Day at the Science Museum

Hello World!

I spent a fun day at my local science museum learning new facts, exploring science (such as walking on Mars and playing a harp with no strings), I even bought cute space themed fashions! I have several posts worth of material but I wanted to start with a few inspirational displays I saw such as;

And 

And 

I really loved this quote by Jane Goodall because you can apply it to so many challenges in life, it is a great reminder that we must communicate. That is a skill to be developed and refined throughout life, sometimes it takes practice, other times it takes great courage and an open mind.

It is encouraging to see the people pictured above and hear their triumphs and tribulations. I look forward to sharing more of my science museum experience with you in the posts to follow!

:)

STEM Pride

Hello World!

Did you know that famous and significant STEM professionals such as Alan Turing, Josephine Baker, and others were LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender)? It is true! Many important people are part of a minority group. It is important to share the history of all populations, both majority and minority. It is important because if we don't see what different groups contribute we might be tempted to believe that they didn't. This would be a shame for there are many contributions! From national security to mathematics to the lowest infant mortality worldwide, we can be grateful for the contributions of diverse people. To read more check out 

http://www.noglstp.org/

:)

Coupon Class

Hello World!

The other day I went to a coupon class! You might think, "a class on coupons?" (I did) but it was really cool! It lasted several hours & I learned many things about coupons, including a little coupon STEM!

Here are some interesting things I learned:

- you may not think you have time to coupon but consider that a couple hours can save you $100, that is like getting paid  $50 an hour which isn't too bad. The class leader believed that saving is just as valuable as earning.

- to get the most from coupons, you should stack them, which means using a manufacture & store coupon together, when you do that when the item is on sale, you come out Way ahead on the savings.

- putting aside the money saved can pay for trips, bills, and more! It adds up to a significant amount every year.

-you can get manufacture & store coupons from fliers, newspapers, store ads & even by complementing the product manufacture directly! (For smaller companies). You can also trade coupons with friends (you give baby product coupons in your paper, they give you their pet product coupons).

- you can save yourself the effort of searching for the best deals by going to

http://www.couponersunited.com where they do the work for you!

- you can get up to 6 newspapers delivered to you to get the max coupons possible for most places. Place the coupon fliers in a folder divided by each week & when you need to make a purchase you will be ready with coupons!

- if you use a coupon on the free item of a but one get one free deal, you save on the one that isn't free! You can arrange your coupons so well that the store pays you for the item! Or transfers the savings to other products, making your bill lower (who knew?!)

- if you shop solely from coupons, they Will work for you! The instructor said that he replenishes his pantry & plans meals based on the sakes/coupons. 

-Stocking up is good (hoarding is not good), it allows you to get the stuff (dry goods that don't go bad) you always use cheaper! Who could argue with that?

-Do you get stuff you don't want with your deals? Save it for donation! One of the things I like about this group is that they deliver extra unwanted items to people in need. Did you know that coupons are used mostly by people in a high income bracket? The savings don't always reach those who need it most, so this group offers education classes to try to change that. 

- as you can see there is a lot more to coupons than meets the eye!

I hope this was helpful & you get a good deal on what you are looking for. Be sure to check out the couponers united site for more info, recipes, coupons & more!

:)

Make STEM

Hello World!

Here is a cool STEM program announcement!

CNCS Expands STEM AmeriCorps Maker Education to Five Cities

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, President Obama is hosting the first-ever White House Maker Faire to celebrate a nation of makers, and to help empower America’s students and entrepreneurs to invent the future.  In response to the President’s call to action, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is expanding its Maker Education Initiative to provide this educational opportunity to more than 22,000 students and families in these cities. The agency is deploying 12 AmeriCorps members in Baltimore, MD; Detroit, MI; Pittsburgh, PA; Miami, FL; and San Antonio, TX.  These new efforts will build on those of the 10 AmeriCorps members currently serving in California to engage students from low-income communities in STEM-related activities, the arts, and other learning opportunities.   “Maker education creates an opportunity for students to learn about careers that inspire them to dream new dreams,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “Our AmeriCorps members’ enthusiasm will help these students explore the wonders of math and science in an exciting way and spark greater interest that can create new avenues of opportunity for them.” In addition to the Maker Faire at the White House, June 18 is also a National Day of Making. For more information, visit www.whitehouse.gov/makerfaire and follow #NationOfMakerson Twitter. The Maker movement promotes key values such as creativity, problem solving, collaboration, and self-expression, and has the potential to get more girls and boys excited about STEM. Through STEM programming associated with the Maker movement, AmeriCorps members will provide the foundations and make connections that can increase interest in these fields and expand economic opportunity for the participating students. With a focus on students in under-served urban and rural communities, this programming intends to expand the pool of Americans prepared to perform the jobs of the future and create a STEM workforce that can address the challenges of the 21st century. STEM education has been the focus of several CNCS education programs as the agency supports the goals of the President’s STEM AmeriCorps initiative first announced at the 2013 White House Science Fair. The initiative is a multi-year effort to place hundreds of AmeriCorps members in nonprofits across the country and mobilize STEM professionals to inspire young people to excel in STEM education. By following the guidance of the President’s Task Force on Expanding National Service, CNCS has been able to demonstrate the power of public-private partnerships. Current STEM AmeriCorps initiatives include partnerships with FIRST, Maker Education Initiative, Citizen Schools, Teach for America, and other organizations – efforts collectively engaging tens of thousands of students in STEM learning and building new avenues for the growth of these programs. CNCS recently expanded its STEM education efforts to a summer program that is placing 256 AmeriCorps VISTA members in six Southern states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and West Virginia. These AmeriCorps members – serving through community groups, educational institutions, and corporate sponsors – are connecting approximately 18,000 at-risk students in low-performing schools to STEM opportunities. The agency also just announced a new partnership with US2020 and Citizen Schools, committing 25 AmeriCorps VISTA members to support US2020’s goal of mobilizing 1 million STEM mentors by the year 2020.  Fifteen AmeriCorps VISTA members will serve in seven cities – Allentown, PA; Chicago, IL; Indianapolis, IN; Research Triangle Park, NC; Philadelphia, PA; San Francisco, CA; and Wichita, KS – while 10 will support efforts nationwide. # The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service and champions community solutions through its AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Social Innovation Fund, and Volunteer Generation Fund programs, and leads the President's national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.

An eclectic mix of STEM

Hello World!

Nearly every day one can finds articles that relate to diversity, science, fashion or all three! From talented students to printing your own cosmetics, there has been plenty to read about lately, here is a handful of things that have caught my eye, enjoy!

http://news.msn.com/us/florida-girl-graduates-college-and-high-school-a-week-apart

http://t.living.msn.com/style-beauty/makeup-skin-care-hair-tips/very-soon-you-will-be-able-to-print-makeup-instead-of-buying-it

https://shine.yahoo.com/shine-beauty/blogger-experiments-with-wearing-different-levels-of-makeup--then-tests-how-people-respond-to-her-162033647.html

https://shine.yahoo.com/shine-beauty/study-reveals-makeup-says-174800608.html

https://www.yahoo.com/shine/fashion/how-a-new-group-called-alda-is-changing-the-modeling-industry-from-within-195023862.html

http://t.living.msn.com/style-beauty/fashion/the-worlds-most-comfortable-high-heel-shoes-come-with-a-1000-year-guarantee

https://shine.yahoo.com/photos/teenager-travels-through-fashion-history-in-super-cool-photo-series-slideshow/2010s-photo-1399060200593.html

:)