INGREDIENTS: • Fruit of your choice • 1-2 packs of pre-made sugar cookie dough • 1-2 vanilla pudding cups DIRECTIONS: Open sugar cookie package and spread dough across the baking sheet. Bake according to instructions. Let it cool. Spread pudding on top. Top with your favorite fruits. Enjoy! Make it patriotic for Labor Day buy using blue berries, strawberries, and vanilla pudding for some red, white, and blue! Have a recipe you would love to share? Comment below your favorite thing to make for family picnics! HughesNet has connected people for decades, allowing them to do the things they love. In the coming months, we will highlight a series of hobbies and helpful resources—some of which come from our very own HughesNet customers! ... View more

    There’s nothing like a 4th of July night sky filled with beautiful, colorful chemical reactions. Yes, we’re talking fireworks—one of summer’s great highlights, no matter your age. That’s why HughesNet and 4-H teamed up to create the “Fizzy Foam Fun” STEM Lab activity, a family-friendly, quiet, and safe experiment reminiscent of fireworks using simple household products. Fizzy Foam Fun shows you how chemical reactions work, creating a foaming fountain of bubbles by adding yeast to hydrogen peroxide. Plus, you can add a splash of food dye to create a variety of colors, just like a 4th of July firework show. Be sure to share your foam creations below.   To learn more about Fizzy Foam Fun and the many other STEM activities HughesNet has created through its eight-year long partnership with 4-H, visit the HughesNet-sponsored 4-H STEM Lab, a free platform of interactive STEM-focused activities for young people, available to anyone with Internet access. We hope you and your family enjoy exploring the experiences within the site this summer! ... View more

Solar smores         Want a fun and educational summer activity for your children of all ages? We have the perfect one, brought to you by HughesNet and 4-H, America’s largest youth development organization. Click here to learn how to (safely) cook a delicious summer s’more using only the sun’s energy and a cardboard box. Be sure to share your s’more creations in the replies below!   Recognizing the critical role STEM plays in driving innovation, HughesNet aims to inspire and educate the next generation of STEM students and leaders. Over the last eight years, HughesNet has supported numerous 4-H STEM events, scholarships, and contests. This includes working with 4-H to conceptualize, help develop, and sponsor 4-H STEM Lab, a free platform of interactive STEM-focused activities for young people, available to anyone with Internet access. Making Solar Oven S’mores is just one of the many activities available through this online educational resource. We hope you check it out, and we’ll be sharing more activities with you throughout the year.    4-H STEM Lab --Mike ... View more