"Run & Math" - Robot Olympiad | Chinatown Fest | Urban Farm
Last Sunday was a pretty exciting day for hundreds of kids taking part in the Run & Ride.
It was a lot of fun to watch and cheer on the kids. They are all trying so hard. :)
My son smiled when he heard me cheering and calling his name aloud, and was happy to hear he did much better than last year.
They divided the kids up by age and in the case of older kids, by gender. So there are winners in every group, which made it more fun for kids.
Kids from our school and our cousin together won #1, 4, 5 in the 5-6 age group! All the kids did so well. :)
In the last few months, I've started regular running on Saturday mornings with my son, and sometimes my daughter too. I want them to have a good exercise routine. We run for1.5 miles usually, sometimes 2 miles. Did that helped them do better in the race, maybe. :) It sure doesn't hurt to practice.
The day before the race I took my kids to the nearby track and we practiced sprinting. I asked my daughter, "If one lap is 0.25 mile, and your race is 0.25 mile, how many laps do you need to run for the race?"
"One?" My daughter is used to me asking math questions, another new routine we've added in the last week or two.
I asked my son about how many laps he needs to run to practice his 0.40 mile first stretch? He knew it's bigger than 1 but smaller than 2. "1.8??"
Not bad for estimating. :)
You see, I believe in regular practicing for math too. Since I noticed him (a rising 4th grader) doing 150x0 by getting "0-0-0", and making simple math errors.
My husband will be the first to tell you he's not good at math. He's a biologist and actually works quite a bit with bioinformaticians that combine biology with math and coding. I'd like to encourage my kids to have well, a different attitude towards math. ;)
To me, math is like reading, something everyone can master with enough practice. (Apparently NYTimes thinks so too. :) Math is all around us -- making change, calculating tips, measuring ingredients, figuring out time -- and perhaps by asking my kids more regular math questions, doing math practices, and play math games, they'll see it as no big deal and something they can get good at, just like running. And take pride in it too. :)
Weekend Events
Neighborhood Nights Block Party at The Gardner Museum
Everyone's invited to the Gardner for Neighborhood Nights, a series of fun and free interactive evenings for you and yo...
Thursday, 5pm, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Free Fun Friday Boston Harbor Islands
This is a special one-day ferry schedule to either of the two most popular Boston Harbor Islands – Georges and Spectacl...
Friday, 8:30am, Ferry Center on Long Wharf-North 
Free Fun Friday Institute of Contemporary Art
The ICA opens its doors at no cost to visitors all day long thanks to the 10th annual Free Fun Fridays program sponsore...
Friday, 10am, Institute of Contemporary Art 
World Robot Olympiad & STEM Expo
A great way to spend the day watching Robotic Teams and Clubs compete to be the Massachusetts champion. Winners will qu...
Saturday, 9am, James L. McKowen Boys & Girls Club Woburn 
Summer Sounds at the Library in Joan Lorentz Park
Join the all women Salsa Band 3nity, Paa Seck and Diery Band from Senegal and the Albino Mbie Trio. Bring your own picn...
Saturday, 2pm, Main Library, Cambridge 
Celebrate Union Square’s sizzling food landscape we bring you an evening of international eats, fire throwers, roving e...
Saturday, 6pm, Union Square Plaza, Somerville 
Chinatown August Moon Festival
Come join the CCBA for the 49th Chinatown August Moon Festival! Two stages with live performances of Chinese dance, mus...
Sunday, 10am, Phillips Square, Boston 
Diners and pedestrians can explore new restaurants, local boutiques, and international brands — or rediscover your favo...
Sunday, 10:01am, Newbury Street, Boston 
Last weekend: City as Classroom, City as Laboratory
City as Classroom, City as Laboratory is a series of educational workshops on Sundays 7/15-8/12 for youth (aged 8 to 14...
Sunday 7/15, 9am - Sun., MIT Media Lab, Cambridge 
This free drop-in workshop with our Cambridge Wildlife Puppetry Project offers children age 4–11 the opportunity to mak...
Sunday, 2pm, Hurley St. Neighborhood Farm, 213 Hurley Street, Cambridge 
Cerebral Cinema Series: Inception with Dr. Steve Ramirez
Hear from researchers and then compare real science to depictions on the big screen. Providing real-world context fo...
Tuesday, 6:30pm, MIT Museum 
The Coast Kitchen: August 2018 Dinner
Every Third Friday of each month the Cambridge Community Center hosts a free community dinner for all. Everyone is invi...
Friday 8/17, 6pm, Cambridge Community Center 
Two weeks of workshops and special events taught by both Boston’s Best and Internationally renowned Teaching Artists. ...
Sunday 8/05, 12:30pm - 8/18, The Dance Complex, Cambridge 