Elementary STEAM Days
Elementary STEAM Days is an event our robotics team, Chop Shop 166, has done at the end of the school year for the last 3 years. During this event, team members visit our district’s three elementary schools: Thorntons Ferry, Reeds Ferry, and James Mastricola. While at the schools we teach the fourth grade classes about STEAM and have them complete a challenge so they can learn different parts of STEAM and how it affects their daily lives. We have them do a challenge called Disaster Island. During this challenge the kids are broken up into small groups and given a cardboard island and LEGO bricks. They have to use the LEGO bricks to protect their islands from different disasters and help themselves survive and escape.
This yearly event reaches approximately 275 fourth grade students and is one of the largest events Chop Shop 166 does. The school district has been extremely helpful with setting this event up and is the reason we can reach so many students. The fourth grade teachers have also been fantastic to work with, always trying to make sure we have the ability to host Elementary STEAM Days. The kids have always enjoyed this challenge and love learning about STEAM.