Out of this world

Posted 5/29/19

Out of this world On May 17, the gym at the Pastore Center in Cranston was full of activity. There were rockets and rovers, solar panels and disco dance floors. It may not seem like those all go together, but for the students in the third annual STEM

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Out of this world

DISCO DANCE PARTY: The Stardust team had a very complex explanation for how water would be transferred to plants, which would in turn create oxygen. But they also had their priorities straight when considering what those on the moon would do with all their free time.

THE HARDEST PART: For the Four Angels team, the hardest part of the project was creating the moon base. Each team member had their own idea for how it should look, and they had to collaborate and compromise in order to come up with a single concept.

SMART SOLAR ENERGY: Solar energy for light and electricity was an idea that the Smarties team came up with, but finding a way to keep the solar panels mounted was a stumbling block they needed to solve.

HOW IT ALL WOULD WORK: Team members Jackson McConnell and Denver Leadbetter, fourth-grade students from Edgewood Highland Elementary School, explain the solutions to several issues of living on the moon, including how they propose to create drinking water by crushing ice from one of its craters.

Posted Wednesday, May 29, 2019 1:02 pm

On May 17, the gym at the Pastore Center in Cranston was full of activity. There were rockets and rovers, solar panels and disco dance floors.

It may not seem like those all go together, but for the students in the third annual STEM Mentoring First Lego League Jr. Expo, it all made perfect sense.

For the past 10 weeks, 72 students from Edgewood Highland Elementary School, Gladstone Street Elementary School and the Cranston YMCA, along with 20 volunteer mentors and staff, had worked hard on the Lego Moon Mission Challenge during their one-hour after school programs. The programs were made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Comprehensive Community Action Program, OneCranston’s Youth Opportunity Zone Working Group and the Cranston YMCA.

The students were set up at their stations, ready to share what they had learned over the past 10 weeks about the moon and how they had used their problem-solving and collaboration skills to create a moon base and a means for life on the moon. As guests circulated, the students shared their ideas for harnessing energy for life on the moon, which included breathing, dancing and having fresh water. Each team of students had an original team name and had to build and code their Lego creations, which were operated through tablets.

Guests were encouraged to ask questions, and at the end of the event, all students received a medal for their hard work.

(Text and photos by Jen Cowart)