See Fido’s Frisbee skills. Come to the World Canine Disc Championship Qualifier February 24-26 at Islands High School in Savannah.

Proceeds benefit the Islands High School’s Veterinary Science Program, One Love Animal Rescue, Save-A-Life, Coastal Pet rescue, FACTS and helps homeless vets with pets through the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 660.

The 2017 Canine Disc World Championship Qualifier is Friday through Sunday, February 24th – 26th, 9AM to 5PM at Islands High School, 170 Whitemarsh Island Road. Admission is free.

For more information on being a vendor, to volunteer, event schedule, and entry competition fees, please visit www.TailsSpin.com or call James Fox, 912-656-5788.

Save the date for the 2017 A-Town Get Down Music & Art Festival, Saturday, March 25, 2017 featuring Cracker, Bobby Rush, Col. Bruce Hampton, AJ Ghent & More

Savannah’s 7th Annual A-Town Get Down will take place March 25, noon-12AM at its new location on Indian Street. The area, defined by Indian Street (between Fahm Street and the Talmadge Bridge) is well known as both a creative hub and emerging business community.

The family-friendly event is free from noon to 5PM and ticketed from 5PM to midnight.

This year’s all-day festival will feature over 25 live bands and visual artists each representing diverse music genres and artistic styles. Performers include Cracker, Bobby Rush, Col. Bruce Hampton, Snarky Puppy Horns, Low Country Voices, Old Salt Union, Walter Parks, Savannah Children’s Choir, AJ Ghent, Marques & The Marvelous Miracles, Waits & Co, Complicated Animals, Annalise Curtin, The Billy Jonas Band (Especially Family Oriented), and the Live Art of Jose Ray, Will Penny, SCAD Ceramics, Digital Art, Loop It Up Savannah and much more.

Thanks to the festival’s new location, guests can expect larger stages and more live music and live art installations than ever before over the 12-hour period. A-Town is also partnering with Loop It Up Savannah again this year to connect students from Title I school districts to free access to interactive art and music projects.

The festival was created in honor of art student and musician, Alex “A-Town” Townsend, who passed away in 2010. The all-day festival’s mission is to increase access to music and art to citizens of the region. From the hours of 12pm – 5pm, the festival is free and open to everyone for family-friendly art and music events. From 5pm – midnight, the festival becomes a ticketed event for the headliner performers and art events.

Tickets/cost
12pm – 5pm:
FREE for all ages
5PM – midnight:
$35/General Admission
$25/Student or Military (with valid ID)
$95/VIP (Includes Friday night event with special appearances, meet and greet with performers, complimentary VIP tent at festival, VIP seating and swag bag)

Tickets are available for purchase at A-TownGetDown.com.

7th Annual A-Town Get Down Music & Art Festival is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser 

FREE Georgia Day Parade 2017

Georgia History Festival’s Georgia Day Parade, downtown Savannah
Friday February 10, 2017 at 10:45AM.

Students & teachers costumed as historical figures march through Savannah’s historic squares during this beloved annual event, walking from Forsyth Park along Bull Street to Savannah City Hall.

Rain date for this event is Feb. 13, 10:45AM

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FOR MORE FREE SAVANNAH AREA KIDS’ EVENTS, CLICK HERE.

Nick Cave
Opens Fri. Jan. 27 runs until April 23, 2017
Jepson Center, Savannnah

Explore your identity with the art of internationally-renowned artist Nick Cave! Cave is most famous for his soundsuits, works that are part costume and part sculpture, designed to obscure the wearer’s body during live performances. This exhibition, the largest presentation of Cave’s work ever displayed in Georgia, features a selection of his soundsuits, as well as two massive textile tondos and two videos showcasing Cave’s soundsuit performances.

Kids 12 & younger are free.

Learn more here. 

RELATED PROGRAMS / Jepson Center

Free Family Day
Sunday, February 5, 1–4pm

Explore the joys of mixed media and nontraditional approaches to making fine art in this special Free Family Day event! Meet and discover local artists and art groups making and promoting contemporary art in an array of media, and take part in this exciting, blossoming scene by making some art of your own! Sponsored by the City of Savannah’s Department of Cultural Affairs and the Georgia Power Foundation, Inc.

JEPSON CENTER
207 W. York St. Savannah, 31401

Jepson Center for the Arts, 912-790-8800 or visit www.telfair.org. Telfair Museums is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser

Mark your calendars!

Join Junior League of Savannah on Saturday February 25, 2017, 1-4PM @ Jennifer Ross Soccer Complex for the 5th annual Fit Kids Fest.

Brought to you by the Junior League of Savannah, Fit Kids Fest is a free community event that teaches kids about the importance of developing a fit body and mind as part of a healthy lifestyle.

There will be cooking demonstrations, live fitness demonstrations that kids can participate in, and tons of hands-on activities. Plus, it’s totally FREE!

First 350 kids will receive a free event t-shirt.

Every year, Jekyll Island commissions a group of highly skilled artisans from across the U.S. to create exquisite, handworked glass globes for Jekyll’s annual Island Treasures event.

(Jekyll Island is an easy, roughly 90-minute drive down I-95 from Savannah. See our list of things to do with kids on on Jekyll Island here. )

The glass floats are part of a hide-and-seek style game played on Jekyll Island throughout January and February 2017. Each day, volunteers called Beach Buddies hide glass floats around the island for lucky guests to find and, yes, get this, keep.

Each float is marked with a special tag and instructions for treasure finders to register their Island Treasures at the Jekyll Island Guest Information Center where they will receive a certificate of authenticity and artist biography for their one-of-a-kind float. The Center is open Monday-Saturday, 9AM – 6PM and Sunday 10AM-5PM.

More are out there, and more are placed ever day through February. Overall, 250 floats will have been placed for lucky float finders. Island Treasures runs  through Feb. 28, 2017.

At the Beach Village on Jekyll Is. on Jan. 21 & 28, and Feb. 4 & 25, three extra floats will be hidden in the Beach Village.

Learn more about Island Treasures here.

Find more things to do with kids on Jekyll Island here.

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FIND MORE DAYTRIPS FROM SAVANNAH HERE. 

Unleash your creativity every day with art-making projects for all ages @ drop-in studio @ Telfair Museums’ Jepson Center,

Drop-In Studio is offered daily 1-4PM @ Telfair Museums’ Jepson Center in Savannah.

Work at your own pace & comfort level through an array of art mediums. Each month offer activities related to specific exhibits at Telfair Museums. See the schedule below.

Perfect for all ages – even adults. Children 12 & younger now receive free admission to Jepson Center. Museum admission for adults is $20. (Admission includes a visit to each of Telfair Museums’ three sites: Jepson Center, Telfair Academy, Owen-Thomas House. Valid for one week.)

A studio-assistant is on-hand to answer questions & assist guests. Children must be accompanied by an adult caregiver.

Monthly drop-in studio themes

January 2017: Light-Up Sculptures
February 2017: Nick Cave Mixed Media Designs
March 2017: Portraiture
April 2017: Wundercamera: People in the Museum

Learn more here. 

JEPSON CENTER
207 W. York St. Savannah, 31401

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Admission

Adult: $20
Senior (65+): $18
Military (w/ military ID): $18
Student (ages 13-30 w/ ID): $15
Child (ages 12 & under): FREE

Admission includes a visit to each of Telfair Museums’ three sites: Jepson Center, Telfair Academy, Owen-Thomas House. Valid for one week.

Jepson Hours
Sunday – 12-5pm
Monday – 12-5pm
Tuesday – 10am-5pm
Wednesday – 10am-5pm
Thursday – 10am-5pm
Friday – 10am-5pm
Saturday – 10am-5pm

Follow Telfair Museums on Facebook here. 

Telfair Museums is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser

Attention expectant Savannah parents: FREE Baby Care Basics classes are offered @ Pediatric Associates of Savannah.

Free to expectant families, come join Dr Brandy Gheesling (pictured here) or one of Pediatric Associates of Savannah’s other 8 Board Certified Pediatricians.

Classes are held after office hours the first Thursday of each month. The next class is this Thurs. March  2 2017 @ 6PM.

Space will be limited, so to register or for more information about the class please email BabyBasics@pedsav.com.

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New to the area & in need of a pediatrician? Pediatric Associates of Savannah has offices in Savannah, the Islands and Pooler. Learn more here.

Stay connected with Pediatric Associates of Savannah & informed about children’s health news, but ‘liking’ Pediatric Associates of Savannah on Facebook here.

Pediatric Associates of Savannah, 4600 Waters Ave, Suite 100 Savannah, 31404-6702, (912) 355-2462, www.pedsav.com On Facebook here.  Pediatric Associates of Savannah is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser

FREE Georgia Day Parade 2017

Georgia History Festival’s Georgia Day Parade, downtown Savannah
Friday February 10, 2017 at 10:45AM.
Students & teachers costumed as historical figures march through Savannah’s historic squares during this beloved annual event, walking from Forsyth Park along Bull Street to Savannah City Hall.

Rain date for this event is Feb. 13, 10:45AM

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FOR MORE FREE SAVANNAH AREA KIDS’ EVENTS, CLICK HERE.

This week’s SouthernMamas e-letter spotlights:
* where your kids can make snow angels & throw snow balls this month in the Lowcountry;
* new youth art, drama/acting, clay, fibers, drawing, Spanish classes in Savannah
* free fitness class @ Fit46 studio
* Starlight Pottery in Savannah
Read this week’s SouthernMamas.com e-letter here. 

Subscribing to the e-letter is free. Subscribe here.

FREE Family Fun Night
Fri. Jan. 6 | 5:30 – 7:30PM
Join The Sandbox Children’s Museum on Hilton Head this Friday for the first FREE Family Fun Night of 2017. This is a community event designed to bring families together for a cost-free evening of creativity and play. Weather permitting, the Bounce House and Big Blue Blocks will be available for play outdoors, or you can explore our exhibits and enjoy a craft indoors. Light refreshments will also be served.

Supported by The Bargain Box

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Sandbox Museum Winter Hours

OPEN Wednesday – Saturday: 10AM – 5PM | CLOSED Sunday – Tuesday

THE SANDBOX WILL BE OPEN
Mon. Jan. 16 for Martin Luther King, Jr Day
HOURS: 10AM – 5PM

The Sandbox Children’s Museum
18A Pope Avenue,
Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
843.842.7645

The Sandbox Children’s Museum is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser 

Mathnasium Math Learning Center is hosting a FREE introduction to SAT Math Workshop in Savannah, Pooler, Islands & Bluffton

The workshop includes:

 How to register for the test
 Know what to expect on test day
 Get acquainted with the organization of the math section
 Learn how the math sections are timed and scored
 Learn special math strategies to improve your score
 Become familiar with the math topics you need to know
 Practice some SAT math questions in a fun environment

Where and when:
Fri Jan 6
4-5.30PM Mathnasium of Savannah Midtown: (next to TJ Maxx) savannahmidtown@mathnasium.com
Sun Jan 8
3.30-5PM Mathnasium of Pooler (Publix center near Seasons of Japan) pooler@mathnasium.com
Fri Jan 13
4-5.30PM Mathnasium of Savannah Islands: (next to Polka Dots) savannahislands@mathnasium.com
Sun Jan 15
3.30-5PM Mathnasium of Bluffton: (near Publix off Buck Island Road) bluffton@mathnasium.com

Spaces are limited, RSVP by email to the center of your choice with the student’s name, grade and
school.

Mathnasium makes math make sense!

Mathnasium is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser 

Enjoy nights full of witchcraft, wizardry, and pizza.

The Florence restaurant’s Rooftop Reels series will take you through the entire Harry Potter series.

If little ones aren’t ready for pizza, kids pasta can always be made!

The movies are free.

Sundays
6-9 PM
Sun. Jan. 22: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The Florence
1 W Victory Dr, # B, Savannah, Georgia 31405

FOR MORE FREE FAMILY EVENTS IN SAVANNAH, CLICK HERE. 

The Pooler MOPS will host their free Pooler MOPS Annual School Fair on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017, 9:30 AM-12:30PM at the First Presbyterian Church of Pooler.

Participants include preschools, public and private schools, homeschool coops, early intervention, and more.

There will be representatives there to answer your questions and provide information.

Let your friends and family know to come out and learn all about the different educational options available in the Greater Savannah area including Pooler and Rincon.

Pooler MOPS Annual School Fair
Wed. Jan. 25 at 9:30AM-12:30PM
First Presbyterian Church of Pooler
1115 US Highway 80 E,
Pooler, Georgia 31322

Free and open to the public

Organizers will add to the following list as they confirm the schools & organizations that plan to attend:

Risen Savior Christian Academy
Teach Right
Classical Conversations Homeschool Co-op
Veritas Academy
The Sandbox Children’s Museum in Hilton Head Is.
Calvary Day School
Grace Academy-Rincon
Savannah Country Day School
First Steps Preschool-Rincon
MOMs Club

FREE REFUGE DISCOVERY DAY, March 10 2018

Discover YOUR National Wildlife Refuge in Savannah/Hardeeville.

Join the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for a day of free, family fun at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Visitor Center on Saturday, March 10 2018, 10AM-3:30PM.

Discovery Day will be filled with fun, wildlife-related educational activities for all ages.

Have you ever wondered what a biologist, a wildland firefighter, an archaeologist, a forester or a refuge manager does on a National Wildlife Refuge? This is your chance to learn! Learn about wildland fire with hands-on activities involving real fire equipment; try your luck at target shooting with a bow while learning about our Refuge hunt programs; gain a better understanding of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s role in protecting endangered species; learn why water management matters to wildlife on Savannah National Wildlfie Refuge; get close up with a variety of reptiles, and much more.

All activities will be at the Savannah NWR Visitor Center located at 694 Beech Hill Lane Hardeeville, SC (off U.S. 17, approximately 7 miles north of Savannah, GA and 7 miles south of Hardeeville, SC).

For more information on this rain or shine event, call 843-784-2468.

Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex
694 Beech Hill Ln
Hardeeville, South Carolina 29927

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The Savannah National Wildlife Refuge hosts a preschoolers “Young Explorers Club” on the first Tuesday of each month.

The free, hour-long monthly program for 3-4 year-olds starts at 10AM on the first Tuesday of each month.  There will be story time, crafts, snacks, and take-home activities all about this month’s topic.

The programs are at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center (694 Beech Hill Lane Hardeeville, SC 29927).

Each month, a different animal or method of conservation will be highlighted. Juniors of Girl Scout Troop 30387 have designed the monthly programs as their service project for completing the Bronze Award. The themes are:

February – Lady Bugs
March – Plants
April – Recycle
May – Baby Birds
June – Alligators
July – Sea Turtles
August – Spiders
September – Fish
October – Butterflies
November – Turkeys
December – Ducks

For more information, please contact Joel Vos at (843) 784-2468.

Learn more here.

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FOR MORE FREE FAMILY EVENTS, CLICK HERE. 

First Day Hike, Round 2, Jan. 7, @ Wormsloe Historic Site, Savannah 

For everyone not able to join on New Year’s Day, come on out to join for a second offering of the First Day Hike @ Wormsloe State Historic Site, Savannah.

This is the Savannah everyone wants to see. Come enjoy a beautiful hike along our scenic marsh and Moon River, to Battery Wimberly, a Civil War earthen fort. Wear comfortable shoes suitable for hiking, no open toe shoes.

Hike to the Civil War earthworks of Battery Wimberly. Guided hike with site history.

Saturday, Jan. 7 10:30AM-Noon
Wormsloe State Historic Site
7601 Skidaway Rd
Savannah, Georgia 31406

Admissions – $4.50-$10

For more information, call 912-353-3023.

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Colonial Faire & Muster @ Wormsloe State Historic Site, Savannah 

Experience life in Colonial Georgia during the 18th century with a military encampment, Sutler’s Row, craft demonstrations, military demonstrations, and period music and dance. Food concessions will be available for purchase.

Feb.3-Feb. 5
Fri. Feb 3, 2017 9AM-4 PM Cost: $4.50 – $10.
Sat. Feb 4, 2017 9AM-4 PM FREE
Sun. Feb 5, 2017 9 AM-4 PM FREE

For more information, call 912-353-3023.

Super Awesome Holiday Drawing Scavenger Hunt with Scribble Art Studio in Savannah.

Keep your little ones busy this Holiday break with this fun FREE activity!

Earn 65 points or higher by completing the following doodles, post to Scribble Art Studio’s Facebook page here, and win a SURPRISE. Deadline: Jan. 1 2017.

Scribble Art Studio, 212 E 37th St, Savannah, Ga. Scribble Art Studio is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser

Islands Fire Department will escort Santa through the Whitemarsh & Wilmington Island neighborhoods this weekend. Sat. & Sun. Dec. 17-18 from 1-5PM .

Get details here.

Whitemarsh Island Sat. Dec. 17 
Following the route posted below, Santa will be at the Whitemarsh Island Publix from 5:00-6:30pm for photos and to meet anyone they missed on their route.

Wilmington Island Sun. Dec. 18
Following the route posted below, Santa will be at the Wilmington Island Publix from 5-6:30pm for photos and to meet anyone they missed on their route.

Come join your Volunteer Firefighters and meet Santa this Saturday or Sunday!

New exhibit @ Telfair Museums’ Jepson Center

William Wegman: Improved Photographs

JEPSON CENTER
May 12–Aug. 13, 2017

William Wegman (American, b. 1943) is an internationally-renowned & seminal American artist with a prolific career spanning more than five decades. He became a household name for his enigmatic photographs of his beloved Weimaraners, an ever-growing cast beginning with his first dog & 12-year collaborator, Man Ray, in Los Angeles in 1970.

JEPSON CENTER
207 W. York St. Savannah, 31401

FREE Admission for children 12 & younger daily @ Telfair Museums Jepson Center.

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Free Family Days

Telfair Museums in Savannah offers regular free Family Days, daily drop-in studio & a monthly art start program.

One Saturday Each Month from 1-4PM (unless otherwise noted)

Sponsored by the City of Savannah’s Department of Cultural Affairs and the Georgia Power Foundation, Inc.

Saturday Aug. 5

Free Family Day: William Wegman
1-4pm, Aug. 5, Jepson Center

Say goodbye to the “dog days” of summer and kick off the start of the school year with a family
day devoted to the art of William Wegman. Participate in gallery activities, make your own
altered photos and postcards, and find out more about Savannah dogs available for adoption.
Admission is free and open to the public.

JEPSON CENTER
207 W. York St. Savannah, 31401

Sponsored by the City of Savannah’s Department of Cultural Affairs and the Georgia Power Foundation, Inc.

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Art Start: Stroller and Toddler Tours
3rd Thursday of Every Month
10:30-11:30AM
$5 per child / adult members free / adult non-members $20

Start your day with art with our new and combined programs! Once a month, our youngest patrons are invited to the museum for story time, a special tour, and an art activity. Strollers, crying babies, toddlers, and older siblings are all welcome here. Come play and learn with us!

REGISTER HERE.

Upcoming Art Start themes

Thurs, Aug. 17 2017

Art Start: Animal Instinct, 10.30-11.30am, August 13, Jepson Center
Jepson Center’s youngest patrons are invited to the museum for story time, a special tour, and an art activity. Strollers, crying babies, and older siblings are all welcome here. Come play and learn.
$5 per child, adult members free, adult non-members $12.

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Drop-In Studio
Daily | 1-4pm
Jepson Center
FREE with museum admission

Every day, Jepson Center opens their studio doors and loads the tables with creative exploratory activities for kids and adults.
Work at your own pace and comfort level with watercolors, coloring books (for grownups, too!), or take our “What can we make?” open-ended challenge. You can also explore your crafty side with books and materials for calligraphy, origami, and more. Each month also includes a new themed project, designed to connect with a specific exhibition on view. A studio assistant is always available to help with any questions or needs. Open to all ages; children must be accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Free with museum admission.

Drop-In Studio themes:
o Khalil Gibran Portrait Drawings (May)
o Various Projects (June-July)
o William Wegman and Animal Instinct (August)

Follow Telfair Museums on Facebook here. 

Telfair Museums is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser

Sponsored by the City of Savannah’s Department of Cultural Affairs and the Georgia Power Foundation, Inc.

You’re invited to these family-friendly holiday movies @ Trustees Theater in Savannah on Sat. Dec. 17 2016.

Trustees Theater
Saturday, Dec. 17
11AM, 3PM and 7PM

Trustees Theater will show these free screenings:

11AM Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer
3PM ELF
7PM White Christmas

FREE cookies, candy canes, popcorn, and sodas. Please bring canned food to benefit Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia. 

Doors open one hour before show time. Trustee’s Theater is @ 216 E. Broughton St., Savannah, 31401.

For more information about the events at Trustees Theater, call 912.525.5050 or click here.

The Lucas Theatre for the Arts in downtown Savannah will show the following movies for free, but you’re asked to donate new toys, non-perishable items or pet supplies.

SCROOGED (FREE)
FRI. DEC. 9, 8PM
PRESENTED BY THE LUCAS THEATRE
In this modern take on Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” Frank Cross (Bill Murray) is a wildly successful television executive whose cold ambition and curmudgeonly nature has driven away the love of his life, Claire Phillips (Karen Allen). But after firing a staff member, Eliot Loudermilk (Bobcat Goldthwait), on Christmas Eve, Frank is visited by a series of ghosts who give him a chance to re-evaluate his actions and right the wrongs of his past.

Rated PG 13. 1 hour 41 minutes.

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IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (FREE)
SAT. DEC. 10, 8PM
PRESENTED BY THE LUCAS THEATRE
After George Bailey (James Stewart) wishes he had never been born, an angel (Henry Travers) is sent to earth to make George’s wish come true. George starts to realize how many lives he has changed and impacted, and how they would be different if he was never there.

Rated PG. 2 hours and 15 minutes.

These are free screenings to benefit the Build a Bridge Foundation of Georgia, America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia, and the Humane Society of Greater Georgia. Admission is free, but we ask that you donate new toys to the Build a Bridge Foundation of Georgia, non-perishable items to the Second Harvest, or pet supplies to the Humane Society.

FREE HOLIDAY PARKING

The City of Savannah is offering a holiday parking deal every Thursday and Friday in December.

The first three hours in any city-owned garage is free. Any time over three hours is the daily rate.

Garages included: Bryan Street, Liberty Street, Robinson garage on Montgomery Street, State Street Garage and the Whitaker Street Garage.

Come to a free FIRST LEGO League (FLL) regional competition on Sat. Dec. 3 @ Savannah State University (SSU) for children ages 9-14.

The opening ceremonies will be at 7:30AM in King-Frazier student center before the competition starts in Willcox-Wiley at 8AM.

SSU’s College of Sciences and Technology (COST) coordinates the on-campus aspects of the event and provides volunteer mentors to the student competitors. The program is designed to get children ages 9-14 excited about science and technology. While it involves LEGO robotics, FLL also teaches teams to examine real-life problems and develop innovative solutions.

During the competition, students will program an autonomous robot to score points on a thematic playing surface, creating an innovative solution to a problem as part of their project. This year’s theme revolves around animal and human interaction. Players will have to solve various hypothetical challenges like shark shipment, animal conversation, service dog training, animal feeding, milking automation and more using problem solving and robotics engineering.

Winners will go on to higher level contests, culminating in the national showcase.

The event is free and open to the public.

Learn more here.