Kids & Family
STEM is for kids!
STEM camps created by former MIT Media Lab member offered during February vacation
Parents still looking for February camp options have the chance to enroll their kids in STEM-rich activities created by Alisha Collins, an award-winning educator formerly of MIT Media Lab. The camps are offered at Acera School in Winchester.
Collins is the SEEDS Studio Lab Manager at Acera School in Winchester. Short for “Science, Engineering, Esthetics, Design and Storytelling,” SEEDS is a hands-on lab and maker space where children use tools and techniques to create, innovate, and bring their ideas and stories to life. Currently, Collins is collaborating with Lowell Public Schools to bring her innovative curriculum to more students.
“By engaging students in playful, experiential, inquiry-based, and collaborative learning experiences, SEEDS works to nurture children’s creative confidence with new technologies, and encourages their involvement in creative acts within their communities,” said Collins.
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February camp classes include “SEEDS Lab in a Backpack” -- in which kids build their very own science tools such as a microscope made with a hacked webcam, a wearable stress detector, and air, water, and soil quality sensors -- and “SEEDS E-fashion Accessories,” in which kids design and create wearable electronics. Scholarships to Acera’s February camp programs are available.
Collins is the co-author of the book “StartMaking!” and co-founder of the Duct Tape Network. She earned a master’s degree in Media Arts and Sciences at MIT, and worked as a design and research associate at Project Vision, an organization that builds educational tools aimed at fostering resilience through creativity in children from lower income urban communities.
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Collins has won awards and fellowships for her innovative approach to both design and education, including the Aga Khan Education Board in India, and the Future of Learning Institute at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education.
Founded in 2010, Acera is a non-profit STEM school serving high-ability students in grades K-8. The school engages students in individualized, inquiry-based learning that is designed around their passions and aligned with their own abilities. In addition to K-8 education, Acera offers daily after-school enrichment programs as well as February, April, and summer vacation camps. For more information, visit aceraschool.org.