No Title 2692
Supplement to “Creativity+Learning=Fun”
TED originally stood for Technology, Entertainment, Design. At www.ted.com you can view hundreds of TEDTalks, free, online interviews and presentations by some of the world’s most creative people.
Do you ever crave that feeling of learning something new, or that aha moment of seeing an issue from a completely different perspective? Click on any one of hundreds of free videos available there on subjects as diverse as Al Gore’s view of the climate crisis to author Amy Tan’s thoughts on creativity to babies’ surprisingly adept early language skills.
The site says its goal is simply giving everyone on-demand access to the world’s most inspiring voices.
Whatever your interests, it’s the type of Web site you’ll love to linger over. You just never know what you might find—or learn.
IdeaFestival
(Not printed in all magazine versions.)
Each year, the IdeaFestival brings some of the world’s most innovative thinkers—from an array of disciplines—to Louisville for a series of lectures and performances certain to inspire your own creativity. Don’t miss out on the fun. This year’s festival will be held September 21-24 at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts. Here are just a few of the many keynote speakers scheduled to appear:
• Leonard Mlodinow, physicist, former Star Trek writer, and co-author of The Grand Design with Stephen Hawking, discussing the influence of randomness in our everyday lives.
• Azure Antoinette, poet, photographer, and spoken-word artist, discussing the importance of maintaining our humanity in today’s fast-paced world.
• Aubrey de Grey, British scientist, discussing the ending of aging and potential for radical life extension.
• Sheril Kirshenbaum, scientist and author, discussing her recent book The Science of Kissing.
• Wes Moore, business leader and author, discussing his recent book, The Other Wes Moore.
For ticket information and festival details go to www.ideafestival.com.
Resource List
(Not printed in all magazine versions.)
Looking for programs to promote creativity? For K-12 programs, start by checking with your child’s teacher, principal, or guidance counselor. The programs highlighted here are just a sampling of the many extracurricular programs available today that cater to just about any interest you can imagine—from academic and drama teams to art, robotics, and future problem solving.
For adults, check out the programs offered by your local library, community college or technical school, and county Extension offices. With just a little hunting, you can easily find low-cost classes that let you explore a wide range of creative outlets—from knitting or cake decorating to scrapbooking or woodworking.
MATHCOUNTS
A competitive math program for middle school students, it involves group academic team-style competitions and assessment on individual, written math tests.
National Web site: www.mathcounts.org
Kentucky Web site: www.kec.affiniscape.com/index.cfm (click on MATHCOUNTS to the left)
FIRST LEGO League
National Web site: www.firstlegoleague.org
Western Kentucky University FIRST LEGO League site: www.wku.edu/kyfll
RCX (Robo Challenge Xtreme)
Similar to FIRST LEGO, students get assignments months prior to the tournament and develop their strategies before arriving; emphasis is on gracious conduct toward other teams and teamwork. The RCX challenge has three divisions: elementary, middle school, and high school.
www.campbellcountyschools.org, search for Robo
Destination ImagiNation
National Web site: www.idodi.org
Kentucky Web site: www.ky-di.org
KeepingThemEngaged.Com
KeepingThemEngaged.Com
UofL’s Forcht Center for Entrepreneurship
www.business.louisville.edu and search for Forcht Center
Idea State U
www.ideastateu.com
To read the Kentucky LivingSeptember 2011 feature that goes along with this supplement, go to “Creativity+Learning=Fun.”
