Category Archives: Resources

MIT Museum: Hands-On Science for Families, at Home

Opportunities, Resources

The MIT Museum is offering a series of Hands-On Science for Families programs to be done at home by families (ages 11+). Each program runs for three consecutive weeks and includes three one-hour virtual sessions with an MIT Museum Educator, all the supplies needed for projects and challenge activities, and online access for discussion and questions while working on projects between sessions. There’s a maximum of 8 families per program. The Imaging Science program just completed, and these two remain open:

  • (Circuit) Board Game Design:  Designing a game, programming a microcontroller, and testing it with other families.  February 3-23 with live sessions 7PM-8PM on February 3, 10, and 17. Register by January 25. $70 per family.
  • Crashing and Folding — Lunar Lander Challenge: Build a prototype lunar lander with origami, paper circuits, and mechanical engineering.  March 31 – Apr. 20 with live sessions 7PM-8PM on March 31, April 7, and 14. Register by March 22. $70 per family.

In addition, the museum recommends online resources for STEAM Activities at Home, drawing on the museum, the MIT Media Lab, and the Cambridge Science Festival.

Newton Parks & Rec: New, Permanent Orienteering Courses!

Resources

The City of Newton has recently installed permanent courses for orienteering, a sport of navigation that individuals and families can enjoy at their own pace, walking or running as they move from point to point in the woods with map and compass. Newton Parks & Recreation Program Manager, Channon Ames, has been working with a local Eagle Scout as well as with an experienced orienteering mapper to create maps for multiple orienteering courses in each of five Newton parks. The City’s Orienteering webpage has links to the maps for the first courses, which are in Auburndale Park. You can print them out and get navigating anytime during daylight hours. The webpage also has links to resources for learning more about this sport of “thinking+running” as well as links to local orienteering clubs that hold public events throughout the Greater Boston area in the spring and fall. You can also take the new Parks & Recreation courses, Introduction to Orienteering for families or individuals and Orienteering Programs for Youth. Next April, Parks & Recreation will install additional permanent courses — with increasing levels of challenge — in Cold Spring Park, Kennard Park, Nahanton Park, and Edmands Park.

“e” inc. Science Emporium Store Goes Online and Curbside

Resources

“e” inc.’s Science Emporium store of STEM projects, books, and games for kids (and some adults) will launch online with curbside pickup available starting on November 9. From the launch through November 20, the store will offer a 20% discount on all current inventory of books and a 15% discount on all other current inventory. “e” inc. and its store are located in Suite 1030 at 114 16th Street in Charlestown.

Christa McAuliffe Center Offers Virtual Programs for Schools and Other Groups

Resources, Virtual/Online

The Christa McAuliffe Center at Framingham State University offers virtual STEM programs for schools, after-school programs, home-school groups, learning pods, community organizations, and families. See these pages for links to forms for indicating your interest.

Mission Simulations:  Fully interactive, 45-minute programs.

  • Grades 3-5:  Aquatic Investigators, Dirt Decoders, Nature Rangers
  • Grades 5-8:  EUROPA Encounter, Destination MOON

Live Online Astronomy Programs: Several series of interactive programs.

  • Grades 1-5:  Solar System Explorers
  • Grades 6-8:  The Life and Death of Stars, DIY Universe
  • Grades 9-12:  Your Place in the Universe

LigerBots Teach from Experience: Making Distance Learning Work

Accomplishments, Great ideas, Resources

Newton’s high-school robotics team, the LigerBots, have done an amazing job in creating and implementing their free, online mentoring programs for elementary students during pandemic quarantines:  the Awesome Mentorship Program during the school year and Camp AMP during the summer. Now students on the team are sharing the expertise they have gained in a white paper, Distance Education Using Zoom, focusing on:

  • Adapting to a virtual learning environment
  • Providing education and entertainment for students
  • Building an engaged online community

The white paper will show you how, according to the Boston Globe, this team has “cracked the code for making virtual learning fun.” Congratulations and thanks, LigerBots!

FIRST LEGO League Parent Info Night, Hosted by LigerBots, Aug. 24

Opportunities, Resources

FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is an annual robotics competition in which students in Grades 4-8 form teams of 2-10 to program and build a LEGO robot while solving related engineering challenges in a friendly, cooperative atmosphere. Newton’s high-school robotics team, the LigerBots, has supported local FLL for several years by mentoring local teams, by hosting two major FLL regional competitive events each fall, and by hosting an annual introductory info session for interested parents. Learn more about FLL, find out if your kids are interested, and consider coaching a team. An engineering background is not required for coaching!

This year’s FLL info session will be online on Monday, August 24 at 8PM. If you would like to attend — or cannot attend but are interested — please fill out this form. For more background, you can view this short video and read about FIRST’s mission statement, this year’s FLL challenge and season info, the FLL season calendar, FIRST’s response to COVID-19, and FIRST’s guide for remote events. You can also email matthew_honig@ligerbots.org for more information.

HS Students Create MadLabz iOS App for STEM Engagement

Accomplishments, Resources

Local high-school students Jennifer Wang, Anya Lefkowitz, Sarah Knotts, and Sherry Xu have created MadLabz, a free, iOS-based app designed to engage students in at-home STEM exploration. It’s based on the #SCFGatHome collection of resources and activities compiled by Science Club for Girls, where Jennifer and Sarah have been Junior Mentors. The team originally created this app for the 2020 Technovation Challenge and decided to publish it to help students and families during the COVID shutdown. Here’s the video they created to present MadLabz in the Technovation Challenge.