Red Sox Weekend at the Museum of Science Tomorrow and Sunday!

Photo from mos.org

This weekend (tomorrow AND Sunday) is Red Sox Weekend at the Museum of Science in Boston!

Last year, the Museum of Science started a multi-year partnership with the Red Sox to host a fun-filled roster of activities combining the spirit of baseball with the learning opportunities of STEM. This second annual celebration will be quite a catch!

A stellar lineup of baseball-inspired science and engineering activities is on deck. Try a Sox-themed Design Challenge where you can build and test prototypes to solve a problem. Enter Fenway Park from afar via the Red Sox Showcase, find mascots Wally and Tessie, and more. Join Museum educators for exciting baseball-themed live presentations, enjoy Fenway-themed photo opportunities, a unique rendition of Take Me Out to the Ball Game, and other opportunities!

The partnership looks to produce baseball-inspired STEM material for the 70,000+ members of Red Sox Kid Nation and collaborate on family-friendly programs, activities, and events throughout the year — both at the ballpark and at the Museum. On your next Fenway visit, remember to grab a copy of Wally & Tessie's STEM Workbook at the Kid Nation booth or Wally's Clubhouse).  Learn more about the partnership between the Museum and the Red Sox here.

The schedule, provided by the Museum, is as follows:

Saturday, June 2
Red Sox Showcase
• 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
• Blue Wing, Lower Level
Experience Fenway at the Museum and test your baseball skills with a Red Sox pitching station, virtual reality headsets, and a life-size game of Jenga!
Face painting will be available from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm!

Baseballs in Flight
• 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
• 1:30 - 3:30 pm
• Investigation Station, Blue Wing, Level 2
Keep your eyes on the ball! Launch miniature baseballs to investigate how the variables of projectile motion affect the way a ball flies.

Baseball by the Numbers
• 11:30 am
• Gordon Current Science & Technology Center, Blue Wing, Level 1
Numbers are an important part of baseball. Using statistics allows us to compare players, measure their performance and predict their success. Take a closer look at how stats help us to understand America's favorite pastime.

Lightning!
• 12:00 pm
• 2:00 pm
• 4:00 pm
• Theater of Electricity, Blue Wing, Level 1 and 2
Indoor bolts produced by the world's largest air-insulated Van de Graaff generator spark exciting explorations of lightning, conductors, insulators, electricity, magnetism, and storm safety. Featuring the solid-state tesla coils playing Take Me Out to the Ballgame.

Think Fast!
• 1:00 pm
• 3:00 pm
• Hall of Human Life, Green Wing, Level 2
Reaction time is important in baseball, from catching a ball to hitting. Come by the Hall of Human Life to measure your reaction time and see if it measures up to hitting a 90 mph fastball.

Predicting Performance
• 12:30 pm
• Gordon Current Science & Technology Center, Blue Wing, Level 1
Do you want to take statistics to the next level? Join us to learn more about sabermetrics with video game developer and baseball enthusiast Ian Davis as he talks about the computer programs he has created and used for his own teams.

Home Run Science
• 1:00 pm
• 3:00 pm
• Cahners Theater, Blue Wing, Level 2
Join educators to explore home run science as we use large-scale demonstrations to illustrate the forces at work while the ball is speeding to the plate, colliding with the moving bat and rocketing out of the park.

How to Pitch in the Big Leagues
• 2:30 pm
• Gordon Current Science & Technology Center, Blue Wing, Level 1
How does a major league pitcher hurl a ball at such high speeds? How do they get their arms to extend and move like they do? Former Red Sox pitcher and World Series champion Lenny DiNardo describes and demonstrates some of the biomechanics of pitching.

Sunday, June 3
Red Sox Showcase
• 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
• Blue Wing, Lower Level
Experience Fenway at the Museum and test your baseball skills with a Red Sox pitching station, virtual reality headsets, and a life-size game of Jenga!
Face painting will be available from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm!

Baseballs in Flight
• 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
• 1:30 - 3:30 pm
• Investigation Station, Blue Wing, Level 2
Keep your eyes on the ball! Launch miniature baseballs to investigate how the variables of projectile motion affect the way a ball flies.

Baseball by the Numbers
• 11:30 am
• Gordon Current Science & Technology Center, Blue Wing, Level 1
Numbers are an important part of baseball. Using statistics allows us to compare players, measure their performance and predict their success. Take a closer look at how stats help us to understand America's favorite pastime.

Lightning!
• 12:00 pm
• 2:00 pm
• 4:00 pm
• Theater of Electricity, Blue Wing, Level 1 and 2
Indoor bolts produced by the world's largest air-insulated Van de Graaff generator spark exciting explorations of lightning, conductors, insulators, electricity, magnetism, and storm safety. Featuring the solid-state tesla coils playing Take Me Out to the Ballgame.

Think Fast!
• 1:00 pm
• 3:00 pm
• Hall of Human Life, Green Wing, Level 2
Reaction time is important in baseball, from catching a ball to hitting. Come by the Hall of Human Life to measure your reaction time and see if it measures up to hitting a 90 mph fastball.

Home Run Science
• 1:00 pm
• 3:00 pm
• Cahners Theater, Blue Wing, Level 2
Join educators to explore home run science as we use large-scale demonstrations to illustrate the forces at work while the ball is speeding to the plate, colliding with the moving bat and rocketing out of the park.

NOTE: We're pleased to partner once again with the Red Sox as Red Sox Parents this season to provide our readers with family friendly events from the Red Sox! All opinions, as always, are our own.

Visit Fenway today for Mother's Day

The Red Sox will be hosting a “Walk in the Park” for Mother’s Day Today, Sunday, May 13 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Additionally, moms can enjoy free tours of Fenway Park on Mother’s Day, which take place every hour on the hour from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The annual celebration of Mother’s Day at Fenway Park gives fans the opportunity to walk around the warning track, sit inside the home and visitor’s dugout, take photos with a Red Sox alumnus, and participate in other family-friendly activities. The event is free.

Fans can enter the ballpark through Gate B/K, located near the corner of Van Ness and Ipswich Streets. Games will be activated in the Kids Concourse, including speed pitch, the virtual reality dugout, and homerun challenge experience. Red Sox alumnus Sam Horn will take photos and meet fans outside of the Red Sox dugout, and the 2004 and 2013 World Series Trophies will be placed behind home plate for photos.

Wally the Green Monster and his sister, Tessie, will be on hand, accompanied by a balloon artist, face painter, caricature artist, juggler, stilt walker, and magician.

Ballpark concessions will be available at a discounted price. The event will take place rain or shine.

NOTE: We're pleased to partner once again with the Red Sox as Red Sox Parents this season to provide our readers with family friendly events at Fenway! All opinions, as always, are our own.

RedSox Kids Opening Weekend and SoxPromos for April

Red Sox Kids Opening Weekend at Fenway is off to a great start! The Sox won their home opener on Thursday, April 5 and today they won their game against Tampa Bay with some great home runs! Let's hope they can continue the streak tomorrow when they play their first Sunday home game at Fenway. Fans who are 14 or younger in attendance will receive youth batting gloves.

There's a few other fun giveaways and promos to highlight:

• Fri, April 13 - Chris Sale "K-Counter" Bobblehead for the first 10,000 fans
• Sun, April 29 - Wally's Birthday Party and On-field photo day where the team will take their annual team photo and kids will also get the chance to run the bases after the game! 
• Mon, April 30 - Christian Vazquez Gnome for the first 10,000 fans

Remember, kids can register for Red Sox Kid Nation and receive a free ticket to a Red Sox game (for the first 25,000 redemptions) and earn points for exclusive rewards, items and experiences.

NOTE: We're pleased to partner once again with the Red Sox as Red Sox Parents this season to provide our readers with family friendly events at Fenway! All opinions, as always, are our own.

Red Sox Kid Nation registration is open for the 2018 season

Attention parents of Red Sox Nation: Kid Nation registration is now open for the 2018 season! Some highlights include: a revamped loyalty program offering the chance to earn points redeemable for prizes, raffles, experiences and more; a free kid-companion ticket for the first 25,000 members to redeem their ticket; two tiers (free/paid).

Red Sox Kid Nation offers kids the opportunity to experience baseball and Fenway Park in a different way. Kid Nation members who come to Fenway Park are rewarded with exclusive prizes and benefits. There are two different tiers for Kid Nation, a Rookie (free) and All-Star (paid) membership. Each offers different benefits for its members, such as prizes, access to special events, and discounts.

Membership points can be earned both at the ballpark, as well as when the team is on the road, in a variety of ways: fans can check in at Fenway Park at Kid Nation kiosks throughout the ballpark, attending seasonal events held by partners and affiliates, participating in online games and activities, as well as watching and listening for Kid Nation “code word” during NESN broadcasts.

The free Kid Nation membership includes a membership card, lanyard, subscription to the Kid Nation newsletter, discounts at the Red Sox Team Store and the ability to earn points that can be redeemed online for exclusive rewards. The paid All-Star package includes everything from the Rookie membership plus more! This package includes a duffle bag, "how to pitch" baseball, athletic arm sleeve, and water bottle, as well as the membership card and lanyard. Paid memberships also include the opportunity to take part in early entry to watch batting practice and makes the member eligible for special ticket offers, discounts, and access to Kid Nation special events.

NOTE: As a Red Sox Parent, I am providing this information for you, my readers since I think you would find it useful. I did not receive any compensation for this post and all opinions are my own.

Brunch at Coppersmith's Bar and the New England Boat Show Recap

Our Saturday trip to Boston for the Boat Show started off with an easy drive up I-93 to Boston and we made our 11 am reservation at Coppersmith's Bar, a restaurant in South Boston located close to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, the site of the New England Boat Show. The restaurant opens at 11 am, but they also have a cafe that opens a few hours before and you can order coffee drinks along with tasty treats if you're eager to get going on a Saturday morning.

We walked in and were promptly seated near the dueling food trucks, which are permanently installed inside of the restaurant floor. For weekend brunch, they also have a Bloody Mary bar where you order the alcohol from the bar and then go to the Bloody Mary bar to customize it to your liking. We're not big Bloody Mary people so we skipped that.

We ordered the food which took a little while to prepare. We tried all of the appetizers from sweet potato donut hole treats and tater tots to hangover wings and your typical steak and eggs or omelette. Emily tried the Felafel sandwich and the kids had sliders and chicken tenders. We truly enjoyed all of the food and smoothies, frappes and cappuccinos before heading over to the show.

Upon arriving at the New England Boat Show, we parked onsite for $18 in a lot behind the convention center which made it easy to get to the show since the show is on the first floor. We had to pass through metal detectors to enter and the whole process was quick.

We got to go on the various boats and the kids really enjoyed themselves, getting to explore boats and even try sitting in captains chairs! Luckily for the boat owners, the wheels were disabled so the kids could play with the steering wheel as much as they wanted to without ruining things.

One of my favorite booths was Yeti, the makers of the eponymous premium coolers and stainless steel rambler mugs. Their Tundra cooler line, which range from $200-450 are crafted with precision combine versatility with durability. The coolers are made of durable rotomolded construction and have up to two inches of PermaFrost™ Insulation. They also have cooler bags called the Hopper Flip which is a soft-shell cooler whose smallest size can hold 8 cans and the Hopper Two which is a carry bag that is built to last. The Hopper Two is easy to load and unload. Its tapered body shape is comfortable to haul and has a detachable shoulder strap. New for this year, they also have an attachable Side Kick dry bag which you can toss your mobile phone into and not have to worry about it getting wet thanks to RF-welded seams and a magnetic HydroShield™ Closure. The mugs are available in a variety of sizes and are double-insulated to keep your hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold. They are also made of stainless steel and are easy to wash.

There were also some great kid-friendly things for families. Progressive, the title sponsor of the show had a section where you could use a remote control boat to try driving it in a little pool and you could also enter to win a t-shirt, hate or cute keychain.

The Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary had a booth and they brought along a huge inflatable life-size humpback whale that you could actually go into and learn all about whales. We found it absolutely fascinating! Who know whale poop was so good for the environment?

We hope you enjoyed our recap and we look forward to attending this show again - it was so much fun!

NOTE: We worked with the New England Boat Show and have been provided passes to attend as well as brunch at Coppersmiths Bar. All opinions are our own and are not influenced by any consideration we received..

Comcast releases unparalleled Winter Olympics Viewing Experience on all Xfinity platforms #hosted

1980 USA Hockey “Miracle on Ice''
Olympic gold medalist Jim Craig and Dave.

Last week, I had the opportunity to enjoy some delicious food and company at Boston Winter while learning about the new viewing experience available to all Xfinity TV customers. At any point during the Winter Olympics, you can take your X1 Voice Remote (available to all X1 customers) and say "Olympics Home" at any point to access the special Olympics experience.

If you have the Xfinity Stream app for iOS or Android you can also take the Olympics with you! I love being able to watch my favorite shows via Xfinity Stream and now with the ability to stay up to date on the medal counts and latest Olympics coverage the app will be surely in use quite a bit in our house!

At the event we learned about these great features, had the chance to hear from special guests 1980 USA Hockey “Miracle on Ice'' Olympic gold medalist Jim Craig and Consul General Kim Yonghyo from the Korean Consulate in Boston. We also enjoyed watching various curling clubs from the area give a demonstration of Curling, the sport where you slide a 40+ pound stone on ice and others sweep the ice so the stone can travel smoothly. I've always wanted to try it - who knows, maybe I will join one of the teams one day.

NOTE: I attended an event sponsored by Comcast Xfinity to learn about all of these new features for the upcoming Olympics coverage. No other compensation was provided and all opinions are my own.

For more information, here is a press release from Comcast:

Comcast Unveils Unparalleled Winter Olympics Viewing Experience For Xfinity TV Customers Across Platforms

Access All of NBC Olympics’ Coverage in One Place on X1 and Xfinity Stream 

X1 Customers Will Enjoy 50 New Olympics Virtual Channels, New Voice Controls, Athlete Profiles, Real-time Stats, Daily Summaries, and Medal Counts

Comcast unveiled the most live, mobile and technologically advanced Olympics experience that will be available to Xfinity TV customers on the TV and across platforms for the Winter Olympics PyeongChang 2018. Following the success of the Rio Olympics, Comcast is rolling out a host of new features on Xfinity X1 and the Xfinity Stream app and web portal so viewers can customize and control their Olympics viewing experience across platforms, and never miss a moment of the Winter Games.

“Our goal is to raise the bar for the modern-day Olympics viewing experience across platforms, and experiment with new features and functionality that will surprise and delight our customers in exciting new ways,” said Matt Strauss, Executive Vice President, Xfinity Services. “With 50 new virtual channels dedicated to the PyeongChang Games, enhanced voice control, medal counts, real-time stats and daily summaries, we are excited for X1 customers to experience the Olympic Games like never before. And by creating one go-to destination for all Olympics coverage across devices on Xfinity Stream, all Xfinity TV customers can access every moment of every event on their favorite devices, at home or anywhere in the country.”

X1 customers will enjoy easy access to all 2,400+ hours of NBC Olympics’ live, on demand and streaming coverage—the most ever for a Winter Games—in one place. And for the first time, all Xfinity TV customers will be able to access this comprehensive NBC Olympics dashboard across devices with the Xfinity Stream app and web portal.

The X1 experience will feature:

• 50 Virtual Channels, curated by the Xfinity TV editorial team, that highlight the best moments of each day in PyeongChang, trending athletes, spills and thrills and more. Customers can watch all videos included in a playlist or browse and select only the videos they would like to watch.
• Daily summaries offering real-time snapshots of the Olympics with up-to-date information on the day’s events, featured athletes and a medal tracker.
• On demand access to NBC programming in 4K HDR with Dolby Atmos three-dimensional sound, including the opening ceremony, ski jumping, figure skating, and snowboard big air. NBC Olympics’ 4K HDR coverage of the PyeongChang Games is presented by Xfinity.  
• An on-screen companion experience with the X1 Sports App, providing viewers with the latest scores, schedules, stats, and highlights for every sport and event.

With more than 500 million voice commands generated monthly, X1 customers are using their voice remotes more than ever to navigate their entertainment experience. And to ensure users can access all NBC Olympics programming, updates and information quickly and easily, X1 customers will be able to control their experience with 1,500 Olympic-specific voice commands. For the PyeongChang Winter Games, X1 customers can:

• Say “Winter Olympics” to navigate to the NBC Olympics dashboard.
• Check the hockey score while watching curling by saying, “USA Men’s Hockey.”
• Explore events, replays, and highlights for any sport by saying, “Alpine Skiing.”
• Find out when athletes are competing by saying, “Gus Kenworthy” or “Team USA.”
• Check out how any country is doing by saying, “What is the medal count?”
• Plan out your day by saying, “What Olympics events are on today?”
• Say, “What song is this?” to get song and artist information for the music playing during figure skating performances.

The NBC Primetime Show begins February 8th with coverage available via NBCUniversal networks including NBC, NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), USA Network, CNBC, and the Olympic Channel. 

For more information about X1, visit www.xfinity.com/X1.