In honor of National STEM Week, St. Francis held a special celebration for 5th–8th graders in the community to engage in real-world applications of STEM concepts. On Saturday, March 22, more than 100 kids from around the area joined in exciting activities to gain new interests and skills in science, technology, engineering and math. From hands-on experiments to creative engineering tasks, students engaged in a variety of activities that made learning fun.

St. Francis girls led demonstrations as participants conducted experiments that taught everything from electricity to chemistry. Kids enjoyed making elephant toothpaste, which is a fun, foamy experiment using hydrogen peroxide, a yeast catalyst and food coloring. The reaction creates a very large amount of foam that “explodes” into the air. To learn more about how electricity works, students wired 3-D printed pots of gold with a battery and a light, then placed a penny in the pot to see the light come on to complete the circuit. Students also experimented with lava lamps, invisible ink, and more.

Attendees received a passport upon arrival that was stamped at each station they visited. After completing the stations, they turned in the passport and received a free t-shirt.

We were proud to offer middle schoolers throughout the region a significant day that inspired curiosity, fostered teamwork, and sparked an interest for problem-solving in the next generation of innovators.