Author: Betul Esen

We are STEM teachers in Konya Human School Project.

• Betül ESEN: Mathematics teacher
• Filiz ŞENTÜRK: Mathematics teacher
• Ülkü KALE KARAASLAN: Preschool teacher

Our aim is to increase the interest of teachers, families, and children, who are our education stakeholders, in STEM fields and to develop 21st-century skills. It is very important for us that our children develop their creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, communication, cooperation, critical thinking, problem-solving skills with their family.

Schools have been vacationed in our country due to the Covid-19 outbreak since March 23, 2020. In this process, schools, teachers, students, and parents adapted to the distance education process and started online education. As STEM teachers, we organized live broadcasts via Instagram to reach families and teachers in our city and carry out useful STEM activities with their children at home.

We shared with the necessary materials on social media before the live broadcasts. When the live time came, the children completed the event with their parents at home. After live broadcasts, they shared photos of their work with us at home. In this conclusion, we conducted 3 live broadcasts between 1 April 2020 and 24 April 2020.

Here is our Instagram page.

STEM ACTIVITY 1: MAKING MACHINES WHICH ROTATE WITH AIR POWER AT HOME

In the Instagram live broadcast event held on April 1, 2020, we talked about the entrepreneurship and 21st-century skills. The importance of STEM areas for our country and our children were explained to the families. The role of families here was mentioned as well.

Materials:

• 3 carton caps
• 1-piece scissor                                                                      
• 2 balloons
• 2 pipettes
• 1 skewer
• 2 latches
• 1 paper tape

In this activity: an attempt was made to introduce students with science and engineering fields.

Our air-powered rotating machine worked thanks to the thrust force similar to the rockets sent to space. When we pull the pegs, the air inside the balloons comes out and a force is created. In response to this force, there is an opposing thrust in the direction of the air outlet. This causes the balloon to move. At the other end of the pipette, the same thing happened in the opposite direction. In this way, our design could return. For more detailed information, you can review Newton’s third law of motion.

STEM ACTIVITY 2: DESIGNING A BASKETBALL BOAT GAME WITH CATAPULTS AT HOME

In the Instagram live broadcast event on 10 April 2020, the children tried to understand the engineering of the processes by making catapults and basketball courts with their families.

Materials:

• 1 piece of wood or cardboard
• 1 pc pet bottle cap
• 1 tongue stick or plastic spoon
• 1 paper cup
• 1 ratchet
• 1 sponge ball
• Scissors, tape

STEM ACTIVITY 3 : BUILDING A METEOROLOGY STATION AT HOME

In the Instagram live broadcast event held on 17 April 2020, we talked about satellites and their importance. For some research, while we collect data remotely with the help of satellites, we needed to collect data from the earth in some researches. For this reason, we have created a meteorology station in our homes to collect data with children. We made anemometer and rain gauge with the materials in the house.

Materials for the anemometer:

• 5 plastic cups
• 1 straw
• 3 wooden sticks
• Materials for the rain gauge
• Plastic bottle (1.5-2l)
• Ruler
• Paper clips
• Marker

STEM ACTIVITY 4: CODING AND ALGORITHM DESIGNS

In the Instagram live broadcast event held on 27 April 2020, we talked about the entrepreneurship and 21st-century skills. For example; problem-solving, algorithmic thinking, mathematical skills. The importance of STEM-related jobs for our country and our children were explained to the families. The role of families was mentioned as well.

I made activities for families and children on the following topics:

• Jobs of the future
• Dear Scientist Harezmi
• Coding Education
• Traditional arts
• Origami, Kirigami
• ALGORITHM design, Problem solving
• We also brewed our tea

Materials :

• 4 colored a4 paper
• 1 band
• 1 adhesive
• 1 bottle
• 4 pet bottle caps
• 2 straws
• 2 garbage skewers
• a piece of wood

WHAT IS KONYA HUMAN SCHOOL PROJECT?

Konya National Education Directorate is a human-centred project made in cooperation with Konya Metropolitan Municipality. This project includes a wide range of activities for our children and young people to grow best in emotional, physical, intellectual and scientific subjects.

Konya Human School is shaped around 4 main axes:

• Our learning cases
• Our reading cases
• Our development cases
• Our cultural cases

DEVELOPMENT CASE: Designing, making and producing are at the forefront. It is to help the individual to know himself, his professions and his environment. The problem solving, critical thinking, productivity, teamwork and STEM literacy skills required by the new era are planned.

Here is our website and Facebook group.

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