One-day STEM-a-THONs were held on April 18th and 25th at White Oaks Elementary School and Green Run Collegiate respectively. These fun-filled days were developed and run by the STEM Education Alliance and coordinated by Operation PRIDE. Each STEM-a-THON hosted approximately 25 military-connected students. At the end of both days, parents were treated to a discussion on the importance of STEM and helping children choose a career.
The day at White Oaks Elementary was filled with engaging activities that revolved around electricity. These hands-on, minds-on activities included:
- Discovering, through guided inquiry and exploration, how to make series and parallel circuits using wires, bulbs and batteries.
- Identifying insulators and conductors.
- Creating an electromagnet from a wire and nail.
- Building a working motor.
- Experimenting with Snap Circuits kits.
Each participating child took home a Snap Circuits Jr. kit. In addition, several large Snap Circuits kits were given to White Oaks Elementary School for future use by their teachers.
At Green Run Collegiate, ninth and tenth graders spent the day making Geiger counters, an instrument used for measuring ionizing radiation. Through the process of making Geiger counters, students learned how to solder metals together with a soldering iron. A highlight of the day was getting to experiment with Google Glass, which is a pair of glasses that displays a small monitor and allows you to interact with it as you would a smartphone. All of the soldering irons, as well as other materials, were left with Green Run Collegiate teachers.
