"Whoa! That one almost hit the ceiling!" The kids squealed with excitement each time they launched one of the rockets they had made. After decorating M&M tubes, they filled each one with water and a single antacid. The combination created a small chemical reaction releasing carbon dioxide to propel it into the air. This was the first of many GAPademics STEM projects.
In the 2017 GAPademics summer program, we piloted STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) classes with the 80 students from our neighborhood--and it was a hit! So in 2018 we brought it back--this time to our daily GAPademics afterschool program. Our teaching aides prepare and teach project-based STEM lessons, like testing rockets propelled by ___.
STEM fields are some of the fastest-growing job markets in today's economy, but many students from neighborhoods like ours don't get the chance to enter those fields because of the resources available to them. We're trying to change that at GAP Community Center by creating the chance for our kids to experiment, design, and create through projects that unlock their potential to enter careers in STEM fields. Write here…