CULLMAN, Ala. – Young learners from kindergarten through eighth grade spent a couple of weeks this summer learning everything from how to design roller coasters, to writing code for robots, as part of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) camp hosted in partnership between Cullman City Schools and Cullman Parks, Recreation & Sports Tourism.
The camp was free for students in grades K-8 in the city of Cullman and from area private schools. The camp is designed to expand students’ knowledge of STEM and career development skills, focusing on teamwork, collaboration, leadership, critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills.
“It seeks to inspire and engage students in STEM through hands-on experiments and projects, as well as exploring robotics, coding, and engineering concepts,” Cullman City Schools Career Tech Coordinator Lindsay Brannon explained. “The camp culminates with a fun and educational field trip to the Cook Museum of Natural Science. This camp provides a fantastic experience for students, allowing them to learn new skills, make friends and have fun.”
The camp included a variety of engaging challenges and projects. The Exploring Robotics activity taught students how to build robots and write code to make them perform a specific task, such as shooting a basketball into a hoop. The STEM Water Challenges encouraged students to work together to explore forces and motion, with a focus on gravity, by racing to transport water between buckets, creating water slides and launching water rockets.
The Engineering activity allowed students to learn engineering by designing and building roller coasters for an amusement park. The Gardening activity allowed students to use knowledge of decomposition and ecosystems to build compost bins to promote recycling and resource sustainability. Students identified decomposers in the garden such as worms and beetles and shared their function in the decomposition process in their nature journals.
“Our five board members have made their vision and expectations clear in relation to STEM education,” Cullman City Schools Superintendent Kyle Kallhoff said. “Whether it be with facilities, personnel, programs, or in this case summer camps – our students need to be immersed with STEM exploration, exposure and experiences.”
