SWMS: Full STEAM ahead
Southwest Middle School’s third FULL STEAM AHEAD is an annual event where there are several stations that kids grades 4th-6th can learn about the different parts of STEAM. STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. We were so honored and excited when the school invited FRC team Breakaway 3937 to be a booth at their event. It was even more exciting to see the boisterous children be instilled with a passion for the FIRST robotics program. Whether the kids were in 4th, 5th, or 6th grade, they were all so enthusiastic when they got to interact with our EV3 robots and Snap Circuits.
Snap Circuits, Robots, Legos, Oh My!
Our booth included Snap Circuit Kits, Robot Sumo, and building stations with Legos. All the children loved our Snap Circuits. It was fun to see groups of 2 and 3 work together to try to get their circuit to work and to try out the TechDayz lessons designed by our own Coach Jones. Everyone was curious about how the circuits worked, and it was very exciting to see the passion in their eyes when our team answered all their questions. Even though they could not always achieve the goal on their first attempts, the children did not give up. It warmed my heart to see their smiles when they successfully completed their circuit.
Robo Sumo and LEGO fun
Robot Sumo was by far their favorite game at our station. The goal of Robot Sumo was to knock the opposing EV3 robot off of the board. The crowd became so big we had to modify the game to where 5 robots could go at once, which made the game even more popular. A lot of students would modify the base of their robot to try to improve their chances at overpowering their opponents. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it did not; but they would always improve the model they previously made.
The students would modify their base at the LEGO building stations. The LEGO building station was a place the kids would go to improve their robot. The rambunctious children loved this station because they got to use their imagination to create something that they were proud of. The only limit was their imagination.
STEAM Impact
Being invited to Searcy’s only public middle school impacted Breakaway in many ways. It showed us that all the hard work we do will greatly impact the next generation of kids. This experience showed us that Breakaway has a platform of STEAM education around the world, but also locally. As a team, we want to work even harder to impact our community in a positive way. Southwest Middle School gave us an amazing opportunity and we couldn't be more grateful!
