Unique Program Promotes Profit and Learning

Aug. 9, 2011 - PRLog -- For 3 years, Discover Science 4 Kids has been making smart cool! Now DS4K along with Biz in a Boxx are making smart profitable!  Last October, while presenting at a  Scottsdale Workforce STEM committee meeting (a partnership with Scottsdale Unified School District) DS4K founder Sherri Smith-Dodgson met up with Melissa Rose creator of Biz in a Boxx., a youth entrepreneurship program. Immediately, it seemed a natural fit to mold together STEM and Entrepreneur education to create STEEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Entrepreneurship and Mathematics).

The concept of STEEM quickly caught on and a pilot curriculum was developed and offered in partnership with the Scottsdale Microsoft Store. Twice a month, children ages 8-12 have been heading to the Microsoft Store in Scottsdale Fashion Square to participate in fun, hands-on workshops that include topics such as Soap-OLOGY and Germ-OLOGY to Slime and Sugar-OLOGY.  “We believe that putting science and entrepreneurship together makes perfect sense. Nearly every product that consumers buy has at one time or another come from scientific research and business development,” says Smith-Dodgson.

During Sugar-OLOGY students used centrifugal force to understand how cotton candy is made. From there they learned how to identify target markets and brand their product (a mock candy company that they would create). Finally, they incorporated Microsoft technology to develop a home page for their company’s website. “What better way is there to show kids that innovation, supported by science and entrepreneurship can benefit them monetarily,” says Rose.  Smith-Dodgson and Rose have evolved their original workshop concept (geared towards elementary students) and developed a comprehensive Science, Innovation and Entrepreneurship set of courses that are now offered to middle schools throughout the United States.  Biz in a Boxx and Discover Science 4 Kids have come up with a one of a kind curriculum that fuses STEM AND 21ST century skills into a single program. The emphasis is in scientific principles and entrepreneurship with an end goal of allowing students to innovate new, marketable products.  

For more information about offering or sponsoring an SIE program in your learning community  contact: Discover Science 4 Kids at www.ds4k.com or email sherri@discoverscience4kids.com.