The Families Engaging in Science and Technology (FEST) event was held on March 14 in Nicarry Hall. The event was hosted by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Student Chapter and the Education Department at Elizabethtown College.
This free event enabled elementary and middle school students and their families to explore engineering through hands-on challenges and activities. The children who attended the event learned about various career opportunities in engineering and the role that engineering plays in everyday life.
The goal of the event was to promote family science within the community and to give Etown education students teaching experience outside of the traditional classroom environment, according to junior Bethany Otwell. Otwell, who is president of the NSTA Etown chapter, is an elementary and middle level education major with a science concentration.
“The goal was to engage the community in STEM-related events while developing necessary skills to be a teacher,” Dr. Kathy Blouch, assistant professor of science education, said. “It is an opportunity for students in the methods class to engage children in learning through hands-on problem solving and the design process.”
The Etown students also had the opportunity to design learning experiences for parents and children while applying their knowledge of scientific practices.
The FEST event opened with an activity that matched different products to the different types of engineering. Then children and their families rotated among different stations at the event. Children went to each station with their families to investigate challenges that engineers regularly encounter. Stations included activities such as building structures and bridges, designing cars and roller coasters, withstanding natural disasters and exploring electricity. If children were unable to make it to a station or wanted to learn more about a certain topic, they were provided with a take-home sheet that contained more information for each activity.
Various students at Etown contributed to the organization, preparation and the implementation of the FEST event. Juniors in their methods block classes in the education department played a role in the planning of the stations, while senior education majors brought their knowledge and experience they have gained from their time as student teachers. Dr. Blouch said the department tries “to have freshmen through seniors working together.”
The NSTA was involved with making sure that the Etown students helping with the event had all the materials they needed to complete the lessons successfully, advertise, provide funds and organize volunteers for the event, and also register families and children at the event. Volunteers who helped at the event were involved in setting up and taking down the event, checking families in when they arrived for the event, teaching and assisting with the lessons at each station.
The children who attended the event were from local schools in the area. “We hope [the children] take away the excitement of engaging in science and engineering,” Blouch said. “I think it is important for our students to see how kids can be engaged in learning, problem-solving and critical thinking.”
