On Wednesday, September 7, 2022, Prime Time Palm Beach County hosted virtual and in-person STEAM Family Night for families from four afterschool programs: Gaines Park, New Hope Charities, University Learning Academy and Orthodox Zion Child Development Center. Prime Time partners Resource Depot and the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County facilitated hands-on STEAM activities themed ‘Travel to Outer Space.’
“Each family received a STEAM material bag to creatively launch their youth into space. Resource Depot’s Director of Education & Artist Relations Chelsea Odum showed families how to construct catapults, built with pencils, spoons and rubber bands. The families tested their catapults using pom poms, cheerios and marshmallows. Odum also offered instructions from a NASA activity that included building a straw rocket, that families could work on at home. After launch, the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County Stories & STEM Program Manager Callie Sharkey prepared attendees for life on Mars, sharing fascinating facts about Mars, the fourth planet from the sun.
One youth was fascinated by the geodes and rock particles he could see under the magnifying glass and mini microscopes provided by the Rickel Foundation. One looked into the microscope and he had to have his dad look at what he saw.
“Dad, it is so cool and looks so beautiful. You have to take a look!” – Youth in attendance.
“With these STEAM and science tools, the youth will be able to further explore on their own as science is all around them.” – Patricia Sasson, STEAM Specialist, Prime Time Palm Beach County
In addition to these outer space activities and science tools, the families also received books to read, learn and share, and a Resource Depot bin pass to ‘shop’ for more creative materials at their West Palm Beach location. What an engaging night of fun-filled STEAM. It was surely out-of-this-world!
