Weekly STEM Pod for Mid-Kids (ages 8-11), Fall 2023
Location: Sebastopol
Time: 9:30-2:30pm (Dates TBD by participants)
Cost: $100/week + $25/week materials (6 weeks total. Note: I will not be a Heartwood vendor until 2024)
Schedule: Fall 2023, with a break Thanksgiving week
This STEM learning pod is ideal for parents that want their child to dig into exciting science, math and engineering concepts but are struggling to provide the depth they need. It's perfect for mid-kids, who learn best in groups (social learning) and through hands-on projects (less lecturing, more doing).
*Pod size limited to 10 students maximum
*Need a pod on a different day or age range? Let me know! Plans for spring 2024 are taking shape.
What You Get
- Guided lessons in a curriculum of engaging math, science and engineering concepts, including tons of hands-on projects & experiments
- Take-home materials for each module, including electronics kits, petri dishes, compass & ruler set, molecule building kit, anatomy coloring book and more.
- Weekly 'home study' STEM project guides
- Healthy snacks to power innovative ideas
Our Daily Schedule
9:30-9:40 Greetings + Warmup games
9:40-10:00 Show & tell of 'home study' assignments from last week
10:00-11:00 Science block: guided hands-on experiments
11:00-11:10 Snack break (snacks provided)
11:10-12:00 Science block continued
12:00-12:30 Lunch (you bring from home)
12:30-1:30 Engineering block - build something awesome!
1:30-1:40 Break
1:40-2:15 Engineering block continued
2:15-2:30 Review 'home study' project & distribute materials + tell science story
Fun Stuff We'll Do
In the fall 2023 cohort, we plan to:
- Learn about atoms & molecules, mix chemical reactions, build molecular models and play with carbonation, oxidation, temperature and pH
- 3D print specialty shaped dice and construct hexaflexagons (shapes & volume)
- Decipher codes and draw nature’s geometry (number sequences & fibonacci)
- Mix slime and other concoctions (fractions, percentages, ratios)
- Examine, measure, graph & sew nature’s patterns (scientific method, art in science & data science)
- And much more!
FAQs
Will there be tests & grades?
No, there won't be any tests or grades. But there will be assessment of progress & obstacles, lots of positive feedback and next step recommendations for deepening learning.
It's already started, can we join late?
Yes, the program is divided into sets of topics and it's possible to join in at certain points when we start a new learning block and not feel behind.
Can we just come for a week and try it out?
It's not designed to be a drop-in pod. If you'd like to try it, please commit to the full first payment installment (4 sessions). Call me and I can help you think through if this is the right pod for you!
If we miss a week, can we do a make-up session?
Because there will be a lot of live experiments and hands-on projects, giving make-up sessions would be pretty difficult. But I will endeavor to teach your child the concepts they missed and they can do the home study projects.
If we don't like it, can we leave the pod and have a refund?
I understand if it doesn't work out for whatever reason and want you to do what's best for your family! Because I need to preorder a lot of materials and do a lot of preparation, I can't give any refunds if you decide to withdraw, but payment is by the month so if you leave at the end of the month, you won't be paying extra.