STEM(in) with Steph

  There was Magic in the Air! Sometimes my STEM Agent persona gets to get outta town and do bigger events with her STEM skills. Meeker was a haunting experience to say the least - because I felt like I'd stepped into Hogwarts Academy. Hogwarts Night in Meeker This was my first experience at Hogwarts Night, and I wasn't disappointed! Meeker county 4-H puts on their annual event around Halloween each year hosting about 300 kids and their families for an exciting night of characters, games, rides, mazes, and magic! This year, I brought the magic! Young wizards began sharpening their skills on creating and balancing dry ice bubbles. If they were really adapt they could even form their own crystal ball. Crystal Bucket Ball From there they turned glue into slime in Alchemy, discovered magic charms with their wands and had to write them in invisible ink (pH indicator revealed the message), and even dabbled in Herbology by growing their own Mandrake pet. F...

  Jamming with Germs! Johnson Elementary 1st grade is doing their part to live healthier and more active lives! Back in October, I was invited into their classrooms to help them look for bacteria (Germs!) around them that they couldn't see with just their eyes. We started out on a Monday by talking a little about germs and what types of bacteria are found around us, good and bad bacteria, and good tips for being healthy. A swab and petri nutrient dish (before germ growth) Next I encouraged all students to wash their hands, and then each put a finger print on the petri (germ depository) dish. Then, students were challenged to take swabs from 1 of 4 places around their classrooms: the sink, their desks, and....my cell phone.... among other class specific locations. The results were...well judge for yourself Johnson 1st Grade Germ Swab Results! DISGUSTING!!!!!! Oh you bet I went home and cleaned my cell phone! After viewing the bacteria cultures on some pretty cool...

  Birds and Bird Feeders! Bagel feeders displayed outside classroom 3rd grade at Oak Grove is studying animals that use Spring Creek during the winter months. Since kids spend so much time indoors during the winter, what better way to observe the birds than by building bird feeders for outside their classroom windows! Students wanted to learn what diets birds best like to eat when given a choice. They crafted 6 bagel bird feeders using a variety of different ingredients including: Lard, Birdseed, Sunflower Seeds, Crackers, and Oats. the bird feeders were all weighed before being hung up outside for a week of observations. Oat bagel 2nd weighing 3rd graders then watched out their windows to see all the different feathered friends that came to eat up the yummy treats. Can you guess what bird feeder was most popular when we re-weighed the feeders a week later? HINT: It shouldn't surprise you!