With the semester ending, we are reflecting on our EACAP service project. Jenn, Abby, and I were excited for the opportunity to help educate first graders at Glenside Elementary. For our project, we met with Miss Hinsey, the first-grade teacher, and talked about STEM bins. We decided to create 8 different themed bins for the students to use in the classroom. 75 students would be broken into groups of 8 during “Stem Learning Periods” once a week for about 40 minutes. STEM focuses on the topics of; science, technology, engineering, and math. We had to get creative to implement these ideas in DIY projects for the students. STEM-based learning gives students the opportunity to enhance problem-solving skills and teamwork. It encourages children to be creative and innovative. It’s also a great way to make learning fun!
The first stem bin we created was a DIY kaleidoscope. Students used a mirrored mylar sheet to reflect their drawings through a toilet paper roll. The activity taught students about the science behind reflections and mirrors while giving them an opportunity to be creative. We created a math fact Jenga activity with addition and subtraction facts for the students to play. They can practice math and engineering skills when building the tower and answering the questions. Our third project is a farm animal activity. The students can play with animal figures, popsicle sticks, toilet paper rolls, and other building materials to make habitats and bridges for the animals. This makes a fun engineering project where students can use their imagination. Our next bin is a Marble Run. Kids will use toilet paper rolls and tape to create a roller coaster like activity and use marbles to run through it at the end this will focus on their engineering skills. The Index Card Tower is another, using just index cards and tape children will build the highest tower and at the end measure the highest for the winner focusing on their engineering skills. Our Coding Game is an activity where children will have a key with letters and symbols to uncover words on a worksheet this will help them with their technology skills. The Clip Engineering Activity will be composed of popsicle sticks, clothespins, and binder clips building the highest and strongest structure helping them with their engineering. Lastly, our Velcro Engineering is composed of popsicle sticks with velcro circles on the ends on them. The students will follow the directions and build different shapes with them also focusing on their engineering skills.
We learned a lot from this project. We got the chance to be creative and make a difference in the education of the children at Glenside. We learned that first graders are really smart and with teamwork and time they can accomplish a lot. Team Green enjoyed choosing projects for the students and building them ourselves. During our presentation, our classmates got the chance to see our STEM bins. The Jenga game, Velcro Engineering, and Kaleidoscope were big hits even with college students. To sum up our experience; it was educational, fun, and rewarding. We are hopeful that the students will enjoy our activities and learn from them.
Check Out our Presentation and Reseach on Climate Change!
Google Presentation Slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1o8o0qkfKjfT6zFb2x0c_qQexl_FAdeB0qAUt7wX3UQo/edit#slide=id.g580d575689_0_133
Google Docs Research Report: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PvGiAcjlc-huxUDFWHYkZRznAuOZZIm-rfcyLPrKUl8/edit
