CSRecitations: New Courses, Free Coding Workshops

Events, Opportunities

CSRecititations in Natick (4 Mechanic Street, Suite 102) is now enrolling students for its after-school programming classes for Grades 3-12. Their small classes draw students from a wide area. As part of Massachusetts STEM Week, CSRecitations will hold two free coding workshops for Grades 3-5 on October 22:  4:15-5:30PM and 6:00-7:15PM. Register for the workshops by emailing info@CSRecitations.com. Space is limited. For more information, call 781-349-7370.

September – June:

  • Elementary Computing (Grades 3-4)
  • Introduction to Computing (Grades 4-5)
  • Introduction to Computing (Grades 4-6)
  • Computing Concepts (Grades 5-8)
  • Introduction to Computer Science Using JavaScript (Grades 8-12)
  • Computer Science Using Python (Grades 8-12)
  • AP Computer Science with Java (Grades 9-12)

September – December:

  • Recitation for MIT’s Computer Science and Programming Using Python (Grades 10-12 )

October – December:

  • Arduino Basics (Grades 5-7)
  • Physical Computing (using the Arduino Single-Board Computer) (Grades 8-12)

Mishkan Tefila: STEAM-based Jewish Family Education Programs

Events

Congregation Mishkan Tefila offers STEAM-based Jewish family education programs throughout the school year, funded by a grant from Sinai and Synapses to make connections between STEAM and religion, specifically Judaism.  Register here for these upcoming programs following family services (at 384 Harvard Street in Brookline):

  • On Rosh Hashanah, September 10, 11AM, a beekeeper and his bees (behind glass!) will talk about how bees make honey and their importance to the environment. Kids will make candles out of beeswax.
  • On Yom Kippur, September 19, 10AM, the New England Aquarium will provide interactive sessions on whales.

For more information, contact Mishkan Tefila at info@mishkantefila.org or 617.332.7770.

Empow Studios: Fall Schedule and One-Day NanoCamps for School Days Off

Vacation Programs

Empow Studios in Lexington and Newton will offer single-day NanoCamps on the following days that public schools will not be in session:  September 10 & 19, October 8, November 6 (Lexington only) & 12, December 26-28, and January 21. Register online.

Also, Empow Studios’ fall schedule is open for registration, including clubs for MineCraft, Girls STEAM, Video Game Design, Coding, Robotics, and YouTube.

New After-School Makers’ Corner for Grades 6-8 at Underwood

Opportunities

The Underwood After School Program is launching a new Makers’ Corner after-school program for Grades 6-8, at Underwood School in space separate from the elementary after-school program.  This STEAM program features flexible scheduling and offers 3-D design and printing, stop-motion animation, sewing by hand and machine, electronics and robotics, engineering and construction challenges, Scratch computer programming, printmaking, painting, kinetic sculpture, and more. Register online. For more information, contact Makers’ Corner Coordinator Kate Finnan at kate@underwoodafterschool.org or 617-244-1810.

Newton Free Library: STEM Events in September

Events

The Newton Free Library will host the following STEM event(s) in August (not including Finch Robots and Engineering Club, for which registration has ended).

  • September 6:  Scratch Club, 7-8PM, Grades 3-4 (no registration; pick up tickets 15 minutes beforehand at the Children’s Desk)
  • September 8:  Rube Goldberg Workshop, 10AM-Noon, Grades K-5 and their adults
  • September 11:  Little Lab Coats, 6:30-7:30PM, ages 6-9 (no registration; pick up tickets 15 minutes beforehand at the Children’s Desk)
  • September 15: STEAM Expo, 12-3:30PM
  • September 18: LEGO WeDo, 7:30-8:30PM, Grades 5-7 (no registration; pick up tickets 15 minutes beforehand at the Children’s Desk)
  • September 20:  Girls Who Code Information Session, 7-8PM, Grades 6-12 and accompanying adults. Registration will begin August 30 at 9PM.
  • September 26:  Finch Robots, 7-8PM, Grades 9-12. Registration will begin September 5.

Simulated Space Missions at Framingham State McAuliffe Center

Opportunities

The Christa McAuliffe Center at Framingham State University offers immersive, hands-on STEM education for middle- and high-school students using the Challenger Learning Center mission simulator. Students take on the roles of astronauts, scientists, and engineers working as a team to solve problems. Programs include Expedition Mars (Grades 5-7), Earth Odyssey (Grades 8-12), and Lunar Quest (Grades 9-12). Schools register groups ($525 for up to 36 students). For more information, contact Evan Pagliuca, Education Programs Manager, at epagliuca@framingham.edu or 508.626.4050.

Another Successful MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute

Summer

MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI) is a free, four-week, rigorous STEM program for talented students entering senior year of high-school. In its third summer, it has grown to 8 projects with about 200 students from 105 schools across the U.S. plus teams operating remotely in Canada and Mexico. This summer’s program concluded last week in a final, all-day event of races of autonomous cars and air vehicles, as well as demonstrations of student projects such as satellite designs, Alexa-like cognitive assistants, and machine learning to detect cyberbullying on Twitter. See videos of the programs from 2018, 2017, and 2016, along with this 2017 blog post.

BWSI starts each year by enrolling teachers and students in December for online courses that begin in January. Students showing significant progress in the online course may apply in mid-March for the Summer Institute, which runs from early July into early August.

BWSI is organized by the MIT LL Beaver Works educational research collaboration between Lincoln Laboratory and the MIT campus. Beaver Works seeks to expand BWSI in future years to involve more schools in BWSI and also to make the BWSI curriculum available to other schools for developing local STEM programs. For information about how to incorporate BWSI into your own school curriculum, email bwsi-admin@mit.edu.