 We are excited to share that the Kiddie Science Lab is a Techbridge Girls Tinkerlab site! This June, we will be expanding our programming options to include age 8 to 13 in hands-on engineering exploration. Kiddie Science is officially part of Techbridge Girls' mission to reach ONE MILLION GIRLS by 2030 by reaching educators and advocating to eliminate the barriers girls face to persist in STEM.
While not exclusively a girls-only program, Techbridge Girls (TBG) serves Black, Indigenous, and all girls of color, which includes cis girls, trans youth, gender non-conforming, and/or non-binary youth who experience(d) girlhood and economic insecurity as a part of their journey. Starting in June, Kiddie Science will present the following hands-on and interactive workshops. Group size is limited and participants will have to complete an intake and post-workshop form. All information is used for grant purposes and to improve program quality. POWERING THE FUTURE In this session, young scientists will meet Dr. Laura Loaiza to learn about her work developing cutting-edge battery technology. They will learn why salt batteries matter, and work as electrical engineers to create their own functioning salt battery! AQUA ACTIVISTS Through the story of Gitanjali Rao, youth learn about the water crisis in Flint MI, discuss access to clean water, and build and test their own water filters. CREATURE CROSSING During this workshop, students will build a structure that will allow a specific species of animal to cross a busy road safely. Youth will learn about how Jo Leen Yap is using STEM to protect Dusky Langurs from traffic, and will use the Engineering Design Process to come up with solutions to meet the needs of other wild animals who are struggling to safely navigate across roads. Together students will identify the problem, brainstorm ways to solve the problem and then design a prototype of their solution. It's been a long time, and we're finally ready to have you back to the Lab! A lot of love has been poured into the space and we can't wait to learn and explore with you once again. THANK YOU for supporting us during this difficult time and welcome back to the Kiddie Science Lab! Hello scientists and science families!
I miss you all so very much! I miss the sounds of your voices, your smiles, your excitement and curiosity. I miss saying good morning to you as you arrive to the Lab, eager to learn and explore. Things are hard right now, maybe even a little bit scary. Sometimes I feel sad when I think about it, and that’s ok. There’s a lot of big things happening in the world right now and with it comes a lot of big, mixed up feelings. I want to apologize to my students for not saying more when I knew. I didn’t know what to say, so instead I taught you about germs, the importance of washing our hands the right way, and covering our cough/sneeze. I wanted to hug each and every one of you oh so tight as you left that last time, but was concerned about possibly transmitting germs, so we waved and high-fived instead. Deciding to close the Lab when we did was a difficult, but necessary decision. This was more than an abundance of caution, it was the scientifically responsible action given what we knew. As the weeks go by, it's clear that this is not a short-term situation, and that we will not be opening our doors for regular programming as soon as we’d hoped. There were big plans to grow new things in the garden with our young scientists this summer. We would have spent time in the backyard with the chickens, and cooled off inside while exploring science together. Knowing this isn’t going to happen makes me very sad. It’s hard when the plans you made and the things you worked so hard for seem to suddenly fall apart. Things are not easy right now. Despite the sadness, fear, and frustration, I still have an unwavering confidence in science. I want you to know that no matter who or where you are, science is with you. There is nothing that can stop us from continuing to ask questions, to wonder, explore, and learn. The awe and power of science can never be extinguished. It is a part of us, our world, the solar system, and beyond. Science binds us to each other, no matter how far apart we may be. When we look up at the sky, we all see the same sun and moon. Put on your thinking caps scientists, and let’s imagine a better world. Love you and miss you, Ms. Carmen |
