A group of scientifically-inclined 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students in Northern New Jersey Council are learning lessons beyond just science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Through team work, experiments, and exciting topics, the STEM Scouts program is helping these young geniuses develop character, leadership, and academic strengths they’ll use long after their school days are behind them.
Teacher and STEM Scouts lab leader Diana Robles knows the importance of a curriculum that teaches kids in a way that’s both fun and relevant to modern science, and with the help of the STEM Scouts program, she’s filling that need for her students. In a recent interview with FiOS1 News, she explained how this updated approach to learning augments her teaching and helps her students.
“As we know, we live in a very technology-driven world, so we need to make sure that we are adapting our teaching methods to meet the needs of the changes that are going on around us so that we can really prepare these kids for the future.”
The STEM Scouts program, which is offered to boys and girls from elementary to high school, teaches science, technology, engineering, and math in a fun and engaging way though learning modules. As pictured in the video below, the “What’s the Matter?” module teaches students about the states of matter though discussions and fun experiments with solids, liquids, and gasses, and how they can change.
According to Robles, the benefits of the STEM Scouts curriculum don’t end in academia. Through hands-on activities, STEM Scouts have an opportunity to build skills like teamwork, communication, and critical thinking.
Fifth grade STEM Scout Archie M., who wants to be a scientist one day himself, explained to FiOS1 News, “It helps me talk to my friends easier because we work as a group now and it helps me in science class.”
See for yourself how STEM Scouts is providing kids with exciting learning experiences in the video below from FiOS1 News, and the full article here.
For more information on the STEM Scouts program, and to find a lab near you, visit STEMScouts.org.
