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We Need More Strong Women–Sophia Bush

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One of our interviews during the Incredibles 2 Press Event (that Disney provided hotel and transportation for) took an unexpected turn and that was Sophia Bush. Sophia Bush plays Voyd a female character that has spent her life in hiding and unsure of herself because she is a super and it’s illegal to be a super. In many ways Sophia Bush is nothing like her character except that they both want change.

Who is Voyd Incredibles 2

For one, she entered the room explaining to us that she is on a 30-day “no throw away challenge”. I found that to be so inspiring, I mean think about all the waste that there is in one single day, and at big events there is a LOT more. So boom, that was the first thing that impressed me.

Sophia Bush Impresses

As all the actors did, she also mentioned how great it was to work with Brad Bird in the sound booth. He’s really great at impersonating all of the other Incredibles characters. But as she was talking about this she transitioned into talking about her character Voyd.

Who is Voyd?

Voyd was told to hid who she was, but she saw Elastigirl and wanted to be just like her. That was her idol because there was no one in her town like her. And for Sophia it made her think about intersectional activism. She talked about how all women don’t have enough privilege. As a white woman we have more privilege than most women. She also mentioned that people in society are not accepted for who they are because of their race, gender, sexual orientation. She mentioned that she had an idol and that was Debra Messing.

INCREDIBLES 2

Elastigirl girl is Voyd’s Debra Messing. She is that idol who made this girl, who had to dim her light for so long, feel like eventually everything was gonna be okay. And you see her expressing her identity. Like, she has turquoise hair and a side shave. This is a bold expression of her inner radicalness, but she’s had to hide her biggest magic. And she gets to meet the person who made her feel like one day it was gonna be okay. And that made everything about why she just couldn’t figure out how to hold it together.

Sophia said this made it really personal for her, because that’s been a fight in her real life and helped her own the moment for the character Voyd.

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Another thing that impressed me is that she went back to the story about Brad and how he didn’t have a political agenda in making The Incredibles. His goal was to freak the character Bob out by making him the stay at home dad. However, she shared a story that Brad told her about how his wife is the coolest woman he knows. And that Brad is a good guy, one of the good ones. And we need to remember that we don’t want to “burn all men at the stake”. But we do want to “Throw the trash out. The Incredibles 2 is able to bring issues to the table and it’s refreshing because there is no tension in the issues, everyone is welcome to the table here.

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Another thing that made me love this strong woman is that she knows a lot about animation because she just went into Pixar one time and interviewed a lot of people and dug in. She, like I, loves the tech part of it. Pixar Animation is so much more than regular animation because of all the technology involved. Not only is something drawn, it’s programed, it’s styled, it’s got lighting and rigging. There’s been a while process starting with making clay figures and story boarding. Then when things don’t work new technology is created because there is no, no we can’t do that. It’s let’s figure out how.image

Finally, she told us a lot about how she loves all tech and investing and that women should talk about money. Women should be investing. We should be talking about our healthcare and our bodies. We are much more than just makeup and hair products. She said we need more women sitting at those decision making tables. She said we need more girls who code and she supports Reshma Saujani’s program, “Girls Who Code”.

We Need More Women

Women should be in and talking about fields of science, technology, engineering and medicine.

Fore More Incredibles 2 Coverage:

Incredible Incredibles 2 Giveaway

BUY Incredibles 2 Tickets Now

STEM Kit: Genius Box Review

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We received a Genius Box to add to our STEM guide going up in a few weeks. This kit was creative in the three different projects that it provided. I would say this box lives up to it’s name of Genius Box. Here is what was inside our Genius Box:

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Genius Box Description:

For curious young minds, Genius Box delivers a monthly S.T.E.M. adventure right to your door packed with projects and learning opportunities.

Our mission is to empower the change-makers and problem-solvers of tomorrow, today.

Each box is filled with at least 3 activities and the materials needed to complete them and is geared towards curious 8-12 year olds.

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Our box was so fun for the kids. There were really great instructions for the box we received, the soft circuit box. There were three projects and the first one was sticker circuits. Each activity has a card that explains the science of the project and provides the directions for the project. We learned quite a bit about what is conductive and what isn’t. We also learned what a short circuit and a soft circuit are. I love how easy it was for the kids and that they enjoyed learning. Learning can be fun and the Genius box made us have a few great days of learning.

I think the six month subscription box set is the way to go. You’ll have six months of fun science to do with your kids and they will learn a lot. I find that when learning is fun and interesting they put their minds into it and they retain the information. I’ve been surprised at later times when I ask them something not expecting them to know the answer and they do.

STEM Kit: Tinker Crate Review By Kiwi Co.

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We received a Tinker Create from Kiwi Co to include in our STEM Kit round up and it’s fantastic. I feel like it was such a cleaver way to make a STEM Kit because the one we received used the box itself to help make the creation. It’s a great way to have a STEM Kit be a subscription box and have less waste. I loved it. I loved watching my daughter open it and get started right away. We created a Tinker Crate Unboxing video and an after video of her creation:

Think about what the purpose of STEM is, it’s not just the acronym, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, it’s also meant to be a platform to encourage critical thinking and innovation. STEM is a way for us to get more people interested in the future. image

The goal of Tinker Crate is to help kids build their problem solving skills and to gain confidence and to help them explore their curiosity. There is no one right answer. They want to inspire kids to become creators and makers and not just consumers. This particular kit that Zoe received was an art kit and she loves art. I mean she really loves art. As a home school kid she always wants it to be time to do art, so this project was perfect for her. It included instructions and explanations of what it was doing and how it worked.

She was able to create an art spinner. Just check out her video.

Here is her Tinker Crate creation.


Another example Tinker Crate Subscription STEM Kit would be their Trebuchet.
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This box will help kids build and fire a real, functioning trebuchet that launches a ping-pong ball up to 10 feet. Then experiment and explore the physics of slings, levers, and air resistance.

STEM Kit: Makeblock Neuron Review

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We received a sample from Makeblock and my daughter opened it up right away. She was super excited to try her hand at building something and programming it herself. The thing about Makeblock Neuron, which is the exact kit we received is that it can be put together and taken apart and used to create quite a few different projects. She’s 11 and she didn’t need any help at all. The blocks go together quite easily and the app she downloaded to her phone made programming a breeze. It’s a great way to get a kid started on their STEM journey.

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About the Makeblock Neuron Kit

    • Makeblock Neuron is a programmable electronic building block platform for STEM education. It contains over 30 kinds of blocks with different functions, so creators can build a variety of innovative gadgets.

    • Craft a new invention in just 5 minutes: Building blocks are connected in a snap with magnetic Pogo Pins. Users can simply assemble the blocks to make creative gadgets without needing to write any code.
    • No Coding Experience Required: The graphical programming interface in the Neuron app enables beginners to easily create Neuron applications and add basic or advanced functionality (e.g. IoT) into their inventions.
    • Continuously Updated Invention Guides: The Neuron app comes with Invention Guides and video tutorials to show you how to get started building with the Inventor Kit. Follow, then lead with your own creative ideas.
    • mBlock Support: Neuron gadgets can be controlled and programmed using mBlock on desktop and the Neuron app on mobile devices. All blocks can be compatible with the mechanical parts of Makeblock via Neuron board.

Zoe easily made the cat and loved making the cat’s tail wag. She also made a little keyboard and light up connections based on touch.

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Makeblock also makes Codey Rocky.

There is no doubt that our kids are growing up with coding and programing as their version of a “universal language.”

With Makeblock’s Codey Rocky – a brand new, entry-level coding robot geared toward children 6+ and the recipient of the CES 2018 Innovation Award, children will not only enjoy toy time but will simultaneously be learning as well.

Carefully crafted by ed tech robotics provider Makeblock, the goal is to make playtime both fun and educational, therefore Codey Rocky introduces children to the basics of programming like Scratch 3.0 and Python at a young age, proven to improve creativity, computational thinking and problem solving skills.

We are huge fans of Makeblock’s products and will include them in our STEM round up that we are currently working on.

Stem Kit: Strawbees: A great Building Creative Kit

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We received a sample of Strawbees to include in our Stem Kit round up. This is the first of many STEM Kit reviews you will read here on MomStart.

imageWe also make a Strawbees STEM KIT video unboxing.

Kids want to create huge things. With the School kit, a lot of kids can build huge at the same time. It also includes epic lesson plans, and you can also download even more teacher created lessons here at education. Strawbees.com. They also have some cool maker activities including LittleBits, LEGO Mindstorms, MicroBit and Makey Makey! The kit includes 2560 Strawbees, 1500 Straws (in six wonderful colors), and a Card Deck of Creativity to be used when there is a need for a fantasy boost. Perfect for schools, maker spaces and science centers.

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My kids LOVE Strawbees. Zoe and Miles are 10 and 11 years old and they spent an entire day making things out of the Strawbees kit. They created a dodecahedron and some catapults. Then my son combined a few of his creations and made an amazing spaceship. I LOVE seeing their creativity come alive in this STEM kit.

Explore Strawbees’ Line of Creation Kits…

Maker Kit: Find the maker in you! The Maker kit is the perfect introduction to building with Strawbees. With 200 pieces*, and an instructional manual with 16 projects, you can start exploring the Strawbees universe by building geometric shapes or your favorite animal.

Inventor Kit: Get creative with this innovative Inventor Kit! With 400 pieces and 21 fun maker projects, you’ll have enough pieces to start inventing bigger projects with your friends!

Crazy Scientist Kit: Build bigger with your friends! The Crazy Scents kit upgrades your building experience with 1000 pieces* and an instruction manual for 21 projects. Make a morphing arm to extract moon rocks or a geodesic dome base for your next scientific space mission.

Nintendo Labo: STEM & DIY as a Video Game

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We have a partnership with Nintendo.

When I first saw the Nintendo Labo preview, I thought, finally, A video game that encourages learning and building which are basic STEM skills. We got a Switch for our family this Christmas, it was at the top of our list and I had some gift cards at Best Buy so it was an easy decision for us. And now I’m super excited that Nintendo is coming out with Nintendo Labo which combines the magic of video games with DIY creations. I’m currently doing a STEM kit guide and I want to put this to the test to see if the kids think it should be added to the list, just based on appearance, I think yes, it should. It will be released on April 20th.

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Nintendo Labo is a new line of interactive build-and-play experiences designed to inspire kids and those who are kids-at-heart. Together with the Nintendo Switch system (sold separately), the Nintendo Labo kits provide the tools and technology to MAKE fun DIY creations, PLAY games with your creations and DISCOVER how the magic of Nintendo Switch technology shapes ideas into reality. With each Nintendo Labo kit, kids can transform modular sheets of cardboard – specially designed to interact with the Nintendo Switch console and Joy-Con controllers – into creations called Toy-Con. From a piano to a motorbike, a robot and more, each Toy-Con comes to life when combined with Nintendo Switch in different ways. As you build, you will have fun discovering how the technology works, and might even invent new ways to play with each Toy-Con!

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They currently have two kits coming out, the Variety Kit and the Robot Kit. Each kit has plenty of discovery packed inside:

Variety Kit ($69.99MSRP*)

  • Toy-Con RC Car: Insert the Left and Right Joy-Con into your newly built RC Car and control its movement using touch screen controls on the Nintendo Switch console. The HD Rumble feature in the Joy-Con controllers will cause vibrations that move the car in the direction you choose. Materials to construct two RC Cars are included.
    • Toy-Con Fishing Rod: Construct the Fishing Rod with an active, rotating reel that is attached by string to a cradle holding the Nintendo Switch console. Catch one of many exotic fish shown swimming on the Nintendo Switch screen by casting your Fishing Rod and unwinding the reel to lower the hook. Once you feel a vibration from the Joy-Con inserted in the reel, you must tug the Fishing Rod upward and crank the reel quickly to try and complete the catch!
  • Toy-Con House: By inserting various assembled blocks into openings in the sides and bottom of the House, you can interact with, play games with and feed a cute creature on the front-facing Nintendo Switch screen. Each differently shaped block is detected by the IR Motion Camera on the Right Joy-Con inserted on top of the House.
  • Toy-Con Motorbike: Insert each Joy-Con into an assembled set of handlebars to drive a motorbike on the Nintendo Switch screen. Pressing the ignition button starts the engine, while twisting the right handle activates the throttle. Leaning your body or turning the handlebars left and right controls the motorbike.
  • Toy-Con Piano: After assembling a beautifully crafted 13-key piano and inserting the Nintendo Switch console and Joy-Con, you can experiment with your own musical creations by pressing different keys. You can even insert different assembled knobs to create new sound effects and tones!

Robot Kit ($79.99MSRP*)

  • Toy-Con Robot: Create a wearable Robot suit, and insert the Left and Right Joy-Con into the designated slots on the backpack and visor to assume control of the robot, which is shown on the TV when the Nintendo Switch console is docked. Enjoy a variety of fun game-play experiences, including Robot mode, in which you can destroy in-game buildings and UFOs.

We’ve heard people complain that the pieces are all made out of cardboard. Um hello!!! That’s perfect because it keeps the price down low and allows for more flexibility. Cardboard is easy for kids to work with.