February icamp and Super Earths

It’s hard to think about February vacation when it’s 50 degrees and sunny outside. Not that we want to be shoveling driveways or chipping ice off windshields, but our sleds and skis haven’t seen much daylight this season.

Fortunately icamp has no weather restrictions. Whether the weather is unseasonably warm or a winter wonderland, campers at February icamp will be rocking out awesome technology projects at the JCC! There’s still time to save your child’s seat- call us at 617-395-7527 or click here to sign up online.

If your kids would like to get their hands on some of the cool equipment we have at camp and meet some of our amazing staff, come visit us at camps fairs in Acton, Brookline, Sudbury and Newton. See our events schedule for dates and locations.

Check It Out!

Westwood Gamemakers: Why just play video games when you can make your own? In this class students learn the fundamentals of object-oriented programming through video game design while creating their own games. Programming challenges make this a great class for both new and more experienced game-makers. Registration is open for classes starting Tuesday, January 31st for kids in grades 3 – 8.  Learn how to register here on our website.

Inspired by Fashion: The fashions of fraternal groups may look overly ornate by today’s style standards, but from a historical perspective, those fancy hats and swords may not be too out of line with the fashions of their times. This exhibit at National Heritage Museum examines fraternal fashions as a reflection of wider cultural changes. Visit the website for more information.

The Life of Super-Earths: Super Earths can’t leap tall buildings with a single bound, but the high mass planets may reveal some interesting insights into the origins of life. This free lecture on February 16th explores the implications of Super Earths, as well as “new efforts in astronomy and biology to peer into the unknown and determine how unique Earth life truly is.” See the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics website for details.

Packing Peanuts vs. Packing Mushrooms: Despite the rise of green products, most people still rely on Styrofoam or plastics to safely ship their packages. One company is looking to replace your bubble wrap with an eco-friendly alternative. Read our blog post to learn how.   

Classes and Workshops

Interested in bringing a CTWBoston class to your town or school this spring? Robotics, Video Game Design, Animation, Engineering, and our new Pre-School classes  are just a few of the exciting programs we offer to extend STEM learning. All classes center on student-led, hands-on learning activities that keep kids pumped!

For more information on scheduling programs in your town, call 617-395-7527 or email info@ctwboston.com

Abacus lives!

Computers are supposedly great at crunching number, right? Apparently, so are people. This Wikipedia article describes soroban, a Japanese version of abacus. There was reportedly a competition held to compare the accuracy and speed of doing basic arithmetic calculations with an electronic calculator vs. the soroban. The winner? Soroban 4 to 1! The article does not explain the details, but it's safe to assume, since electronic calculations usually take no time at all, it's the time taken to enter an expression into the calculator that slows down the process.

Packing Peanuts vs. Packing Mushrooms

If you’re conducting any of you holiday shopping online, chances are that you’ll get more than just that special gift delivered to your door. The box will be filled with some kind of protective shipping filler, such as packing peanuts or bubble wrap, to keep your item from bouncing around too much while it travels. It’s hard to deny the satisfaction that comes from popping those tiny pockets of air in bubble wrap, but it’s also hard to deny the environmental impact of using petroleum-based packing materials.

To help combat the growing piles of Styrofoam building up in landfills, the company Ecovative has developed a creative and eco-friendly way to use mycelium, the “roots” of mushrooms, to create customized molds that can snugly fit around shipped objects. First the fungus is fed with plant waste, like seed husks or cotton burrs. As it feeds, the mycelium grows into the shape of whatever container is it stored in, and after a few days- voilà! Before it’s used in shipping, the material is heated to prevent further growth, so the fungus doesn’t continue to expand once the shape has been made.

Ecovative is now working to develop Greensulate, a “rigid board insulation” material, also using mycelium. Want to know more about Ecovative’s philosophy of sustainability and the process of growing fungus-based packing supplies? Watch the video below to see co-founder Eben Bayer’s presentation on Ted Talks.  
    

Winter Workshops and Deals

Despite the sunshine and warmer than average temperatures, winter is coming! We know you're busy making holiday preparations and plans for winter breaks, but don't forget to take advantage of our Super Early Bird discount by December 31st, 2011 to save $100 off Summer icamp.* Sign up on our website at www.icampMA.com/icamp.

Registration is also open for February icamp at the JCC in Newton, with Lego robotics, video game design, animation, music, gym time and more. As an extra special deal, everyone signed up for February or April icamps will get a $100 gift certificate good for parties, academic workshops or summer icamp.*

Have questions? Call our office at 617-35-7527 or send an email to info@ctwboston.com. Happy Holidays!

*See our Policies page for restrictions and details.

Check It Out
Winter Classes and Workshops: CTWBoston winter classes are starting soon in Newton, Winchester, Westwood and Lexington. See our online schedule for class dates and technology streams.

Helping Others: Share the season of giving by donating food or volunteering time at the Boston Food Bank. Individuals, groups and schools are welcome to help and learn about their community. Find out how you can help on the BFB website.

Winter Solstice Night: To celebrate the new season and the museum's new exhibit, Headgear: The Natural History of Horns and Antlers, dancers will be preforming the Horn Dance, featuring six human "deers" and horn-based musical instruments. Visit the event website for more information.

Soft Robots: You might associate robotics with hard, heavy, metals, but visit our blog to see some squishy alternatives.

Hacking for Health: While the Xbox kinect is great for dancing and bowling, it's also a useful tool for hackers looking to improve lives through technology. Read our blog post to learn more.

Academic Workshops
In-class academic workshops are a great way to reinforce science and math content in fun, hands-on experiences that students won't forget. We bring all the materials, such as webcams, computers, Legos and other building supplies, and work with teachers to lead exciting workshops that will have students excited and engaged. To learn about programs available for students in grades 2 - 7, call 617-395-7527 or send an email to info@ctwboston.com.