The Newton Free Library will host a free STEM course, STEM for Everyone (especially ages 6 to 8). Students will participate in science experiments and fun math games. Registration is required — once for all eight sessions in the series (4:30-5:30PM on January 8, 22 & 29, February 3 & 26, March 11, 18 & 25). For more information, call the Newton Public Library at 617-796-1360.
Category Archives: After School
Empow Studios: Free Drop-in Sessions
Empow Studios will offer free drop-in sessions at its Newton and Lexington locations to invite kids and their parents to get a sense of Empow’s STEM clubs and classes. Register with these links:
- December 22: Video Game Design Club, 11AM-12:30PM (Newton)
- January 11: Teaser Workshop, 3:30PM-5:30PM (Newton) Choose from 3D- Modeling, Robotics, Minecraft or Coding
- January 25: Girls STEAM Club, 1PM-2:30PM (Lexington)
- February 29: Digital Arts & Design Club, 9:30AM-11AM (Newton)
- March 22: Coding Club (Scratch to Java), 11:30AM-1PM (Lexington)
New Series at Innovation Institute: Living in the Lab, Grades 2-12
The Innovation Institute (TI2) in Newtonville has created a new series of laboratory sessions, Living in the Lab, for students in Grades 2-12 to learn about what different types of scientists and engineers actually do. Grade-specific sessions emphasize protocol and techniques to give students in each age group age-appropriate hands-on experience of life in a laboratory. Younger students start with the most basic questions: What is a scientist? or What is an engineer? Instruction is by research scientists and engineers who serve also as role models. The objective is to demystify these career paths for students who do not have informal exposure to them and inspire all students to explore becoming scientists or engineers.
Over four to six weeks, students spend most of their time in one of TI2 four laboratories focused on one of several fields: microscopy, chemistry, anatomy, molecular biology, genetic engineering, mechanical and electrical engineering. Each of these lab fields has its own grade levels and schedule; see summary course descriptions and schedule and enrollment links for each. Enroll by December 31.
Empow Studios: Winter Schedule of Clubs and Classes
Empow Studios has released its schedule of clubs and classes for its winter season, for both weekends and after-school during the week, in its Newton and Lexington locations. You can sign up individually for any session of any of the clubs, or sign up for regularly scheduled classes.
Coding Butterfly’s Free Micro:Bit Coding Workshops, Saturdays
Coding Butterfly (132 Charles Street) will host free workshops on Saturdays (November 23, December 7 and December 14), 11:45AM-12:45PM, for students ages 8-12 to learn how to tinker with Micro:Bit computers, which can be programmed using coding blocks to program sensors, lights, and make simple games. The content will be the same each week, so register for one.
Empow Labs to Host Open Houses, Nov. 20 & Dec. 7
Empow Studios will host free open houses for the new Empow Labs XR Digital Makerspace (180 Needham Street) for ages 15+, including students, educators, and professionals in the field. Sign up for one of four half-hour time slots on either November 20 (4:30-6:30PM) or December 7 (10AM-Noon). There will be free AR/VR activities using a variety of equipment.
Grand Opening of Empow Labs, Oct. 30, Showcasing New Workshops
Empow Studios will hold a grand opening for Empow Labs — its new collaborative, digital makerspace for teens and adults — on October 30, 3PM-5PM, in its Newton location (180 Needham Street). Topics include in the areas of virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies, 3D design and modeling, motion capture, graphic design and digital art, robotics, and Internet of Things. Register by November 7 with coupon code LABFRIENDS for a 10% discount. Courses include:
- Intro to AR/VR Design with CoSpaces
- Digital Painting with Photoshop
- Introduction to Worldbuilding through Photogrammetry
- Image Editing in Photoshop
- Intro to 3D Modeling and Sculpting: Characters & Creatures (12/4 & 12/11)
- Digital Painting with Photoshop
- Intro to AR / VR Design with CoSpaces
- Image Editing in Photoshop
- 2D Animation Fundamentals
- Intro to 3D Modeling and Sculpting: Characters & Creatures (1/8 & 1/15)
- Intro to AR / VR Design with CoSpaces
- 3D Animation Fundamentals – Wacky Walks
Boys & Girls Club: Open House to Showcase STEM, Oct. 22
Newton’s John M. Barry Boys & Girls Club has programs for kids of all ages, and you can learn about them at the Club’s Open House on Tuesday, October 22, 5PM-7PM. Take a tour and learn about STEM programs and activities like 3D printing, Russian School of Math, Lego Robotics, Coding and more. You can register at the open house or online.
CS Recitations: Preparation for Math Competitions
At CSRecititations in Natick (new address: 45 Michigan Drive) is offering these new programs for preparing for upcoming math competitions:
- Math Kangaroo International Math Competition, Grades 1-12. Register by December 15 for the competition on March 19, 2020. Practice in one-day Math Kangaroo workshops on February 22.
- Math Competition Preparation for the Continental Mathematics League Math, Continental Mathematics League Computer Science, and Math Kangaroo competitions.
Empow Studios One-Day Nanocamps When Schools are Closed
On days when students are not in school, either for breaks or teachers’ professional development programs, Empow Studios offers one-day Nanocamps to enable kids to create a project from start to finish in one day. They might be working on video-game development, animated films, or interactive robots. Separately, Empow Studios is still open for registrations for its Fall classes and clubs.