STEAM Science Technology Engineering Arts Mathematics
On The Right Track!
Inside The ELC’s Steam Machine
WORDS: Lela Rast Hartsaw
PICTURES: Whitney Patton
Have you seen the Early Learning
Coalition of Manatee’s STEAM
Machine? Sounds like a
prototype for a 19th Century precursor
to the locomotive, doesn’t it? Actually,
it is an innovative use of a recreational
vehicle outfitted to inspire young
minds in Manatee County with handson
experiences in STEAM - science,
technology, engineering, art, and math.
Guess what? The kids LOVE it!
The STEAM program rolled out last
summer, as a classroom concept, where
educators from the ELC would visit
Voluntary Prekindergarten students in
their classrooms and allow the children
to explore open-ended challenges. One
example, a favorite among preschoolers,
is the water-themed “Will It Sink or Float?”
experiment.
Students are presented with a tub of
water and various objects like rocks,
sticks, plastic items… and are invited to
discover if the item will sink in the water
or if it will float. Kids are often surprised to
witness their preconceived notions about
everyday items validated or debunked
as these items plunk to the bottom of the
tub or float gently on the water’s surface.
Getting their hands wet, in a school setting,
is another simple thrill. Occasionally, a
student will declare his or her prediction
out loud. The dynamic changes with
that declaration, and soon everyone is
predicting the buoyancy of their objects
and the lesson becomes a game.
That’s the magic behind the new
mobile STEAM Machine. Young minds
expand through fun, creative, child-led
experiences. It helps that the STEAM
Machine now pulls into the school’s
parking lot and the students leave the
building and step onto a motorized
classroom on wheels. It’s a field trip that
comes to them.
The STEAM Machine allows the children
an experience outside the facility where
they spend the majority of their day.
Education Innovation WOW!