Lunchtime S.T.E.M Program
What is the Lunchtime S.T.E.M Program?
The STEM lunchtime program is run by Miss Costa on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at lunchtime each week. The activities are open and differentiated to all students at Albany Rise Primary School from Foundation all the way to Year 6 students.
Clubs can be a powerful and enjoyable way to engage young people with STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects, and deliver a wide range of benefits. They can ignite a new interest in STEM subjects for some and provide a platform for others to extend their learning. They can give a deeper understanding, offer real-world experiences and suggest different ways to learn and engage in STEM subjects. Most importantly, they are fun and exciting and allow all involved to explore STEM subjects in imaginative and inventive ways.
STEM Clubs for primary-aged children can stimulate pupils’ excitement about STEM subjects at a formative age and prepare them for next steps at secondary level. They can support pupil attainment, helping them to learn about group and independent working whilst boosting key skills and confidence levels.
Students involved in STEM programs have the potential to improve their confidence, learning and understanding of STEM subjects, which increases skill sets and levels of attainment. Through their enjoyment and enthusiasm in taking part in program activities students can challenge their abilities and learn more about STEM subjects and the influence they can have on their life and the world around them. Participation in a STEM program helps students realise that STEM subjects can be for them, increasing their confidence and overall employability.
So far students have the opportunity to experience the following activities:
Sphero Coding - automatic and manual
Scratch Jnr-introduction to coding blocks, sequencing
Dance
Lego Construction
Gardening
With activities to rotate based on student voice and enjoyment.
Lego
Lego play helps develop the following skills:
Fine motor skills
Team work and communication
Problem solving
Critical thinking
Overall, the skills that children learn though playing with Lego are hugely beneficial for early learning and childhood development. Lego teaches various soft skills that will shape the way that they work and interact with others including, creative thinking, teamwork, communication, conflict resolution and problem-solving skills.
Coding
Coding helps develop the following skills:
Creativity
Problem solving
Critical thinking
Persistence
Collaboration
Healthy competition
With coding knowledge, students better understand the world around them. Basic programming knowledge can change the way we interact with the technologies we use (and take for granted) daily, and can open our eyes to the infinite possibilities of coding.
Coding is fun and satisfying
While programming is logic-based, it’s also an extremely creative activity. If you know how to code, you can develop the aforementioned apps,
Gardening
Gardening helps develop the following skills
Responsibility
Cooperation
Creativity
Nutrition
Self-confidence
Love of nature
Physical activity – doing something fun and productive
Understanding– as they learn about cause and effect (for example, plants die without water, weeds compete with plants)
Reasoning and discovery – learning about the science of plants, animals, weather, the environment, nutrition and simple construction
Gardening is a healthy, fun activity for children. Students develop new skills and learn about science and nature from growing their own food.
There is a variety of interesting activities children can be involved in, such as planting, mulching, weeding and cooking.