New Children's Museum Offers STEAM Kits For Students With 'Celebrating Our Planet' Theme

San Diego CA

24 April, 2021

5:45 PM

Description

By Editor, Times of San Diego April 24, 2021 The New Children's Museum and San Diego Gas & Electric have partnered to create STEAM-based learning kits and workshops for nine San Diego groups that serve youths. The "pARTners in Creativity" access program will benefit nine groups to promote hands-on exploration for students: Autism Tree Project FoundationBarrio Logan College InstituteRonald McDonald House CharitiesSan Diego Center for ChildrenSupport the Enlisted ProjectVista HillVoices for ChildrenWords AliveUnited Service OrganizationSDG&E's support allowed for the creation of 1,800 STEAM Kits, along with virtual workshops for families to mark Earth Month this April. The museum's arts education team created four different kits with the theme Celebrating Our Planet, emphasizing the use of recycled materials. The kits use concepts from science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM). They include lesson plans, links to video tutorials and art supplies to complete the activities. The projects are inspired by the challenges in the Museum's makerspace, Innovators LAB. For grades K-2, there's a "Bug Build and Geo Gardens" kit, while grades 3-6 receive "Earth-Inspired Marble Maze and Weaving" kits. The children's museum made a shift during the pandemic to focus on online programming, while providing arts-based learning kits. "STEAM learning is a key part of our efforts to engage children to think critically and utilize problem solving skills," said Amy Gray, the museum's senior arts education manager. The museum plans one more free virtual Zoom workshop for families who have received the kits, at 10 a.m. May 15. The STEAM Kits also are available for purchase on the museum's online store. Times of San Diego is an independent online news site covering the San Diego metropolitan area. Our journalists report on politics, crime, business, sports, education, arts, the military and everyday life in San Diego. No subscription is required, and you can sign up for a free daily newsletter with a summary of the latest news.