MODA offers half-day camps during winter break
Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) will offer a series of one-day camps at its Midtown campus over winter break. Cost is $50 per day. Camps begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 12:30 p.m.
The camp schedule is as follows:
Dec. 21: Designing with Minecraft (ages 8 to 12)
Dec. 22: Introduction to Arduino (ages 8 to 12)
Dec. 23: littleBits, LEGO Bricks, & Bugs (ages 8 to 12)
Dec. 28: Designing with Minecraft (ages 8 to 12)
Dec. 29: littleBits, LEGO Bricks, & Bugs (ages 8 to 12)
Dec. 30: Designing with Minecraft (ages 5 to 7)
Citizen scientists wanted for Audubon’s annual Christmas Bird Count
Looking for something to do over the long break from school? Spend a day outdoors as part of the National Audubon Society’s 116th annual Christmas Bird Count.
Volunteer bird watchers — experts and amateurs — will try to identify and count every bird they see. It’s a fun ornithological scavenger hunt that provides data to help scientists measure the health of our ecosystem.
The Georgia Ornithological Society is organizing more than two dozen Christmas Bird Count events in Georgia, including four around metro Atlanta, between now and January 5, 2016.
If you’re traveling over the holidays, there’s probably an event going on wherever you’ll be. You can check by visiting the Christmas Bird Count page of the National Audubon Society.
Young scientists may also enjoy seeing the data that’s been gathered in the past 115 years, available on Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count page.
Georgia Tech engineering event for 9th and 10th-grade girls
Registration is open now for the second annual Students Exploring Engineering event, sponsored by the Women in Engineering group at Georgia Tech.
The one-day event for high-school freshman and sophomore girls will be held January 21, 2016, on the Georgia Tech campus. Participating students will be introduced to a variety of engineering disciplines, visit a faculty lab or engage in an interactive project, and tour the campus. Admissions staff from Georgia Tech will be on hand to discuss the academic requirements for admission to Tech.
The program is limited to 100 students. A $25 fee includes breakfast and lunch.
Women in Engineering, founded in 1994, seeks to increase the number of women students who pursue engineering degrees and careers.
Enrollment open for Duke TIP 7th Grade Talent Search
Duke University’s Talent Identification Program (TIP) is now enrolling students in its 7th Grade Talent Search.
To enroll, your child must have a qualifying score on an accepted test, such as the CogAT, CRCT or ITBS. The deadline to register is Dec. 9, 2015.
Students accepted by the Talent Search may choose to take the SAT or ACT as seventh graders. For kids who typically score in the 99th percentile of the standardized tests they’re given in school, taking these tests designed for high-school upperclassmen can provide a better gauge of where they stand academically.
When you become part of the TIP program, you’ll also receive information about meeting your child’s academic needs, and get access to TIP-sponsored programs, including summer programs on the Duke campus.
Get a discount off Space Camp when you register next weekend
Space Camp‘s annual Black Friday sale is back. From Friday, Nov. 27 through Monday, Nov. 30, you can save $200 off programs for kids and families. 
The discount can be used for a week of Space Camp or Aviation Challenge summer camp, or for the weekend family camp versions of Space Camp or Aviation Challenge.
If you’re not ready to commit to specific dates for summer camp, that’s okay. Space Camp will let you register now, take the $200 discount, and select your program dates later.
This is the only sale Space Camp offers to the general public.
MODA classes in robotics, 3-D printing, electronics and more
The Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) has rolled out its selection of fall classes, for kids in preschool through high school.
The museum’s one-day classes range from the most basic tinkering with design, to LEGO robotics, littleBits circuitry, Arduino interactive design, and 3-D printing.
To learn more or register, go to the MODA website and look in the left-side navigation menu, under PROGRAMS.
Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship offers free application advice
I posted earlier this month about the Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship, which gives as much as $40,000 per year to help top-notch high school seniors pay for college. If you’re considering applying, the foundation will host a webinar this Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015, at 7 p.m.
Foundation staff, along with current and past scholarship recipients, will give advice on how to prepare a strong application.
The webinar is free, but you must register in advance to participate.
Apply now for Jack Kent Cooke Foundation College Scholarship
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation College Scholarship Program offers funds — up to $40,000 a year — to support the college ambitions of high-achieving students with financial need.
The scholarship, which can be renewed for up to four years, is available to high-school seniors who have GPAs of 3.5 or higher and have scored in the top 15 percent on the SAT or ACT.
According to the foundation’s web site, students whose families make up to $95,000 a year will be considered; however, most of the recipients will have family income low enough to qualify for a Pell Grant.
The first part of the application process is open now. There is no cost to apply. The Phase I application must be mailed in by November 3, 2015. Financial information, school records and teacher recommendations are required for the application, so allow yourself time to compile and complete the needed paperwork.
One-day science classes for kids at UWG in Carrollton
The University of West Georgia will offer two science workshops for kids ages 8 to 12 this fall.
- Oct. 9, 2015: Spooky science workshop. (Yes, this is a Friday. Carroll and Coweta county schools are closed that day.)
- Nov. 7, 2015: Crime lab chemistry workshop.
Each workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on UWG’s Carrollton campus and costs $35.
Kids, teachers invited to STEAM3 conference at GSU
Kids can play in an interactive STEAM playground while teachers learn about new classroom tools and techniques at the STEAM3 conference, Sept. 11-12, 2015 at Georgia State University.
The educational portion of the conference will feature speakers from Georgia State, Georgia Tech, and the private sector. Displays and demonstrations will be broken down into four areas: the living classroom, interactive storytelling, make magic, and the game of learning. Installations will include robots, multi-layered projection, virtual reality, and music composition via computing.
Ticket prices range from $10 for a one-day student pass to the interactive playground to $49 for access to the entire conference.
Gifted Atlanta 