There are many ways to get your children involved in STEM-related activities this May.
May 1: Experiment coding your own game with TouchDevelop at the Microsoft Store in Boston. Free (Ages 8+)
May 3, 17: Use your engineering, physics, & building skills to build the ultimate Sweet Potato-carrying Lego vehicle & then race on the ramp at the Morse Institute Library in Natick. (Ages 11-18)
May 5: Build clever contraptions out of blocks, wheels, cords and more with GoldieBlox at the Watertown Free Public Library. (Ages 3-5)
May 6: Free admission to The Discovery Museums: Science in Acton.
May 5: Explore math, science, and the arts with children’s books and related activities at the Newton Free Library. (Ages 3-5)
May 7: Attend the ProjectCSGIRLS Boston Girls in Tech Program, including two programming workshops, a panel of leading female engineers from the Boston area and more at Boston University. Free (Girls, grades 6-8)
May 10: Learn about basic circuitry and build a simple robot using an Arduino microcontroller at the Belmont Public Library. (Ages 12-18)
May 13: Join for a hands on exploration of the weather at the Frances Perkins Branch of the Worcester Public Library. (Ages 3-6)
May 13: Dr. Can-Do Science returns to show how to germinate seeds and plant them at the Grove Hall branch of the Boston Public Library.
May 14: Participate in a fun, casual, math-themed storytime at the Cary Memorial Library in Lexington. (Ages 3-5)
May 17: Explore LEGO WeDo robotics at the Belmont Public Library. (Grades 2-4)
May 18: Build LEGO models and then program them to move and react at the Newton Free Library. (Ages 7-10)
May 19: Learn how to create something printable in 3D at the Central Library branch of the Boston Public Library. (Ages 13-18)
May 20, 27: Learn STEM concepts through hands-on activities, story time, music and movement, challenges and simple experiments at the Shrewsbury Public Library. (Ages 3-5)
May 24: Learn how to use the new library telescopes at the Worcester Public Library.
May 26: Come meet Benjamin Franklin for yourself to spark your knowledge of electricity at Empow Studios in Lexington. Cost: $20
May 27: Build your own robot with KIBO, program it to do what you want, and decorate it at the Newton Free Library. (Ages 5-6)
May 28: Enter a magical world where fantasy and science meets art, and experiment with your creativity at the Thomas Crane Public Library in Quincy. (Preschool+)
Girls Who Code Clubs
The Girls Who Code Clubs Program teaches computer science to 6th-12th grade girls. Girls who participate in the clubs will receive 40 hours of instruction from volunteer instructors in computer science including project based activities to reinforce concepts like conditionals, lists, and loops as well as skills like mobile app development.
Girls Who Code clubs are free and many are held at libraries and schools around Massachusetts. With the growth of the clubs, I am now including a list of the public clubs here. If you are interested in information about a club, please contact the Club Site directly.
- Belmont Public Library: 336 Concord Ave, Belmont, MA
- Cambridge Public Library (2 sessions): 449 Broadway, Cambridge, MA
- East Boston Branch of the Boston Public Library: 365 Bremen Street, Boston, MA
- Harvard University: 93 Dunster Mail Center, Cambridge, MA
- LEAP for Education, Inc.: 209 Essex St., Salem, MA
- Light of the World Empowerment: 275 Washington St., Dorchester, MA
- Medway High School: 88 Summer St., Medway, MA
- Memorial Hall Library: 2 North Main St., Andover, MA
- Needham High School: 609 Webster St., Needham, MA
- Newton Free Library (2 sessions): 330 Homer St., Newton, MA
- Paulo Freire Social Justice Charter School: 161 Lower Westfield Rd., Holyoke, MA
- Public Library of Brookline (2 sessions): 361 Washington St., Brookline, MA
- Reuben Hoar Library: 41 Shattuck St., Littleton, MA
- Smith College: 1 Chapin Way, Northampton, MA
- Watertown Free Public Library: 123 Main St., Watertown, MA
- Wellesley Free Library: 530 Washington St., Wellesley, MA
Image: LEGO Robotics Crew by Jeff Peterson
