4-H Creativity Lab incorporates S.T.E.A.M. into a fun afternoon

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[July 16, 2016]  LINCOLN - This past Wednesday afternoon eight children were treated to an afternoon of fun at the Elkhart Public Library courtesy of the Logan County Extension 4-H Program. The kids, ages eight through 13 years-old gathered around tables and learned about how Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (S.T.E.A.M) education can be fun and exciting.

The lab was led by 4-H educators Carissa Apkore and Amy Hyde with 4-H member/helper Katlyn Helton. Apkore opened up the day talking to the kids about the use of science and technology in their everyday lives. She went around the room asking each child to say what they most enjoyed about science. The answers varied widely and included everything from “doing experiments” to building things and playing video game sports.

Katlyn shared that her favorite part of Science is biology and that she intends to use that in her career because she plans to be a doctor.

Hyde talked about the everyday use of science, explaining that some of the daily tasks we do, such as cooking are a type of chemistry that involves measuring and mixing and finding the right combination of ingredients to make something tasty.

Apkore said her favorite part of science is getting messy. She said when we do experiments, we get messy and sometimes our experiments work and sometimes they don’t, but it is fun to figure it all out. The leaders also shared that in science, most of the time there are no wrong answers, it is simply a matter of experimenting until you find out what works.

That led to the first exercise the kids would do for the afternoon. The leaders provided each kid with a LED light with two wires attached, a battery power pack, also with two wires, and two balls of Play-Doh. Apkore told the kids that they would experiment with putting all these items together in a way that would make the LED bulb light up. She explained this was called a “simple circuit,” and explained how circuitry worked to generate the electricity needed to light the bulb.



The kids worked for a while, trial and error style until each one found the right combination to get the bulb to glow. They learned that they could put a wire from the bulb and the battery pack into the balls of Play-doh and generate the electric current they needed. They also learned that to prevent the current from shorting-out, the two balls of Play-Doh could not touch.

Next, the kids were given a buzzer with two wires and asked to incorporate it into the circuit. The result was that when the buzzer was added, and the power pack turned on, the buzzer would sound while the little bulb glowed.

Moving on, the kids were told that they would now incorporate what they had learned to create a drawing robot that they would be able to take home with them. Each child was given a large disposable cup; three felt tip markers, an electric motor with a rotor on it, and half a glue stick.

With the cup turned upside down the kids discussed how that the motor would be the robot's “brain” and logic told them that the brain should probably be on what was now the top of the cup. The glue stick was to act as a propeller that would cause a vibration of the cut when the motor was turned on. The kids reasoned that to do this, the motor would need to be mounted in such a manner as to allow the propeller to move freely. They also realized that the glue stick would have to be stuck onto the rotor and that it should be centered for it to turn smoothly. They then mounted the motor onto the cup with duct tape. To power the motor they needed a battery. The kids were given an AA battery that they attached to the side of the cup. They also had to create the simple circuit. Apkore explained that to be able to turn the robot on and off, the kids would want to attach one wire in a fashion where that it would stay stuck to the battery, but the other wire should be attached in a manner where it could easily be disconnected from the battery.

Next, the kids were told that they would create legs for their robot using the markers. It was to be a three-legged robot, so they would want to determine where to place the markers so that the robot would stand up without falling over.



When they were finished, they removed the lids from the markers, turned on their motors, and set the robot on a piece of paper to see what would happen. They learned that the position of the motor and propeller impacted the amount of vibration in the cup, and that vibration caused the cup to move on its own over the paper. They also learned that the height of the robot, based on where they had mounted their markers, impacted the pattern that was made on the paper.

One child learned that when she mounted her legs, so the robot was really tall, it quickly “walked” off of the paper and onto the plastic table covering. Another child mounted her markers in a fashion that made her robot shorter. The result, the robot made almost perfect circles in on the paper.

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For the third and fourth experiments, the kids split into two groups. One group would learn how to use simple circuitry, and a cup of water to play music on a computer piano. The other group would experiment with building a holographic projector.



For the musicians, electrodes were connected to several small cups of water on one end and the laptop computer on the other. A power pack with an electrode on it was also used. The kids would hold the power pack electrode in their right hand and place a finger of their left hand into the cup of water, and the piano would play.

Even more fascinating to the kids, was when they learned that they could generate the electric current from one person to another with the result being the same, the musical note would sound, and they could play a song. To do this, the four stood in a line side-by-side. The person on the far right held the electrode. The person to his or her left touched the first persons left arm. Person number three then touched person number two’s left arm, and person number four touched person number three’s left arm. Person number four then placed a finger of his or her left hand into the cup of water and the music played.

Meanwhile, the second group was learning about projecting light and images. They were given a piece of clear plastic and instructed to cut out four trapezoids. Using scotch tape they connected the four, matching the sides so that they ended up with a three-dimensional shape that resembled a pyramid with a flat top. To make the projector work property, the kids had to go into a very dark room. Hyde used her cell phone to find a video of a minion from the movie “Despicable Me.” Holding the phone, so the face was toward the ceiling of the room, the plastic shape was placed small end down onto the phone face. The result was that the video on the phone was reflected onto the plastic walls of the shape, and the kids could watch the video without actually looking at the phone.

When the respective groups had completed these experiments, they switched so that everyone had the opportunity to play the piano as well as build the projector.

When they were finished, the kids enjoyed a quick snack, then one final experiment.



The last experiment was a test of the engineering skills. The kids were divided into three teams. They were given seven clear plastic cups, ten large craft sticks, and ten alphabet blocks. The task was to use all of the materials before them to build a structure. The first time, they were instructed that they had to use one small block as the base of their structure, and they had to utilize all the materials given.

This was a big challenge for the kids, but they were up to it. All three groups built structures that would stand on only the one block.

In the last exercise of the day they would use all their materials in any way they wished with a goal of being the team to build the tallest structure. Again the kids were up for the challenge and made some very tall and impressive structures.

Also during the day, Apkore talked to the kids about 4-H explaining that in the 4-H programs there are opportunities to work on projects such as these on a regular basis. She gave each kid a sheet that listed all the 4-H clubs in Logan County and the leaders to contact to become a member. She said that 4-H was available to kids starting at age eight. She asked for a show of hands, how many had heard of 4-H and also how many were already in 4-H. Then she asked who was age eight, nine, 10, and so on, and shared with the kids that every one of them was within the age requirements to join.

Katlyn also shared her 4-H monthly meetings experiences, the fun projects she has been involved in with the club as a group, as well as the great trips they take together, including a recent trip to St. Louis to the City Museum that everyone enjoyed.

This summer the local 4-H program planned for five Creativity Labs to be held in various parts of the county. The event in Elkhart on Wednesday was the fourth lab. The fifth and final lab will be held on Friday, July 22 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Atlanta Public Library.

To learn more about 4-H or the Creativity Lab program, contact the Logan County Extension Office by calling 217-732-8289.

[Nila Smith]

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