Tag: Cambridge Science Festival

A Sunny End to April Vacation

Little Princess
If you’re the parent of a school-aged child living somewhere in the Boston area, April Vacation can be tough. In fact, since we had typical April weather (rain, rain, and more rain) on Patriot’s Day (which may have been the only day you had off this week), there’s a pretty good chance that your kids have been cooped up in your house for the duration of their April vacation. And, if they’re like most kids, they’re probably driving you just a little bit insane by this point. Fortunately, if you’re looking for a way to get your kids out of the house so they can enjoy the end of their vacation, you’re in luck because there are a number of kid-friendly activities scheduled for this weekend.

First, if your kid is a big fan of animals and/or fairy tale princesses, you may want to head over to the Stone Zoo this weekend. This is because the Stone Zoo is hosting a Princess and Frog Day from 11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. tomorrow (April 25, 2015.) This event will not only allow your kids to meet a number of different princesses from well-known fairy tales and Disney films but will also give your kids a chance to make some arts and crafts and learn about all the animals that the zoo has with a special focus on frogs. For more information on the Princess and Frog Day at the Stone Zoo, please visit the Zoo New England Events page.

If, on the other hand, your kids are big fans of the zoo but not such big fans of princesses, the Franklin Park Zoo may make more sense for your family this weekend. This is because the Franklin Park Zoo is hosting their annual Party for the Planet from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. today (April 24, 2015.) This celebration will feature special eco-friendly exhibits, scavenger hunts, and a number of other Earth Day-related activities in addition to everything the zoo typically has to offer. For more information on the Party for the Planet at the Franklin Park Zoo, please visit the Zoo New England Events page.

Finally, if your kids are into all things science (or you would really like them to be), you may want to check out the Cambridge Science Festival this weekend. The Cambridge Science Festival, which is sponsored by MIT but takes place throughout Cambridge and the surrounding area, features a series of activities, demonstrations, workshops, and tours that are designed to teach children and adults of all ages about a wide range of scientific and technological discoveries. Topics that will be covered at the festival this weekend include fashion technology, martial arts, math, optics, the science of sound and music, sky and space flight, web development, and a whole lot more. For more information on the Cambridge Science Festival, which ends on Sunday, please visit the Cambridge Science Festival website.

Photo credit: B.Riordan. / Foter / CC BY

Blinded by Science

Blinded By Science (Rainbows)
There’s a pretty good chance that you’ve heard the expression “blinded by science” somewhere. In fact, if you were around during the 80’s, you may have heard the song by Thomas Dolby entitled “She Blinded Me With Science” or the Foreigner song entitled “Blinded by Science.” You may have even heard the song or the phrase more recently in well-known shows like Breaking Bad or the Crazy Ones. However, even if you are familiar with the expression, have you ever stopped to figure out what it means? Well, if you haven’t, the expression “blinded by science” refers to the act of using a series of complicated concepts (or, at least, concepts that appear to be complicated) to intentionally confuse someone. In other words, if you are “blinding someone with science,” you are using your scientific knowledge (or your skill at making stuff up) to leave someone completely baffled.

Now, if you would like to have the scientific knowledge to blind someone with science or you enjoy when other people blind you with science, there are a couple of events this weekend that you should definitely check out. First, the MIT Museum, in collaboration with a number of local businesses, educational institutions, and community organizations, is hosting the Cambridge Science Festival. This festival, which began last weekend and runs until this Sunday (April 27, 2014), will allow you and your family to attend a series of activities, performances, and workshops to learn about holograms, math, optics, space, and a whole lot more. For more information on the festival and/or to register for a specific event, please visit the MIT Museum website or the Cambridge Science Festival website.

Secondly, if you can’t make it into the city until later and/or you’ve always wanted to learn more about the stars, the Museum of Science has the program for you. This is because the Museum of Science offers a special program on Friday nights from the beginning of March to Thanksgiving called Astronomy After Hours. This program, which runs from 8:30 to 10:00 PM every Friday (weather permitting), will allow you and your family to see stars, planets, and all of the other wonders of space through the equipment at the Gilliland Observatory. Best of all, the program is open to the public and is completely free. For more information on the Astronomy After Hours program, please visit the Museum of Science website or call the Astronomy After Hours hotline at 617-589-0267.

Photo credit: jurvetson / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)