Our new STEM Lab is designed to encourage innovation among our 3rd - 5th grade students. Teachers in those grade levels can take their students up to the lab to work on engineering challenges four days a week.  On Fridays, our STEM Specialist takes classes up to the STEM Lab to work on a monthly engineering design challenge which is scaffolded to build knowledge of engineering skills and the engineering planning process.

 

Due to fire codes regarding the location of our STEM Lab, K-2 students receive similar lessons on Fridays from our STEM Specialist in their respective classrooms. The K-2 teachers have unlimited access to the materials from the STEM Lab.

 

Along with the weekly STEM lessons that classes participate in, we have optional quarterly challenges that require students to think outside the box and create something that fits the challenge. For example, our first quarter challenge was to build a device to “Save the Egg” so that it would survive when dropped from a fire truck’s ladder. All the students who participated in the challenge were recognized by the STEM Specialist.  In the case of the “Save the Egg Challenge”, winners’ names were entered into a drawing for gift certificates from local businesses.  

 

Our second quarter challenge went along with our space themed STEM unit and students were given the choice to either create or represent a constellation or build a spaceship.  Both projects were displayed at our family STEM night.