Dec 31st - A STEM Year in Review


2020 has been quite the year! From politics to pandemic, it seems there has never been a day when there wasn't something new to capture our attention and get us worrying about what the future would bring.

However 2020 brought many good memories and changes as well, and I think it is always important to reflect on the positives of life!

February: This month I participated in a couple fun events including:

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Germs-.png
4 unique swab dishes with Bacterial Cultures (1 week after swabbing!)

1. Teaching Kindergartners about Germs

4 classes of Johnson Elementary kindergartners were able to swab their classrooms and grow bacteria cultures. This lesson helped students identify dirty areas and find solutions to making these areas more "germ free".

2. Mesa County Safety Fair

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is thumbnail_IMG_4525.jpg
The CSU STEM Energy Trailer

With help from our Mesa County 4-H Agent, we spent two days at the Mesa Mall meeting with over 1500 3rd-5th graders. We showed them alternative energy forms and had a ton of hands on activities for kids to experiment safely with different energy components. Thanks again to our sponsoring partner Grand Valley Power for inviting us to join them at this past year's fair!



March: March began as a fun month...

1. Working with kindergartners on Plant Science

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Barb-2.jpg
Dr. Barb talking about Plant Parts

Oak Grove invited us into the classroom to talk with kindergartners about the exciting science behind plants! Along with my colleague Dr. Barbara Shaw, we were able to show students the parts of a plant (both in diagram and with a hands on plant dissection) and helped kids make their own plant in a bag seed experiment.



But March also brought to us the reality of COVID-19, and as of mid-month...I was working virtually from home...

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Coffee-edited.jpg

Summer: Over the course of the summer, my brain had to switch from in person programming to virtual programs. It took a while to get a vision focus, but with the help of my coworkers Dr. Barb and Andrew Reed, we were able to start producing STEMing at home videos. These videos walked through easy STEM activities kids to could at home while 'Stay at Home' was in effect...and thereafter! Over the course of 4 months, we produced over 20 different STEM videos, all still available for viewing on our YouTube channel STEMing with Steph!

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is W-CS-CV-1024x768.jpg
The Shell Less Egg Experiment paired with Osmosis fun!

Summer also paired us up with the Montrose Public Library as part of their summer reading program. STEM provided the library with STEM in a Bag activities that could be handed out to kids at home for the summer. All bags included 1 STEM activity with supplies and directions. We fixed up over 600+ bags over the course of 4 weeks!

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Stem-Kits-Assembly-1024x819.png
STEM in a Bag activities all ready to head to the Library for delivery!
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Picture3.png
Delta Life Skills Class - Learning to Bead!

Fall: In the fall we finally were able to come back to the office to work. I was still limited to mostly virtual programming, but I still managed to partner with the Delta Life Skills girls program to continue to teach home economic education. That group has expanded from 5 to 15 girls since its creation in 2018!

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Live-Chicks-2.jpg
Live Streamed Chick Hatching!

Also exciting for fall was the successful production of 5 baby chicks through Pomona Elementary's 3rd grade class led by Mrs. Franks. From late October to Mid November, 3rd graders learned all about the life cycle of a chick and were able to watch the process of incubation in the classroom. Through candling eggs, viewing daily videos, and studying different aspects of chicken production, students gained an appreciation of life cycles! The chicken hatching was also streamed live for 2 days with over 5000 views on our Facebook page STEM/k12 Programs - TRA Extension.

Winter: December has been pretty slow, but it has given me a chance to reflect on all the good that did happen in 2020. As I look back, I am so thankful for the family and friends I have, for my husband (who I celebrated 1 year of marriage to!), my step daughter, our home, jobs, and all the positives that happened this year.

We may not be in the clear yet, but I am thankful for 2020 and I look forward to what 2021 will bring for my Family and for the people I get to work with! May you take time today to reflect on the year gone past, and renew your hope that the future, whatever it brings, will be the best you make it to be!

Happy News Years my peeps! I will see you in 2021!

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is New-Years-Eve-in-Barcelona.jpg
I am a STEM/k12 Educator with Colorado State University Extension. I love working with youth and encouraging them to participate in many forms of hand on education! Overall, our goal is to promote positive youth development and encourage youth to pursue higher education after high school.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dec 10th ~ Why Home Economics?

Image
 Soap Box Time! One of the things I think that we've lost in public education is the Home Economics training that so many young people need to function properly as adults. When I was in school, we were taught how to cook and clean, how to mend things rather than toss them away, and how to balance a check book. Today in our 'test score %' society, it's hard to find that old fashion education in any of the curriculum books. And I find that really disturbing since it's many of these basic skills that we depend upon daily to function. However, thankfully I'm not the only one this concerns. Many educators still offer such classes and learning opportunities for youth to gain these skills. One such group is located in Delta, Colorado. Two Tuesday afternoons a month, a group of middle and high school girls get together with their 3 head instructors for what they call Life Skills training. From the creation of their squad, they have covered a plethora o...
Read more

The History Behind the Holiday ~ April Fools

Image
Original Story from History.com April Fools’ Day, occurring on April 1 each year, has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, though its exact origins remain a mystery. April Fools' Day traditions include playing hoaxes or practical jokes on others, often yelling “April Fools!” at the end to clue in the subject of the April Fools' Day prank. While its exact history is shrouded in mystery, the embrace of April Fools' Day jokes by the media and major brands has ensured the unofficial holiday’s long life. Example of the Julian Calendar Some historians speculate that April Fools ’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the council of Trent in 1563. In the Julian calendar, as in the Hindu calendar, the New Year began with the spring equinox around April 1.  People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued ...
Read more

Jan 21st ~ Measuring at the Meniscus!

Image
The New Year is here and Problem Based Learning projects (PBL's) are once again shaping up for schools in our community. This time around, we are back with Oak Grove Elementary School to work with 4th graders. I won't give away their PBL question, but they are learning how a rain gauge works and will be collecting precipitation rates all semester with the CoCoRaHS Rain Gauge donated to their school. Our (Dr. Barbara Shaw and myself) first visit was to both introduce the PBL question and to teach kids how to measure liquids in graduated cylinders, beakers, and the rain gauge. The first step when measuring water is knowing that water has adhesive properties, meaning it likes to cling to surfaces. This can be seen when you pour water into a glass container and then meet the surface at eye level. What do you see? Probably something similar to the example below. Example of water in a glass measuring container. Where do you measure when it is a curve? Water will curve (...
Read more