Neighbor News
A Local, Student-Run Nonprofit Hosts its First STEM Friday at Shelter
High school students engage homeless children with the spaghetti and marshmallow tower experiment to teach them to think like engineers.
On January 13, STEM4all-Maryland, a local, student-run nonprofit and a school club at Walter Johnson High School, hosted its first STEM Friday at the National Center for Children and Families (NCCF) from 4-5 pm. NCCF is a nonprofit organization in the Washington metropolitan area that serves more than 50,000 people. They aim to preserve childhood and the quality of life of homeless families, victims of domestic violence, and neglected children.
Four high school students brought the classic spaghetti and marshmallow tower to build with the children at the center. Participants put on their engineering hats as they worked together to build the tallest tower using only a limited amount of marshmallows and spaghetti, simulating the experience of professionals in the real world who work with scarce resources to achieve cost efficiency. The children also learned basic engineering concepts, such as strong shapes, mass distribution, and gravity.
The children also had a great deal of fun snacking on the marshmallows as well. They built creative and unusual contraptions, like a hat and a wand. Overall, it was a successful and enjoyable learning experience.
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STEM4all-Maryland's next STEM Friday is this coming Friday, February 10. The theme will be an Oobleck party.
Support their efforts by donating here.
