In honor of national STEM and STEAM Day, which is November 8th, we wanted to highlight some of the exciting ways we incorporate STEAM into our everyday programming at United South End Settlements. STEAM is a process-based approach to learning and incorporates science, technology, engineering, arts, and math to help students develop their communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
Students used the scientific method to predict, hypothesis and observe what happens to different candy when we mix it with different liquids.
STEAM has long been a part of programming at United South End Settlements. This past fall we took the opportunity to overhaul our club48 programming to better integrate STEAM components and to ensure children have access to consistent, engaging, student-driven learning. Students participate in weekly enrichment groups where they have the choice to pick either an art, physical or STEM activity. On any given day you might see children learning how to make a catapult, creating electrical circuits out of paper and LED lights, painting with gravity, or creating a new game to play as a group. There is a constant influx of innovation, creativity, excitement, and perseverance.
In addition to our rich in-house programming, USES partners with several community organizations including the Museum of Fine Arts and New England Aquarium who visit our site to lead comprehensive and rich STEAM programming. Students get a chance to work with artists from the community and from around the world and to have hands-on learning opportunities like getting to interact with hermit crabs or learning how to make meaningful observations of the world around them.
Students working on the first of several projects with a teaching artist from the Museum of Fine Arts as part of their Community Artist Initiative.
If you would like to see firsthand the work we do, stop by our Curriculum Open House on Thursday, December 5th. Families will be able to tour classrooms, speak to teachers and group leaders, and view displays of activity work typical of the corresponding age group. To learn more about STEAM at USES, including how STEAM is integrated into our Early Childhood Program, please feel free to reach out to our STEAM & Arts Integration Manager, Julia Heinzmann, at jheinzmann@uses.org or ask a teacher or group leader at pick up.
Students developed basic coding with the use of Code.org.
