BSB Celebrates STEAM Week!

BSB is celebrating STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) Week this week, hosting parent visitors, arts and sciences workshops and bringing students out into the community to explore the STEAM fields.

This is a great week to explore the arts and sciences, and learn more about how the two areas intertwine. And in Boston this week, it will be easy for our families to continue this exploration outside of the classroom- with the Cambridge Science Festival!

BSB staff members were at the festival’s Science Carnival on Saturday, and performed some fun science experiments with hundreds of carnival visitors. It was a great day to share the strong science learning we have here at BSB.

The Cambridge Science Festival- one of the top science festivals in the country- continues through Sunday, April 27. Check out the chart below for some festival events recommended by the BSB Science Department and explore science as a family!

Visit the festival’s website for a full schedule of events.

DAY	EVENT	TIME & LOCATION
Tuesday	Vijay Iyer: Embodied Cognition in Music“The idea of embodied cognition comes from the experience of processing sensory information. Vijay Iyer, who holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive Science of Music from U.C. Berkley was one of several people who brought together the idea of music as a physical experience, so that music is not viewed as an abstraction but as action, as something that we do and that we hear other people doing. Iyer is the recipient of a MacArthur “genius” grant for his interrelated work.”	4 – 5:30pm939 Boylston
Wednesday	Science Meets Art“Harvard University undergraduate students will host an assortment of hands-on activities and demonstrations to explore the intersection of art and science. Children of all ages and their families are invited to investigate the chemistry of tie-dye, the physics of light and color, the art of microscopy, and more at this free, interactive event.”	5:30 – 7pmHarvard Allston Education Portal
Thursday	Fab Lounge“Our Fab Lounge is “where magic happens.” You create digital designs using Open Office Draw, GIMP and Inkscape, and fabricate your designs on our laser-cutter and vinyl-cutter. Experienced Fab Stewards will be on hand to mentor you and your ideas.  Fab Lab Boston is the first Digital Fabrication Laboratory in the world established outside of the MIT Media Lab.”	4:00pm – 8:00pmSouth End Technology Center
Friday	Art & Bio Collaborative – Opening Reception for ISLAND LIFE Exhibition“A group of artists and scientists from Cambridge and beyond studied tropical wildlife of the Caribbean during ISLAND LIFE: Tropical Field Studies of Art+Nature in Puerto Rico, a unique travel program offered by the ART+BIO Collaborative. Fusing field biology, artmaking and experimentation, these Field-BioArtists used the natural habitat as a studio/lab to create hybrid art and BioArt installations on-site. This multi-media art+science exhibition focuses on the vast diversity of habitats and wildlife found in the rainforest, coastal, and marine environments of Puerto Rico.”	7 – 9pmVOLTAGE Coffee & Art

How to Get Kids Excited About Science

As educators, we’re always looking for ways to engage our students and get them excited about their learning. It’s a cause that many parents are invested in, too.

There are many ways educators go about trying to boost engagement. At BSB we individualize our learning, create personalized goals for students and tie their learning to real world applications. But what can you, as parents, do to help get your kids excited about learning?

When it comes to science learning, it’s a simple task- for the next 10 days, anyway! The annual Cambridge Science Festival is returning to the city, and the opportunities for hands-on learning and science that connects to the world around our kids may be just what you need to spark your child’s curiosity!

On Saturday, BSB- a sponsor of the festival- will be at the festival’s Science Carnival, the major kick-off event of the 10-day festival, which runs Friday, April 18 through Sunday, April 27.

At the carnival, stop by the BSB booth to try some fun science experiments, or visit one of the many other booths for other science activities. From Harvard University and MIT to the New England Aquarium and Zoo New England, there will be animals to see, experiments to try and plenty of technology to learn more about.

The carnival is held at the Cambridge Public Library from 12-4 p.m. on Saturday, April 19. Don’t miss out on this great event! And be sure to check out the Cambridge Science Festival website for the full line-up of festival events throughout the 10 days. There are many great opportunities for children, teens and adults!

 

Bring Science Alive at the Cambridge Science Festival

Ever wonder about the science behind endurance running? Maybe the science behind baseball, archery or the food and drink you enjoy every day?

Have all your questions answered- and spark your child’s curiosity about science at the annual Cambridge Science Festival, April 18-27. With events throughout Cambridge and Boston that appeal to adults, children and the whole family, there is something for everyone at the festival.

And as a sponsor of the 10-day festival, British School of Boston is getting involved, too! Students in the middle and high school will celebrate STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) Week by attending various festival events, and on Saturday, April 19, BSB science teachers will host a booth at the festival’s Science Carnival!

Stop by the Cambridge Public Library from 12-4 p.m. that day for science experiments with BSB, and see similar displays and presentations from MIT, Harvard and local technology companies.

The science festival is a fantastic opportunity to get the whole family involved in learning outside of the classroom, and help your children get engaged in science learning!

See the Cambridge Science Festival website for a full calendar of events, then get out and explore!

BSB Looks Back at STEM Week

It you stopped by the blog last week, you saw entries regarding STEM Week. Below, our Director of Science, Miss Wall, speaks about the week in more detail, highlighting a few of the best events and the learning that took place. Be sure to read it all, because we have a few photos of a giant cell to share with you at the end.

In recognition of BSB’s commitment to highlighting the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering & math) in today’s society, last week saw the first BSB ‘STEM Week’. The aim of the week was to provide students with inspirational and engaging opportunities to explore the fields of science and technology beyond the classroom.

The week kicked off with Years 2 to 6 attending the opening of the Cambridge Science Festival. This was a fairly major undertaking with over 150 children to keep track of amongst a crowd of a few thousand people, but absolutely worth it given the smiles and excitement that the event generated in our young scientists of tomorrow. They returned to school donned in lab coats and safety goggles, clutching balloons, slime and transformer pens, eager to talk about what they had seen and learnt.

On Sunday April 22^nd five high school students were privileged enough to see their artwork displayed at an event, hosted by MIT in collaboration with ‘Glacier Works’, highlighting the retreating glaciers of the Himalaya. David Breashears, world renowned photographer, adventurer and filmmaker, was there to talk about his new photography exhibit ‘Rivers of Ice’, along with other speakers with expertise in the field of environmental and social science. The students were invited to meet Mr Breashears, who informed them that he planned to take their artwork to be photographed back at Everest base camp, and return it to them personally!