Make48 had a fantastic time at Remake Learning Days last weekend! The regional festival is currently taking place across Kansas City until May 16th. Eighteen regions across the country are celebrating Remake Learning Days Across America this month. The celebration for STEM learning is featured in; Arts, Maker, Outdoor Learning, Science, Technology and Youth Voice. These experiences are designed to be relevant and engaging for youth of all ages and their families, caregivers and educators. The majority of events are free and can be in-person or presented virtually.
Last Saturday, Tom and Amy Gray spent the afternoon representing Make48 with the KC STEM Alliance organization. We also brought in a couple of student volunteers to help out. This is Make48’s second year participating with the festival and it was a blast to see so many Kansas City organizations and businesses get involved.
Flynn and Brooks, our young volunteers, helped families build Candy Bridges at our learning station. Using toothpicks and different types of candies (jelly beans, gumdrops, gummy bears, etc.), students had to create a sturdy bridge and cross over our handmade “ river.” They were encouraged to use triangles which created stability in their structures. This project encourages engineering for kids and the experiment allows families to create several challenges along the way. Students had a great time seeing who could build the biggest bridge or racing to build their bridge first.
This was Amy’s first Remake Learning, and she had a great time. “The kids loved the project...I mean what kid doesn't love candy?! They put their own spin on it and evolved into not just building bridges, but structures, to see who could create the tallest one without it collapsing. Jacob (seen below with Tom) was our winner! The kids used gummy bears as people inside their structures. Some wanted all the candy to be the same color or just two colors so they were making it artistic. It was fun to watch their minds design how they wanted it to look.”
Putting the emphasis on STEAM education brought out some of the best in Kansas City. Libraries, museums, corporations and other organizations designed activities that bring in tools necessary to work in STEM careers, while still thinking it’s play. “The whole event was fun and there were a lot of great activities for kids to do.” Amy said, “I was super impressed by the musical paint brushes by Coloratura! It was so neat to watch AND hear. The kids enjoyed Burns and McDonnell's target practice and Garmin's parachute pigs. The DeBruce Foundation made it all fun and competitive to complete all the activities by creating a "Passport" the kids had to get stamped from each booth - so creative. The highlight for our boys, Flynn & Brooks, had to be the Marble Guy where they created a marble Rube Goldberg set up with a very cool track system and all sorts of recyclables. They spent most of their time outside of our booth at his station adding on things and making it work. Overall, it was such a beautiful day spent in Kansas City encouraging young minds to use STEAM!”
There’s still time to check out Kansas City’s ReMake Learning Days. There are many upcoming events here that showcase Kansas City local organizations and artists. At ScrapsKC, Kansas City's first and only creative reuse center, students can design and make their own board game from upcycled and repurposed materials! Or meet the artists of Hallmark and get free materials from Kaleidoscope to make your own creation. If your kids love to dance, Kansas City Young Audiences at LINC’s after-school program will engage children at Troost Elementary School with the transformational spark of the arts – promoting creativity, and inspiring success in education. Find your adventure.