In November, students in YouthQuest participated in STEAMQuest – a weeklong event filled with activities covering science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.
STEAMQuest was created to replace the annual ArtQuest program by adding more elements to the lessons and creating a more interactive experience. The event, which was held primarily virtually, allowed students to explore STEAM concepts in a safe and fun environment.
“We embed STEM in a lot of our programming,” says Nefertari Jones, director of YouthQuest. “Rebuilding ArtQuest into STEAMQuest allowed us to expand students’ knowledge in a unique and exciting way.”
Each day, students followed a different element of STEAM. Students that attended virtually were given a packet full of supplies before the event so they could follow along at home. Students at International Academy of Flint, who participated in in-person learning that week, were able to work directly with vendors and staff.
Monday was dedicated to science and students from different grades worked on a variety of projects, including The Bird Beak Challenge, a lesson from the naturalists from For-Mar Nature Preserve and Arboretum.
On Tuesday, students worked on technology. At International Academy of Flint, students built robots that they could take home.
Wednesday was engineering day, during which students participated in multiple projects including Noodles and Marshmallows – an activity that consisted of building structures using edible ingredients.
On Thursday, students were able to express their creativity on art day and participated in different activities including a watercolor feather project.
To wrap up the week, Friday was math day where students learned concepts in counting and applied them to real-world situations such as planting a garden.
Students were excited to participate in fun activities throughout the week and gained confidence and encouragement from facilitators in their abilities to learn and grow in STEAM.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2lQ52CpqG4&feature=youtu.be
YouthQuest is made possible through the generous support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and 21st Century Community Learning Centers.