SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - The Abraham Lincoln Council of Scouting America is taking STEM education on the road this summer. The team is using their new STEM Bus to take the fun of technology and experiments to local children this summer. 

"It's a mobile laboratory in which we can take science and activities and just engaging things for the youth in our community to do at a bunch of different locations," said Ashley Beasley, STEM Director for the Abraham Lincoln council. " So we have a 3D printer, circuit kits, a lot of different things that we can customize to a location." 

Fir many kids, it's their first experience with this type of technology. Most kids leaving the bus, left a glowing review. 

"There's a lot of 3D printed stuff and I didn't even know how they made it and its' so cool," said Ben Sinner, a participant. "They made like dinosaurs, skeletons of snakes, some shark skeletons that move." 

The council also pairs the STEM bus with other activities. One of those is called the Skylab, which is a mobile planetarium. It can be brought to many locations and allows kids to get a view of the sky without paying high prices or travelling. 

"It's really cool," said Owen Beasley, one of the participants. "The projector looks like an image but it actually looked like it was a ball you could touch, not the projection." 

After visiting the Skylab, many participants expressed interest in pursuing a STEM career, or learning about STEM subjects they don't cover in school. 

"STEM careers are growing and they're only going to grow more," said Beasley. "And we need more. STEM is more than just science, technology, engineering and math. It's problem solving. It's leadership skills. So all these things make for better, adults and better citizens." 

For information on events related to the STEM bus, visit the Council's website. 

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