GMS STEM Club Story Lab
What happens when you combine storytelling, homebuilding, and K-2 creative minds? Mind-blowing structures materialize!
Students in grades K-2 at Grace McWayne recently finished a five-week, before-school “STEM Club Story Lab” led by GMS Teachers/STEM Club Advisors Sarah Barrett and Sue Palombella. Spots filled quickly for the free program and another one is scheduled for GMS students in grades 3-5, which will run through March.
“The response to the STEM Club Story Lab was much bigger than we even expected,” said Mrs. Palombella. “It’s really wonderful to see so many families interested in STEM enrichment.”
During three of the sessions, the teachers shared a story with students—Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Hansel and Gretel—and students had to solve a problem related to each story. At the end of the five-week experience, Mrs. Barrett and Mrs. Palombella tasked students with constructing a home for their favorite book character. Some students chose a character from the fairy tales they read in STEM Club, while others chose characters from books series like Dog Man, Harry Potter, and Elephant & Piggie.
Prior to buildout, Mrs. Barrett and Mrs. Palombella shared the picture book “Home” by Carson Ellis, to help students learn about all different types of homes—palace, boat, hive, log cabin, nest, igloo, spider web, apartment, etc.—and their design features.
“We wanted students to think about what their character needs, not just what they would want. For example, Thumbelina is so small, she needs protection,” explained Mrs. Palombella.
Here’s a look at some of the homes GMS students built using their newfound STEM skills and creative minds:
Welcome home, Rapunzel!
A home for Hedwig, the owl in the Harry Potter series. This unique home features a perch, an egg carton for all of Hedwig’s baby owls, a feeding station, and a water basin.
This home for “Dog Man” features an electric fence, super computer, and dog room with toys.
A home for Grumpy from the Seven Dwarfs with lots of features to try to make him smile. 🙂
A home in the works for Dog Man. (Dog Man was very popular!)
A tiny house for Tinker Bell. This house is trimmed with rugs and furniture made to fit the diminutive homeowner.
A double-decker home for Cinderella.
A triple-decker home for Elephant & Piggie!
