PLEASANT PLAINS, Ill. (WAND) — Students at Farmingdale Elementary recently got the chance to show off their STEM projects at the school's "specials showcase." Students put their learning on display, showing their parents they worked on throughout the year.
"During this robotics year, we've done five different missions, this is our last one," said 3rd grader Sloane Messersmith as she showed of her work. "This is so fun because you get to learn about the robot, learn more coding, and learn about this platform that it's on."
In addition to showing off completed projects, the students got the chance to teach their parents about the technology.
"We thought it would be a way for them to teach their parents how to code," said Betsy Monke, the K-4 STEM teacher at Farmingdale. "And since STEM is something that's new and different, we can show them what they've been up to."
Some students had worked on an invention project and were able to pitch their idea to attendees. They also had the chance to connect with other students who had worked on other experiments.
Monke also said the event gave students a chance to show off some of the personal skills they learned through STEM. This includes cooperation, teamwork, and problem solving.
"STEM education is definitely for the future," said Monke. "The kids need to know how to critically think. They're collaborating with their teammates, they're working together. So they're learning all kinds of soft skills that they need for the future, along with learning how to code and be be thinkers."
Messersmith said all of the younger kids she talked to were excited to hear about the STEM programs they could do in the future.
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