STEM Meets Reality TV at Nap Ford

ORLANDO, Fla. - June 11, 2014 - PRLog -- Starting on Monday, June 16^th students and teachers from the Nap Ford Community School will be spending their week learning about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) subjects through innovation and entrepreneurship. STEM $ells is part of the Miss Science™/Discover Science 4 Kids curriculum that will provide a week long camp titled, From Seed to Shelf.  Students will learn about plant development, the engineering design process and urban gardening while participating in many hands-on activities, including a garden foods innovation challenge. Just like Top Chef, students will be given a supply of fruits and vegetables to create a dish from things that they could grow in their own garden. “Cooking is full of STEM and we want students to use the Engineering Design Process to make something delicious, yet understand that the combination of acids or bases, texture or a reaction to air molecules for taste are what makes it edible,” states Sherri Smith-Dodgson also known as Miss Science and founder of Discover Science 4 Kids.

On Friday, June 20^th the students will put what they’ve learned into action by sharing various prototypes that they’ve created during a STEM $ells tradeshow. The goal is not only to get kids motivated in learning about STEM, but to develop critical thinking skills, creativity and soft skills by producing something and figuring out a way to sell it.  Using classroom technology two Nap Ford teachers will help students create a “Shark Tank” pitch that students will share with camp investors from the Maitland Men’s Group as part of Friday’s tradeshow. “Teaching kids to work within these parameters is something that is not taught during the school year. That’s the great thing about informal science education and studies show that students who choose a career path in STEM are most often inspired to do so after participating in something such as a STEM camp,” adds Smith-Dodgson. “STEM $ells works as an avenue that brings the private sector into education as an active partner.”

The Nap Ford STEM $ells camp is a collaboration with The Community Food and Outreach Center, Nap Ford Community School, MIS, DS4K and the Maitland Men’s Group who will make this year’s  summer learning happen for the kids of Parramore. For over five years members of the Maitland Men’s Group have been supporting summer learning programs. Last year they partnered with Miss Science and students from the Reeves Terrace community to learn about the Science and Business of a Lemonade Stand where the students raised over $300 in lemonade sales for South Street Ministries.