KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A series of educational events hosted by libraries, museums, schools, maker spaces, corporations and other organizations around Kansas City to allow children and parents to explore new STEM-related topics.
The two-week-long festival is called “Remake Learning Days.” Participating workshops take place at various locations from now until May 16. Most events and workshops are free and in-person.
Some learning events allow participants to see what it’s like to fly a drone, be a beekeeper, and discover patterns in nature, for example.
At King Elementary in Kansas City, Missouri, professors from Rockhurst University hosted “Mathapalooza,” a series of activities combining art and math.
“When you look around and you see kids doing this amazing work, they look happy. This isn’t an environment where they have their nose to a piece of paper and they’re just writing, taking notes. These students look happy and they look happy while they’re learning,” explained Chrissy Chandler, who leads diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at KC STEM Alliance and is the organization’s FIRST LEGO League partner.
KC STEM Alliance, the DeBruce Foundation and other partners make the event possible.
Their goal is to find engaging ways for students and their parents to learn STEM lessons outside the classroom. Then ultimately, students will have the tools necessary to work in STEM careers in and around Kansas City.
“It [STEM education] teaches them the practices of inclusion, how to be a part of a team. It teaches them empathy. It teaches them how to work with another person, be reasonable, consider another person’s perspective,” Chandler pointed out those skills could apply to any future endeavor.
For a list of events happening in the Kansas City area during “Remake Learning Days,” visit the festival’s website.
