Math is one of the trickiest subjects. A lot of people get confused or frustrated when they can’t figure out an answer to a problem. At the Calhoun County Library, we want to start teaching children when they are young!
STEM, Jr. is a hands-on learning program with project-based activities that focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for our little geniuses in grades K5 - 2. STEM, Jr. is taught by our very own Janice Baskins on the 3rd Wednesday, October through May. It starts at 4 PM, at same time as the twice-monthly STEM program for older children, and wraps up at 4:30 PM. It is a shorter duration than the regular STEM program as we do not want to confuse our little learners with information overload.
On March 16 at the Calhoun County Library, we had a great program full of laughs and excitement. Janice pulled out some of our new equipment from the Save the Children grant we received, and the children in attendance were so intrigued. They were amazed that they could put the colorful circles on their individual whiteboards and they wouldn’t fall off! They also had some blocks to engineer and design a tower entirely.
The main part of the STEM Jr. program was a game called “Leprechaun Can’t Take My Gold.” What did we use for pots of gold, and how did our smarty pants earn them?
Easy.
We painted little glass pots with black paint and used shiny ROLO candy as our gold nuggets. By following directions and answering questions, the children got to defeat the sneaky leprechaun one step at a time. In that, each correct answer took a piece of chocolate away from the leprechaun.
“Hold up two yellow circles!” Janice instructed.
Our little scientists did.
“Great! Now hold up one blue circle!”
Our little engineers did.
“Wonderful! Finally, hold up three green circles!”
Our little mathematicians did.
“How did you all get so smart? We’re not going to have that leprechaun get any gold this year!”
It was so adorable hearing the cute little laughs when the kids would get the answers right and get to collect another gold nugget. Positive reinforcement definitely had a very positive and fun effect on that class. Not only were the students happy when they got to take a piece of candy from the leprechaun, but they were also quick to ask for help when they needed it which was great to witness. This makes children aware that they can ask questions and learn at their own pace.
Mark your calendars! It will soon be time to explore and learn with Janice again. Our next STEM, Jr. program takes place on Wednesday, April 20, 2022 at 4 PM. We will be dissolving Peeps, the bunny and chick-shaped marshmallow candy. We hope they will be excited to see some magic tricks and discover how we can make these disappear before our eyes.
At the Calhoun County Library, we can’t wait to see our favorite little ‘peeps’ here for a fun STEM Jr. program on Wednesday, April 20, 2022 at 4 PM!
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