Elementary Family STEM Night
Elementary Family STEM Night was evening of exploration, fun, and learning for Boone elementary students and families. This year's theme was STEM and Computer Science in Careers. Work-based-learning is an important focus in the Boone Schools, and the Boone Edge program is growing to include elementary age learners. We strive to involve community members and central Iowa business partners in student learning in order to create authentic learning experiences. At STEM Night, our students enjoyed visiting 15 different activity stations, which will be featured in this and future posts coming soon! Iowa State University was one generous partner fort this event.
At the aerospace engineer station, aerospace engineering professor Tomas Gonzales-Torres was our guest. He joined students in activities related to space-- launching balloon rockets and creating galaxy pinwheels. Some students were fortunate to get to try on a pair of astronauts gloves from his work at NASA!
At the veterinarian station, students used both low-tech magnifying glasses and high-tech digital microscopes to take a detailed look at many natural materials. Identifying computing technology that has changed the world is an important topic in computer science lessons in the classroom.
Students from Iowa State University brought information about the job of a veterinarian as well as an interesting activity identifying bones and assembling the "skeleton" of a dog.
At the Engineer station, students used Botley robots with line-sensing technology to follow a designated path. This enabled students to extend their knowledge of sensors on a computer as an input device.
An Iowa State University student from the Women in Engineering program (W.I.S.E) led an activity where students compared different bubble solutions to see which made the most effective bubbles.
At the data analysis station, students learned how information in a database can be organized using digital tools. Storing and retrieving information using a computing device and seeing how data is organized visually is an important topic in computer science education. Students answered questions on a Google form, then examined the graphs generated in order to check their predictions, notice relationships, and support their claims.
Students danced to the Toreador shuffle with a dance teacher. They saw how choreography is an algorithm. It was fun to recognize another area of life where algorithms are present.
Special thanks to all our guest facilitators and community partners who made this event possible!
