This summer, students at Austin Road Elementary School dove into hands-on learning and discovery at the school’s STEM Camp, a three-week program designed for second through fifth graders with a focus on science, technology, engineering and math.
"STEM Camp gives students the chance to see how fun problem-solving can be," teacher Carolyn Ryan said. "They start out excited to build, experiment and figure things out, and by the end you can really see their confidence shine."
From building popsicle stick bridges and dissecting owl pellets to constructing car-and-track engineering projects and taking on Breakout EDU challenges, students were encouraged to collaborate, think critically and take creative risks.
Campers also tried out unique activities such as the Milky Way experiment, which demonstrated the principles of surface tension using milk, food coloring and dish soap, and were introduced to Kendama, a traditional Japanese skill toy that helps develop hand-eye coordination.
With patience, teamwork and curiosity at the heart of every activity, Austin Road’s STEM Camp helped ignite a love of learning that students will carry well beyond summer.