The STEAM program has been adopted in schools throughout the country, including Eagle Grove. The philosophy of the program, and the Eagle Grove Area School District, is that you’re never too young to start learning ways to think outside the box in your search for a solution to the problem. Along those same lines of thinking they want kids to also know that the Eagle Grove Elementary/Robert Blue Middle School Media Center is more than just a place to be quiet and read a book. It’s also a place to learn how to do new things, and a lot of that information can be found in books. That’s why Mrs. White, the school librarian, held a STEAM Day for the entire elementary school on Friday, Oct. 15.
STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. Mrs. White hosted the special STEAM day because she told the students, “hands-on learning (like you do with STEAM) builds strong brains.” It also teaches them how to work with others.
White set up six different STEAM stations for the students to participate in. 1.) The Marble Build focused on the “if=then” concepts. 2.) The Tumble Trax was a fun way to teach kids about gravity and develop their critical thinking skills. 3.) The Legos/Dominos station focused on problem solving skills and engineering. According to a recent study by Dorothy Singer, a senior research scientist at Yale University’s Department of Psychology and Child Study Center and the School Library Journal – the connection between Legos and books is that “Promoting play contributes to early literacy development by increasing attention span, memory, creativity, and language/vocabulary skills. It also lays the foundation for logical-mathematical thinking, scientific reasoning, and problem-solving.” 4.) Origami is a glimpse inside the world of engineering. It relates to non-fiction reading, art, sharing of knowledge, and a hands-on learning approach. 5.) the Sphero station let kids dive into the world of computer coding and technology all while developing critical thinking skills and hand-eye coordination. 6.) Finally, the Inerlox-Straw station let students work together, connecting colorful straws, to build something that was creative but also sturdy. Their skills developed included collaboration, problem-solving, design/planning, and of course, teamwork.
Whether the students realized it or not, they spent the day learning through their play. There is a lot to learn in the library in a variety of ways, and one day, the things they learned there just might lead them to their future career. And who knows what wonderful things they might discover from there that benefits their community, nation, or even the entire world.
