There are several excellent shops in the area that have lots of science and engineering gifts. If you like kids, toys, art, science, engineering, math, puzzles, games, or anything fun, get over to Green Planet Kids at 22 Lincoln Street in Newton Highlands. This little store is jam-packed with the best toys, art activities, and STEM related kits. All the items are hand-picked by the owner, Annabelle Ship, and she knows every item she stocks. I’ve frequently seen someone ask about something, and Annabelle will give them the ins and outs of that particular toy or kit, and then introduce a couple of alternatives. Continue reading Local STEM Shopping in Newton: Green Planet Kids
All posts by Kevin Osborn
Local STEM Shopping in Newton: YouDoIt Electronics
One of the few places left in Boston that caters to electronics hobbyists is YouDoIt Electronics on the Newton/Needham border (right off Needham Street near the entrance to Rte 128). While it’s great for hardcore hobbyists, there’s also something for everyone there.
On the first floor, they have a ton of electronics parts, connectors, switches, cables. On the second floor, they have consumer electronics (TVs, disco equipment, surveillance gear). For the last couple of years, they have also started stocking a lot of cool Maker gear for do-it-yourself STEM projects. This local store is actually out-doing online vendors: You can shop from multiple vendors in one place. They stock Sparkfun, Adafruit, Raspberry Pi, and a bunch of things that I hadn’t heard of. Continue reading Local STEM Shopping in Newton: YouDoIt Electronics
MIT’s “Friday After Thanksgiving” STEM event, Nov. 29
MIT’s Sixteenth Annual Friday After Thanksgiving (F.A.T.) will be held November 29, 1PM-4PM at the Rockwell Cage Gymnasium at MIT. This is a STEM event like no other. You can either go to watch or register as a team to build your part of a giant, Rube-Goldberg-like Chain reaction. Each team gets a table on which to build a link in a chain reaction that goes around the gym. Each link is supposed to take from 30 seconds to 2 minutes — and eventually either pass a golf ball to the next link or pull a string.
The event is emceed by Arthur Ganson, artist in residence at MIT and Mechanical genius. At the MIT museum, there is a whole room of his sculptures, and it’s worth a trip just for that. Continue reading MIT’s “Friday After Thanksgiving” STEM event, Nov. 29
The Maker Movement: Learning by Making
The Maker Movement has a lot to offer in STEM education. Making things, even simple ones like a rubber band gun, or jewelry, is intrinsically interesting — and it teaches important things about how things work. Through making things, kids (and those helping them) acquire, almost by accident, a deep understanding of physics, engineering, math, and materials science. Making things complements subject-specific classes while it inspires, captivates, and teaches organization/executive function skills. Here’s an overview of some of the many Maker resources — both global and very local — to help kids (and those helping them) dive in and learn. Continue reading The Maker Movement: Learning by Making