Check out this brand new article from the Information School here at the University of Washington about the KidsTeamUW program, and how they’re working with our BlockStudio to make it even better!
We have a busy spring schedule ahead and would love to see you if you are in the area!
April 20: Bennett Elementary Family Science Night, Bellevue, WA
Our Foldit team will be out and about to share the fun of protein folding for students and parents.
April 22-23: Engineering Discovery Days, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Come meet members from the entire team, pick up a packet of Algebra Challenge event stickers for you and your class, and try out fantastic Center for Game science titles during this annual two day event.
April 26: Spiritridge Elementary Family Science Night, Bellevue, WA
As part of our “Spring into Science” tour this year, we’re also headed to Spiritridge Elementary for our very first Family Science Night there.
May 14: Shoreline STEM Festival and Science Fair, Shoreline, WA
When we were invited to this great event last year, we had such a great time meeting everyone that we’re doing it again! This K-12 student science fair features hands-on STEM fun, robotics demonstrations, and more.
Our Spring Story Problem Challenge in Washington state has concluded, and it was a photo finish for Roosevelt Elementary’s team “The Ridge” vs Blue Heron Middle School’s “Herons” hailing from Port Townsend School District. Well done, everyone!
We are already starting to prepare a grand challenge in the fall of 2016, and would like to partner with organizations that can publicize and help us run this extensive effort to build on our current successes. If you can help, please drop us a line at cgs-info@cs.washington.edu and we will put you in touch with our team.
If you missed out this spring, or want to get a sneak peek at upcoming development, we have also enabled a new mail list (powered by MailChimp). This will be the first place to learn about upcoming challenges in Washington state and beyond. We also highly recommend our Facebook and Twitter accounts devoted exclusively to challenge news and related mathmatical geekery.
Our Story Problem Challenge is hotter than ever this year, with an appearance in the Seattle Times!
For those unfamiliar with the process, Algebra Challenges are events run by the Center for Game Science at the University of Washington. During the challenge period, students are encouraged to solve as many equations or story problems as possible by playing innovative games that teach as you go. The play can happen in or out of school; the only requirement is access to a relatively recent computer.
Challenges are run at various times of the year in specific regions, and thanks to the interest and enthusiasm of the Spring Challenge, we are looking to run another regional event in October of this year.
We are interested in partnering with organizations that can publicize and run Algebra Challenges on a state and country-wide level. If you believe you are in a position to do this, please contact us!
Our Washington State Story Problem Challenges are back. First up for 2016, an exciting one week challenge from February 29 – March 4. Coming this fall, we’re embarking on an expanded challenge (we’re thinking two weeks), featuring not just Riddle Books but (possibly) other fun math programs too! If you want to be in on the ground floor to help us with feedback and ideas, just contact us!
In the meantime, we encourage you to visit our revitalized Algebra Challenge website, and specifically our Washington State Challenge site to get the latest news, screenshots, and videos about the challenge. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest challenge news, and all around fantastic math oriented fun!
(We also have a math focused Pinterest board, if that’s your style.)
Please spread the word to every teacher and district you know – together we can achieve it!
