Gifted Atlanta

The January session of the Junior Astronomy Workshop was a sold-out success, so the Tellus Museum in Cartersville is offering another session, Friday, Feb. 17, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Junior astronomers ages 5-12 will learn to use a star chart and will practice watching the night sky in the planetarium and the observatory.

Call 770-606-5700, ext. 417  to reserve tickets.

Emory University has two upcoming music events ideal for young people:

Friday, Feb. 10, 2012 – Pajama concert, 7:30 p.m. at the Michael C. Carlos Museum. Guests are invited to wear their PJs and bring a pillow to this family concert of night music. Tickets are $4 per person, or free for members of the museum.

Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012 – Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra, 8 p.m. at Schwartz Center for Performing Arts. As I always say, these youth symphony performances are a two-for-one in enrichment. They expose your child to live, classical music, and have the added bonus of inspiring them with what other young people can do. Admission is free.

Fernbank Science Center will teach kids about LEGO Mindstorm Robotics at its next Science Night Out, to be held on Friday, Feb. 24, 2012.

Science Night Out is for science lovers in 3rd – 6th grades. This drop-off program runs from 6 to 9 p.m. at the science center, located near Decatur.

Registration is accepted only by U.S. Mail. The fee is $15 for one child and $10 for additional siblings. The class will be filled on a first come, first served basis.

Kids ages 5-12 are invited to an astronomy workshop on Friday, Jan. 27, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Tellus Museum in Cartersville.

The junior astronomers will learn to use a star chart and will practice watching the night sky in the planetarium and the observatory.

These events typically sell out well in advance. Call 770-606-5700, ext. 417  to reserve tickets.

Georgia State University’s Saturday School for Scholars and Leaders has released its class list for the first spring session of 2012. Classes are offered to students in kindergarten through 8th grade. Choices include a variety of topics in math, science, writing and more.

Classes will meet on five consecutive Saturdays, beginning January 21. Sessions are held in the mornings and afternoons, although the morning has two advantages: 1) more choices of classes; and 2) free parent seminars, which are held while the children are in class.

To qualify for admission to Saturday School, a student must meet scoring requirements on an achievement test or IQ test and have a recommendation from the testing psychologist or the school the student attends. New students can be granted provisional admission for one year without submitting the required documentation.

Registration is open now through Jan. 10.

Today is the final day of early bird registration for the UGA-Duke TIP Scholar Weekend to be held Feb. 11-12, 2012. (Sorry I am so late letting you know.) Regular registration will remain open until Jan. 27, 2012. Courses to be offered in February include graphic novels as literature, the physics of automobiles and the Rube Goldberg challenge.

Early registration is open through March 9 for another Scholar Weekend to be held April 21-22, 2012. Courses to be offered that weekend include robotics, microbes, forensic anthropology, screenwriting, and arguing before the Supreme Court.

Scholar weekends are open to students in grades 8-11 who have taken part in a talent search conducted by Duke TIP or who have been identified as gifted by their school. This includes students taking accelerated, honors, Advanced Placement or IB classes. Students stay on campus in the Georgia Center for Continuing Education during the weekend.

Here’s another chance to expose your children to classical music while inspiring them with the abilities of their peers:

The Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony
Monday, Dec. 12 at 8 p.m.
Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts at Emory University

The Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony is the honor wind ensemble for high-school students from metro Atlanta. The musicians play college- and professional-level compositions.

For tickets, call (404) 727-5050 or send an e-mail to the box office.

My son and I spent yesterday morning at the CEISMC K.I.D.S. Club at Georgia Tech. It was a worthwhile program, with age appropriate, hands-on science activities that most of the kids seemed to really get into.

I heard the director of the program say there are still spaces open for the spring sessions, which will be held March 10 and March 24, 2012. (It’s the same content both days, so pick one or the other.)

The program is open to students in grades 2-8. All classes are held on the Georgia Tech campus and are led by university faculty, Tech students, or math and science teachers from local schools.