Tag: education

Drone Soccer coming soon to San Diego!

Something super cool is coming to San Diego! Drone Soccer will soon be rolled out to some of the City of San Diego’s Recreation Centers!

What is Drone Soccer? Check out the U.S. Drone Soccer explanatory video here. Flying “soccer balls” powered by drones are maneuvered strategically, as players strive to score goals by flying their ball through an elevated hoop. (Sounds a bit of like Harry Potter’s airborne game of quidditch to me!)

Kids playing Drone Soccer in San Diego will learn all sorts of great STEM knowledge, including robotics, engineering and drone piloting–all the while having lots of fun!

Parks and Recreation had a canopy set up in front of the Municipal Gymnasium today letting people know this is in development. It’s still in the early stages, so there’s no dedicated San Diego webpage or social media page that you can follow just yet. I was told that should be finished shortly.

The hope is that next year, during the U.S. Drone Soccer 2024 National Championships at the San Diego Convention Center, some local teams will be ready to compete! How cool is this!!!

Are there any schools in San Diego that already have Drone Soccer teams? Are you a teacher? You need to check this out! Spread the word!

Meanwhile keep your antennae up. If I learn more in the days ahead, I’ll provide an update here!

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Training ship Golden Bear departs San Diego.

I was walking along San Diego’s Embarcadero this morning when I noticed a large, very interesting ship departing from Broadway Pier. I like to gaze at unusual ships, while trying to deduce their function. Was this a research vessel of some sort?

When I got home, I learned the TS Golden Bear is a training ship used to train cadets attending the California State University Maritime Academy. The unique school, based in Vallejo, is part of the California State University system and the only maritime academy on the United States West Coast.

TS Golden Bear is actually the third training ship bearing the same name. This particular ship actually began its life in the late 1980s in the United States Navy as USNS Maury (T-AGS-39). At the time, the USNS Maury was the fastest and largest oceanographic ship in the United States fleet. Read more about the TS Golden Bear here.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

The awesome TwainFest coming this weekend!

A very cool family-friendly event is coming to San Diego this weekend!

TwainFest is returning to Heritage County Park on Saturday, August 19th. The fun, educational event will take place between 11:00 am to 5:00 pm among beautifully restored Victorian houses at the edge of Old Town. Learn more about TwainFest and register for the free event by clicking here!

I’ve blogged about past TwainFests many times. There’s so much to enjoy! You’ll watch actors portraying 19th century authors and the classic characters they created.

You’ll likely meet Tom Sawyer, characters from Alice in Wonderland, Captain Hook and Peter Pan, Don Quixote and others playing their roles in beloved books. If past events are any indication, you’ll see big Mark Twain, Edgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson puppets, listen to readings, play literary games, contribute your own words to an infinite story, and get a free book, too!

Anyone out there with kids or a personal love of books should consider enjoying this awesome event! Learn more here!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

Help expand knowledge in San Diego!

Are you passionate about expanding and spreading human knowledge? Have you ever wondered how information is gathered and presented on Wikipedia?

I met James today in Balboa Park. He was telling passersby about the San Diego Wikimedians User Group. I personally use Wikipedia to help research the things I photograph. As you might expect, I asked him all sorts of questions!

James was encouraging everybody to become a contributor to Wikipedia’s vast and growing base of knowledge. Are you an expert when it comes to any particular subject? Have you noticed omissions or inaccuracies in certain articles? Become an editor on Wikipedia. It’s easy!

The mission of the San Diego Wikimedians User Group is not only to promote the wiki movement, but to engage with organizations in the local community. One example is their partnership with the San Diego Central Library. Edit-a-thon programs help the public learn the basics of Wikipedia editing. If you know any organization that would be interested in such an interesting and educational program, you can contact the group via their Facebook page here! Check out their Meetup page here!

Are you worried about bias on certain Wikipedia pages? A part of the solution, James explained, is having many more editors! You, perhaps?

Help expand human knowledge!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

Our People’s Garden in downtown San Diego.

Over the years, a small garden space south of The New Children’s Museum in downtown San Diego has undergone several transformations. Early this morning, during a walk down the Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade, I noticed it is now called Iipay Nyechewuuw, or Our People’s Garden.

A sign near the wooden planter boxes explains that Our People’s Garden was inspired by the Barona Indian Charter School’s Native Plant Garden, and the Barona Cultural Center + Museum’s Native Plant Seed Library.

The garden is now used by the nearby children’s museum to teach kids about the environment and Kumeyaay culture. The Kumeyaay have traditionally used native plants in our region as food, tools and medicine.

I noticed bits of art scattered about, evidently painted by young hands. I added contrast to my photograph of the sign so it can be more easily read.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

Our Walls Speak during mural event in San Diego!

An exciting event is coming to San Diego next week!

From Wednesday, May 17 to Sunday, May 21, the many colorful murals that reflect Chicano history and culture in several of our city’s communities will be celebrated with a special tour, workshops, lectures, dance, poetry and more!

Our Walls Speak is the name of this free event. Those who participate will have the opportunity to experience not only Chicano Park’s famous murals, but other murals in nearby communities. Participants will come away inspired, understanding the importance and meaning of these empowering works of art, and the need to preserve them.

According to the event website: This year’s 2023 “Our Walls Speak!: Nuestros Muros Hablan!”, event features four days of live and virtual panel/community discussions, artist and elder interviews and storytelling, and mural art exhibitions. Download and attend a neighborhood mural walk/drive/tour through the San Diego neighborhoods of Logan Heights, Sherman Heights and Golden Hills communities. Join us on Sunday May 21st for youth and family mural art workshops, spoken word, music and dance movement performances and local street food vendors serving healthy and delicious recipes.

To see the many free activities that can be enjoyed over the course of five days, and to register for Our Walls Speak, click here!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

Youth exhibition at San Diego Museum of Art.

Young Art 2023: Comfort and Calm is a free youth exhibition now on view at the San Diego Museum of Art until May 15, 2023.

I’m always amazed by the local talent that appears every two years at the museum’s longest running art program–almost a century now! Students from regional schools around San Diego and Tijuana have selected work displayed in SDMA’s Galleries 14 and 15.

This year the theme is Comfort and Calm. In an age of COVID-19, barbaric war, political hatred, talk of the world’s end, and addictive, omnipresent social media that provides a deluge of shallowness, nastiness, confusion and absurdity, I can definitely understand why young people would seek comfort and calm, and how artistic expression can provide that refuge.

The artworks you’ll see are not only very well done but inspiring. Thank goodness, the human spirit is resilient.

You can freely access Galleries 14 and 15 from a corner of the May S. Marcy Sculpture Court and its Panama 66 restaurant. Look for the following sign and head through the nearby doors that lead to museum restrooms.

Enjoy a few examples of this great youth art…

Sunset, Thrace Hollmann. Torrey Pines Elementary School, Grade 4.

Along the Border, Katelyn Wang. The Bishop’s School, Grade 12.

Spring Rain, Joana Jiang. Francis Parker School, Grade 11.

Look Around, Carley Chen. The Bishop’s School, Grade 10.

Sunset Fields, Ivory Rose Foley. Gillispie School, Grade 4.

My Nature, Olivia Dooda. Johnson Elementary, Grade 2.

Hilltop Home, Hadley Lischke. Gillispie School, Grade 1.

Warmth, Ava O’Connor. Westview High School, Grade 12.

Sleepy, Gabriella Hernandez. Chula Vista High and School for the Creative and Performing Arts, Grade 12.

Have you noticed electrical boxes around downtown San Diego that appear like special works of art? Many of these boxes were painted in 2021 for the San Diego Museum of Art’s previous Youth Art exhibition.

You can find those photographs by clicking here and scrolling down.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

The beautiful Birdwing Open Air Classroom.

Beside the San Dieguito Lagoon wetland, near the west end of the San Dieguito River Park, you’ll find a beautiful outdoor space where one can learn about nature and soak in its goodness.

The shady, airy Birdwing Open Air Classroom was dedicated in 2014. It does indeed look a bit like a bird’s wing in flight!

Birdwing may be used as a trailside classroom by teachers, scientists and park rangers. It is also a place for walkers and hikers to relax and gaze out the nearby lagoon.

A short looping path and bridge near the structure passes through yellow bush sunflowers and other native plants. From that path I observed an osprey flying high in the sky–too small for a sharp photograph with my little camera.

The Birdwing Open Air Classroom can be accessed from the Coast to Crest Trail perhaps a quarter mile east of San Andres Drive and the ranger station.

You can learn more about the Birdwing Open Air Classroom here.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

Let’s Go SDSU Aztecs!

Who would have believed the SDSU men’s basketball Aztecs would be one victory away from a national championship?

Tomorrow the San Diego State University Aztecs face the University of Connecticut Huskies for all the NCAA Tournament marbles. The Aztecs are underdogs. Which means they are poised for another hard fought victory!

What an accomplishment to even reach the Final Four. But now there’s a chance for SDSU to absolutely shock the sports world.

I thought it would be fun to head to SDSU by trolley late this morning to see what I might see. I walked through the center of the campus, past Viejas Arena, past frat houses and local businesses, hoping to find excited banners, posters, hand made signs, anything expressing school spirit during this incredible historic event.

Nothing.

Yes, I know it’s a Sunday and the Aztecs advanced to the title game only yesterday. But the Final Four is a week old. If there are any signs of school spirit now decorating the campus, I completely missed it.

I just saw the above sign at a preschool across Montezuma Road.

I do know for a fact that there are a whole lot of fans out there! So Let’s Go SDSU Aztecs!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

Girl Scouts explore STEM in Balboa Park!

Hundreds of Girl Scouts from around San Diego gathered in Balboa Park this morning to take part in the Incredible Race!

Many stations were set up around the park: along El Prado, in front of museums, even in the parking area behind the San Diego Automotive Museum. Girls were being challenged to explore STEM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

During the Incredible Race, teams would solve riddles and proceed station to station where fun, educational hands-on activities awaited.

As I walked through the park, I saw a lot of excited young people running energetically about, enjoying San Diego’s beautiful crown jewel and learning lots of cool stuff, too!

The San Diego Model Railroad Museum demonstrates how to plan and build a model railroad.

Emily Warren Roebling was an engineer who oversaw the construction and completion of the Brooklyn Bridge.

A table with activities near the Fleet Science Center.

Learning about constellations and Women in Astronomy.

In front of the Museum of Us, Girl Scouts could learn about Women in Math.

At the Casa del Prado, one could make binary bracelets and learn about Women in Computer Science.

By the San Diego Natural History Museum, there was a fun dinosaur fossil digging activity and information about Women in Paleontology.

On the platform under the Moreton Bay Fig, curious Girl Scouts learned about electrical circuits and Women in Engineering.

Above beautiful Palm Canyon, a station recognized historically important Women in Photography.

Behind the San Diego Automotive Museum, participants could change a tire on a cool race car!

At the San Diego Air and Space Museum, Women in Flight were recognized, including Anne Lindbergh, the first woman in the United States to earn a glider’s pilot license. She made her first flight in San Diego, at Mount Soledad in 1930.

Girl Scouts could make their own gliders!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!