Furry science club takes off

PERKINS TWP. — Even after classes ended, a group of Furry Elementary students haven't stopped learning after school once a week. For more than a month, about 30 second-graders have received a closer look at STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) concepts, thanks to a newly formed alliance with a local education-focused organization. Jessica George, a 4-H youth development program assistant through Erie County's Ohio State University extension office, explained how the partnership blossomed with the school. "Right before COVID struck, I received a grant from the Ohio 4-H Foundation to help Erie County youth explore STEM career opportunities," she said. "I've noticed that our county schools offer some absolutely fantastic opportunities for our middle and high school students to explore these career fields and gain skills to help them succeed in our technology driven world. "Additionally, the 4-H program offers wonderful opportunities for youth to experience hands-on learning and discover their 'sparks' and passions. When people hear about 4-H, they often think of agricultural education and the county fair. But 4-H also offers some wonderful opportunities for youth outside of our traditional community clubs. "It seemed like a great opportunity to use this hands-on approach to learning as a means to expose our youngest learners to these valuable skills while giving them a solid foundation for the opportunities ahead. Over the summer, Furry principal Jennifer Yost and I were able to meet together and brainstorm what an opportunity like this might look like for the students at Furry. We decided to offer a seven-week 4-H STEM Club to each grade level." Last week's session allowed students to pilot drones and drive small robots, but activities have varied. "Each week students learned a new computer coding skill," George said. "We utilized both unplugged activities as well as a variety of technology tools to learn about commands, algorithms, loops, sequencing, debugging and a variety of other topics. Each week the students had a hands-on experience to utilize the new skill they learned. "At the base of all lessons, we focused on problem solving skills, perseverance and collaboration. The 4-H program is grounded in positive youth development, so we had a strong focus on helping students experience something new while discovering their strengths and fostering positive relationships between the peers in the group and the adult and youth volunteers." George and her colleague Angie Holmes assisted each student with the drones, which included showing them how to do flips. Afterward, students Calvin Nejedly and Landon Fahr said they liked flying drones the most. For George, the club is accomplishing what it was designed to do. "I am always amazed at how well young people pick up new skills and this has definitely been true of this group," she said. "Their knowledge blows me away. But the most exciting thing for me has been watching students learn to persevere and work together. They have gone from little to no coding knowledge to writing programs in just six weeks. "The drones and robots sure are fun, but the problem-solving and collaboration skills they are learning are truly priceless and transfer into all other areas of learning and development." Second-graders' last after-school meeting is Tuesday, but other Furry students, and Erie County schools, will soon have their chance to participate. "This program will be offered to Furry's first graders during November and December and to kindergarten students beginning in January," George said. "We hope to offer an additional round of programming to Furry students in the spring and to expand this partnership into other schools and community organizations." Reach reporter Caitlin Nearhood at nearhood@sanduskyregister.com and follow her on Twitter @CaitlinNearhood