The first week of January saw Meeker 4-H Program Coordinator Carley Smith visit Kay Bivens’ library class demonstrating STEM (Science. Technology, Engineering and Math) activities to first through fifth graders. The theme for this week’s presentation was engineering, focusing on building model ski jumps.
The kids collaborated in small groups and were each given a set of materials to build a ski jump, launching a marble into a targeted area. The students could use blocks, insulation tubing, tape and chairs to design a ramp, allowing for greatest speed and most lift of the marble. The students learned important parts of engineering and that different materials can be shaped to increase strength and resistance to tension. This same idea is used by engineers working in the medical, environmental and industrial fields—and much more!
