May Project Update #3

The last few days of my May Project at Challenger Learning Center consisted of a mix of tasks that were both familiar and completely new to me.  I started out making more kits, which although I have improved upon greatly, are still pretty repetitive.  This was the last set that needed to be done, however, so it was oddly rewarding to find them all laid out in front of me completed and finished.  One of the more unfamiliar tasks I was assigned was to catalog and organize the various sizes and lengths of PVC pipe and connectors in the storage room.  Keep in mind that, although fairly organized, the storage room consists of hallways that tight enough to hold one person at a time.  The PVC, however, was of various lengths ranging from 5 inches to 12 feet.  This took a couple of hours and a lot of balancing.

Next on my agenda was to see if it was feasible to incorporate a certain project into one of the summer camp programs.  The project itself was a kit that, once completed, would assemble into a glider made only from foam plates, a few washers, and glue/tape.  This was a pretty messy process to do the first time, but after you do it once, it becomes a lot easier to organize.  The finished product itself was actually pretty impressive, with my average throw landing around 20 feet.

My final task, although unusual, may have been the most time-consuming one I was assigned.  Recording the results of surveys given to the 5th graders that came to Challenger Learning Center.  The questions were as follows:

1. I am a boy/girl (circle one) in the ______ grade.
2. The subject I like most in school is _____.
3. The subject I like least in school is _____.
4. For my career, I would like to be ________.
5. I am very interested in science
        a) Strongly Agree   b) Agree   c) Disagree   d)Strongly Disagree
6. Describe two ways you used teamwork in your mission today.
7. Which of the following is NOT a part of a rocket?
        a) fin   b) wing   c) nosecone   d) body
8. Complete the sentence below for describing Newton's Law of Motion:
       For every action there is ______________________.


Although it seems like a fairly straightforward survey, it was actually pretty hilarious to see what some of the kids would put for their answers.  I made an Imgur album with some of my favorite responses, which you can view via this link.

However, there were a lot of responses to go through, and it did eventually begin to feel less like a fun way to spend my day and more like a chore.  There were times when I had to use more than one sheet of paper to get all the tallies for one school group.  But considering some of the other things I could have been doing, it really wasn't all that bad.

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Overall, I found my time and the Challenger Learning Center to be a very diverse and rewarding experience.  I was able to experience firsthand the effort and dedication that is put into exposing children to the limits (or lack thereof) of STEM.  But what I appreciated the most was just how much I felt at ease with the wonderful people I spent the past few weeks with.  It was easy to feel like I was working with them rather than for them, and that made my May Project much more engaging.