STEAM program brings the whole family together for weekly program

The fall session of the Family Creative Learning Program at Lincoln Elementary School in the Bethel Park School District focused on STEAM skills. This is the second year for this program, which is part of a five-year PBS Ready-to-Learn Grant, and 20 Lincoln families returned to school one Wednesday a week for four weeks to enjoy a meal together and to work as a family on some very cool STEAM-themed projects. During the first week, families looked at mixtures. The second week they had fun creating wearables — clothing that could protect them, or keep them cool or dry. The third week looked at “Stick or Slide,” where families built ramps with different surfaces and had to predict whether a small toy car would be able to stick or slide down the surface. In addition, new partner Venture Outdoors, a Pittsburgh-based non-profit organization, brought in kid-sized bicycles for the students to ride over a different surfaces, to see how the bikes handled from surface to surface.  During the final week dealt with building and construction. The STEAM program is based around the PBS character Ruff Ruffman, a Spy Hound who encourages students to get involved with science. The program runs two hours in the evening and is designed to give families a designated time to eat, explore, make and share together.