Area museums offer free days to Illinois residents throughout the year. On these days, museums often are not as crowded as one might think. Here is a comprehensive list from Carole Kuhrt Brewer of Show Me Chicago: 

http://www.chicagonow.com/show-me-chicago/2020/01/chicago-museum-free-days-2020/

The National Association for Gifted Children publishes the Journal Parenting for High Potential.  The December issue is excellent - it is totally focused on raising 2E children. Here is the online link (which will only give you access to one of the articles if you are not a member. Membership is $59 annually.)   https://www.nagc.org/parenting-high-potential-1  

From IMSA Center for Teaching and Learning email . . .

IMSA STEM League is a three-month, online mini-course designed around a hot topic in STEM, which will include a book read, documentaries/TED Talks, and other source material. This is open to ALL motivated and independent learners in grades 8-11 who have an interest in STEM and the course topic. The weekly time commitment is 1-3 hours. This course (with a different topic each year) will run annually from mid January-mid April. $60 participation fee.

In this course students will explore the recent developments in the field of genetics, with an emphasis on gene therapy and gene editing. The ethical considerations of these powerful tools will also be considered. A variety of media sources such as readings, videos, and online tools will be explored, evaluated and discussed. Over the course of this program we will read The Forever Fix: Gene Therapy and the Boy Who Saved It, a narrative nonfiction book by Dr. Ricki Lewis, a geneticist, science writer, and educator. The course will culminate in a live, online, interactive session with Dr. Lewis. This course will be led by an IMSA Center for Teaching and Learning curriculum specialist in collaboration with IMSA Science faculty with facilitation assistance from IMSA students.

This mostly asynchronous, online program will give students the opportunity to

Learn genetics content that has relevant societal implications and

Participate in an online community of scientific thinking and discussion.

Register here.

2020 Davidson Fellows $50,000, $25,000 and $10,000 Scholarships

The Davidson Institute offers high-achieving young people across the country the opportunity to be named a 2020 Davidson Fellow, an honor accompanied by a $50,000, $25,000 or $10,000 scholarship in recognition of a significant piece of work in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Music, Literature, Philosophy or Outside the Box.  Applicants must submit an original piece of work that is recognized as significant by experts in the field and that has the potential to make a positive contribution to society. The scholarship may be used at any accredited college or university. The 2020 application opens November 20 and the deadline to apply is February 12, 2020.

From 11/22/2019 Illinois Humanities email:

In partnership with Poetry Foundation, Brooks Permissions, and the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, Illinois Humanities is proud to announce the opening of the Fourth Annual Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards competition celebrating young poets in kindergarten through 12^th grade across the state of Illinois.

We are currently accepting submissions and will continue to do so until the April 30, 2020 deadline. Continuing the tradition started by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Illinois Poet Laureate herself in 1970, the Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards encourages submissions of original poetry from young people throughout Illinois that exemplifies what Ms. Brooks looked for when she ran the contest: “vitality, language surprises, bright contemporaneity, technical excellence, evidence of suitability for the ‘long haul”. Ultimately, however, we look forward to honoring and celebrating the young poets of Illinois because, as Ms. Brooks wrote, “they created … and that is what is important.”

Please help us spread the word widely and encourage a young person or a group of young people you know to write and share what is unique to them --- their stories, their experiences, their worldviews, their voices --- because we are all anxious to read and hear what they have to say.

In 2020, we will also be offering a series of youth poetry writing workshops facilitated by teaching poets from Poetry Foundation that will run from February through April and be held on the West and South Sides of Chicago and in Champaign-Urbana, as part of our effort to encourage as many young people as possible to submit their poems to the contest.

The Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards will continue the tradition started by Ms. Brooks of honoring winning poets from all grade levels at a ceremony on the University of Chicago’s campus (now held at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts) on Saturday, August 1, 2020 from 1:00-3:00 PM. For more information, please contact Mark Hallett, Program Manager, Grants, at 312-374-1555 or at mark.hallett@ilhumanities.org.

Gabrielle Lyon

Executive Director

SENG, Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted, has a monthly webinar series they call SENGinars.  This month's topic is Coping with the Climate Crisis: Insights & Tools for the Gifted on November 19th at 6:30 pm CST.  Learn more about it here: https://www.sengifted.org/events/senginar-coping-with-the-climate-crisis-insights-tools-for-the-gifted

Excerpt from email from Argonne National Laboratory . . .

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day

Are your female 8th grade students curious about science and the world around them? Are they natural problem solvers? Are they compelled to understand how things work? Have them come join Argonne National Laboratory in exploring the world of engineering and science at the 18th Annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (IGED).

Argonne's IGED gives young female students a unique opportunity to discover engineering careers alongside world-class scientists and engineers. Participants will enjoy motivational presentations by female Argonne employees, tour Argonne's cutting-edge research facilities, connect with a mentor, engage in hands-on engineering experiments, and compete in a team challenge — all designed specifically for middle school-aged girls.

EVENT DETAILS

WHO: 8th grade girls interested in STEM

WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

WHERE: Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Ave., Lemont, IL 60439

HOW: Register for lottery by Jan.10, 2020

Register Now

Details

Each student will be paired with an Argonne mentor, who will be her guide for the day. Throughout the day, the students will be encouraged to participate in large and small group activities that provide opportunities to learn about a number of STEM careers. Lunch and a light afternoon snack will be provided. Students must provide their own transportation to and from the laboratory.

Interested students must register online by January 10, 2020. A lottery process will be used to identify the selected students. All applicants will be notified via email by January 17, 2019.

For questions or more information about IGED, contact Mary at (630) 252-6124 or email iged@anl.gov.

Help inspire the next generation of female scientists and engineers with Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day!

Sincerely,

Amanda Joyce

Group Lead, Strategic Cyber Analysis & Research

Strategic Security Sciences Division

Caitlyn C. Sarna

Intelligence & Emergency Management Analyst

Decision & Infrastructure Sciences Division

Excerpt from the 36th Annual Chicago International Children's Film Festival web site.

The Chicago International Children’s Film Festival aims to set an internationally-recognized standard of excellence in film for children and youth.

We strive to support the work of talented and dedicated filmmakers by showcasing international films of the highest quality and awarding prizes in multiple categories of production formats and genres. The film experiences of young viewers are deepened through a broad range of programs which extend Festival film viewing into discussion and learning.

The Festival is the oldest children’s film festival in the Western Hemisphere and is the largest and first Oscar-qualifying children’s film festival in the world.

The 36th annual Festival runs from November 1—November 10, 2019 at multiple Chicago-area venues and presents on average 250 new films from 40 countries along with workshops, director presentations, and seminars.

The Festival is presented by Facets, a nonprofit that connects people to independent ideas through transformative film experiences.

From the 'Continuing and Community Education' section of the Columbia College  web site . . .

New Saturday Pre-College Program Announced

Beginning in February 2020, Columbia College Chicago will be introducing its new Semester at Columbia pre-college program for creative high schoolers. Taking place on Saturdays over 8 weeks, Semester at Columbia will give Chicago-area teens the opportunity to explore their creativity and earn college credit that can be used toward their degree. All courses will be taught by our industry-active faculty. More details coming soon.