After School S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Club
Our K-4 elementary library has undergone many changes this year both with function and appearance. But the mindset behind the use of the library has been the most impressive change. After school clubs are being offered for book clubs, Lego clubs and foreign language clubs. Students can’t wait to get into the library. The newest and most popular club offered is our Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) club.
We used our school social media accounts to advertise the club and an online ticketing platform for family sign up. The 20 coveted openings filled in less than 20 minutes for the first session and less than 2 minutes for the second. “It’s easier to get tickets to an Adele concert” joked a parent. Club members were girls and boys from Kindergarten to fourth grade. Facilitators created five teams that included a mix of gender and ages. These teams worked together throughout the session to accomplish a variety of STEM challenges.
Challenges were based on the following themes: construction (marshmallows and toothpicks), stop motion movie making (Lego bricks and Lego Movie Maker app), astronomy (making a nebula), construction (newspaper chairs), physics (building a catapult), physics (egg drop), chemistry (outdoor water exploration with chemical reactions), engineering (Solo cup building, craft stick building), physics (magnetism) and robotics (wigglebots and wobblebots)
Teams worked together to complete the task and meet the challenge. Some challenges included specific introductions, examples and step by step directions (building the wigglebots and wobblebots) while other challenges were more vague only offering the materials and the goal (creating the tallest tower with marshmallows and toothpicks). Team members were encouraged to take into consideration their individual strengths and use their skills such as leadership and creativity to strengthen their group. There were no prizes for the “best”. Instead, teams gained inspiration from the success of their peers and made modifications.
Guest speakers from the astronomy department of Missouri State University not only spoke with the STEM club members but also stayed late for our first ever astronomy night. Professors brought telescopes and sky maps to share with the entire school community. Additional activities included a “Power On” electrical safety presentation from the regional electric cooperative and a walking field trip to a local business where they demonstrated their use of 3D printers and casting equipment. Each session also allowed for some team building activities, tech gadget fun with the “Sphero” and “Osmo”, and a lot of controlled fun chaos!
STEM club has been the talk of the school. Students are sharing what they are learning with classmates and taking their experiences home to experiment even more. A third grade club members parent shared “I was super impressed when my 8-year-old told me about the formation of a nebula! We still have her “artistic rendering” of it on display”.
Each session lasted 6 weeks with students meeting one day a week after school. Three adult sponsors facilitated the group including a first grade teacher, a paraprofessional and the librarian. First grade teacher, Robin Kramer stated, “My students look forward to doing STEM projects and I love incorporating them into my curriculum. I hope that I can give students new experiences and learning opportunities, while stretching their minds to work in new ways.” The success and popularity of our after school STEM clubs have prompted us to consider opening more opportunities for science, technology, engineering and math in the library. Summer STEM as well as Family STEM nights are already in the planning stages for the next school year.
Our K-4 elementary library has undergone many changes this year both with function and appearance. But the mindset behind the use of the library has been the most impressive change. After school clubs are being offered for book clubs, Lego clubs and foreign language clubs. Students can’t wait to get into the library. The newest and most popular club offered is our Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) club.
We used our school social media accounts to advertise the club and an online ticketing platform for family sign up. The 20 coveted openings filled in less than 20 minutes for the first session and less than 2 minutes for the second. “It’s easier to get tickets to an Adele concert” joked a parent. Club members were girls and boys from Kindergarten to fourth grade. Facilitators created five teams that included a mix of gender and ages. These teams worked together throughout the session to accomplish a variety of STEM challenges.
Challenges were based on the following themes: construction (marshmallows and toothpicks), stop motion movie making (Lego bricks and Lego Movie Maker app), astronomy (making a nebula), construction (newspaper chairs), physics (building a catapult), physics (egg drop), chemistry (outdoor water exploration with chemical reactions), engineering (Solo cup building, craft stick building), physics (magnetism) and robotics (wigglebots and wobblebots)
Teams worked together to complete the task and meet the challenge. Some challenges included specific introductions, examples and step by step directions (building the wigglebots and wobblebots) while other challenges were more vague only offering the materials and the goal (creating the tallest tower with marshmallows and toothpicks). Team members were encouraged to take into consideration their individual strengths and use their skills such as leadership and creativity to strengthen their group. There were no prizes for the “best”. Instead, teams gained inspiration from the success of their peers and made modifications.
Guest speakers from the astronomy department of Missouri State University not only spoke with the STEM club members but also stayed late for our first ever astronomy night. Professors brought telescopes and sky maps to share with the entire school community. Additional activities included a “Power On” electrical safety presentation from the regional electric cooperative and a walking field trip to a local business where they demonstrated their use of 3D printers and casting equipment. Each session also allowed for some team building activities, tech gadget fun with the “Sphero” and “Osmo”, and a lot of controlled fun chaos!
STEM club has been the talk of the school. Students are sharing what they are learning with classmates and taking their experiences home to experiment even more. A third grade club members parent shared “I was super impressed when my 8-year-old told me about the formation of a nebula! We still have her “artistic rendering” of it on display”.
Each session lasted 6 weeks with students meeting one day a week after school. Three adult sponsors facilitated the group including a first grade teacher, a paraprofessional and the librarian. First grade teacher, Robin Kramer stated, “My students look forward to doing STEM projects and I love incorporating them into my curriculum. I hope that I can give students new experiences and learning opportunities, while stretching their minds to work in new ways.” The success and popularity of our after school STEM clubs have prompted us to consider opening more opportunities for science, technology, engineering and math in the library. Summer STEM as well as Family STEM nights are already in the planning stages for the next school year.