Kids enjoy learning at Atlanta Public Library S.T.E.A.M. Camp

 

[June 30, 2018]  The week of June 25th through the 29th, the Atlanta Public Library offered the Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead program, the first of its three Summer Discovery Camps sponsored by the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation. S.T.E.A.M. is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, art, and math, so activities were connected to these areas.

This program was new this year. Led by Heather Rogers, the 20 participants were able to explore creative S.T.E.A.M. projects, use their imagination, and build skills.



Library Director Cathy Maciariello said some of the week’s activities included planting hydroponic herbs using water, light, and seed packets; painting flower pots and planting herbs in them; using solar ovens to make s'mores; making pizza; and creating skyscrapers, ziplines, and boats.

On Thursday, several stations were set up for children to do math-related activities such as math games and geometric art.

At one station, children played a math card game where two children held a card with a number on it against their forehead. A third child would tell the sum, product, or difference between two numbers, and the other two had to ask questions so they would guess their numbers.



Another game was Contig, where children had a sheet with numbers, then had to roll three dice and mark the number on them as a starter number. As more dice are rolled, the goal is to add, subtract, multiply, or divide the numbers on them and mark squares that connect or are close to the original number square marked. Each connected square earns a point and the one with the highest points after eight rounds in the winner.

The final game was an area and perimeter game in which children rolled two dice, then drew a rectangle using the length and width of the dice rolled. Once they drew the rectangle, the children had to figure out the area and perimeter of the rectangle.



At another station, children made prisms using paper and filled them with popcorn to measure the volume. They then compared the prisms and determined which ones they thought would hold more popcorn. They were also able to eat the popcorn, which added even more fun to their work.

At one station, children combined shapes and art to produce geometric art. The children made circles, rectangles, and triangles, and glued them to another sheet of paper to create the artwork.

Rogers, who is a fifth-grade math teacher, said using math and manipulatives helps make math more fun and exposes children to new ways to learn.

The work at the station teaches them what Rogers referred to as twenty-first century soft skills of collaboration, communication, and working as a team. Rogers said she has learned these skills are more important to industries than content.

Rogers said as they wrap up the week on Friday, she will teach the children introductory coding with code boards. The children will create codes and see if others can figure out the code.

[Angela Reiners]