Love fireflies? Help research them in your own back yard!
Last night, we spotted our first lightning bugs of the year, so this seems like an ideal time to plug the Museum of Science Firefly Watch, a citizen scientist program you can do by watching fireflies near you.
Firefly Watch is easy to do with kids. You’re asked to spend 10 minutes, once per week, counting lightning bugs in your yard, or a park, or whatever spot you choose — you just have to be consistent. You’ll record some simple data about weather conditions and the flash patterns you see. Then, you fill out an online report form to submit your observations.
My kids and I have done this, and it’s a great learning project. Not only do you get to be part of collecting research data, but you can also see observations recorded by other citizen scientists all over the country. The collected data helps researchers at the Museum of Science, Tufts University and Fitchburg State College to track how firefly species are faring and how they may be affected by environmental factors like light and pesticides.
Rockfest this weekend at Tellus
Tellus Science Museum presents its annual Rockfest rock and gem show this Saturday and Sunday, June 10 and 11, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
Rockfest features gem, mineral, fossil, and jewelry dealers from across the country, along with activities and workshops. Kids can even bring rocks they’ve collected to have them identified by the experts.
Rockfest attendance is included with general admission to the museum.
Summer webinar series features women with STEM careers
Hoping to encourage more girls to consider STEM careers, local engineer Stephanie Espy published STEM Gems, a book highlighting dozens of women who work in the fields of science, math, technology, and engineering.
This summer, Espy is producing the STEM Gems Book Club, a series of webinars featuring women in STEM careers. Webinars will be held every Wednesday in June and July from 1 to 2 p.m.
The webinars are free, but registration is required.
Although the webinar series is targeted to girls, boys are welcome to participate as well.
“Summer Exploration Program” for elementary and middle-school students
Gifted and high-achieving students are invited to attend Summer Exploration Program (SEP), to be held June 26-29, 2017, at Chattahoochee Elementary School in Duluth.
The program is open to students who are currently in grades 1 through 8. Students are grouped by grade levels, with multiple class topics to choose from in each session. A representative of the Gwinnett Alliance for Gifted Education (GAGE), which is operating the program, said students can choose a class that is listed for their current grade level, or their rising grade. For example, a student who is just finishing third grade may choose a class listed for grades 2-3 or for grades 4-5.
Students have the option of attending a morning session, afternoon session, or both. Cost for the four-day program is $175 per session; however, GAGE members receive a discounted rate of $150 per session.
Registration closes June 16, 2017.
DeKalb Serendipity summer program for gifted students
Registration is now open for DeKalb County School District’s summer program for gifted students. Serendipity is a four-day enrichment program open to gifted-identified students who are currently in grades 1-6, and who attended a DeKalb County public school in the 2016-17 school year. (If your child qualifies for the program, their school should send a flyer home with them about it, but “should” is the operative word here.)
This year’s Serendipity program will take place June 12-15 at Stone Mountain Middle School, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each day. Cost is $200 per student. You can find additional details and a link to the online registration form in the 2017 Serendipity Flyer for Registration (PDF).
Registration closes May 31, 2017.
The LIFE School progressive high school in Atlanta
For kids who are looking for something boldly different from the typical high-school experience, The LIFE School offers a highly personalized, integrated curriculum that is tailored to each student’s passions and life goals.
Located in southwest Atlanta, this progressive, private high school is ideal for a student who is independent and self-reliant. Students learn through a series of self-directed interdisciplinary projects, as well as through required internships.
The Life School is in its first year of operation. The school is pursuing accreditation through SACS/AdvancEd.
Exploration Expo is this Saturday
It’s time again for Exploration Expo, the annual, free event offering hundreds of interactive science activities for children and families.
The 2017 Expo will be Saturday, March 25, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Centennial Olympic Park. Dozens of companies and schools will offer fun, educational activities.
Exploration Expo is part of the Atlanta Science Festival, a joint effort among Emory University, Georgia Tech, and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.
Spivey Hall Children’s Choir seeks young singers
The Spivey Hall Children’s Choir will hold auditions for young singers on Saturday, April 29, 2017.
Auditions are open to girls and boys ages 10 to 13. No prior musical experience is necessary. Students selected for the program may remain in the choir until they complete high school.
Founded in 1994 and affiliated with Clayton State University, the Spivey Hall Children’s Choir consists of three groups: the Young Artists Choir, where most new singers are placed; the Children’s Choir, a larger ensemble that includes children through age 18; and the Tour Choir, a traveling group that has performed in locations across America and overseas.
To register for an audition, you can either download a mail-in application or complete an online application. (For the online application, the link takes you to the Spivey Hall ticketing page. Scroll down until you see the item called “2017 Spivey Hall Childrens [sic] Choir Audition Applicat.”)
New AICL summer camps for grades 6-12
The Appalachian Institute for Creative Learning invites rising middle- and high-school students to its residential summer camps at Mars Hill University, near Asheville, N.C.
AICL celebrates imagination and creativity. My kids have attended this camp, and I taught there one summer. The class content is highly engaging for creative kids, but just as important is AICL’s nurturing, accepting environment for kids who think differently, have unusual interests, and don’t like to be forced into a mold of conformity.
Spaces are available in two of AICL’s programs:
- Week 0, for rising 9th through 12th graders. This is an intense academic program — still fun, but more demanding than AICL’s traditional enrichment camps.
- Week T -1, for rising 6th through 8th graders, promises hands-on labs, Socratic discussions, and intensive art classes.
In addition to class time during the day, both camps offer social and recreational time in the afternoons and evenings.
Emory summer program for high schoolers who love math
High-school students interested in complex math are invited to apply for the QuanTM summer program at Emory University.
This four-week, residential program, operated by Emory’s Institute for Quantitative Theory and Methods, delves into college-level topics such as combinatorics, number theory, probability, statistics, game theory and more. Students spend the first three weeks learning through a combination of lectures and hands-on activities. In the fourth week, they complete a research project in an area of interest to them.
Students who apply before Feb. 28 will receive a $300 discount.
(Note: Although this program is called “QuanTM Math Circle,” it is not affiliated with the Math Circle program offered by Emory University’s Department of Math and Computer Science during the school year.)
Gifted Atlanta 