THE STORY BEHIND OUR STEM-FOCUSED CURIOSITY CLUB AT MEADOW WELL CONNECTED
STEM-focused Curiosity Club child smiles in beekeeper suite. Photograph by Success4All
The story behind our STEM-focused Curiosity Club at Meadow Well Connected all started with a vision.
A vision to spark STEM curiosity.
In early 2021, our STEM team alongside Northumbria University’s STEM outreach (NUSTEM) team developed an idea for a STEM-focused Curiosity Club. The idea was to set up a place after school where children could experiment and investigate different topics at their own pace.
Thanks to funding from the Science and Technology Facilities Council, that idea shortly turned into reality.
Delivered in partnership with NUSTEM, our STEM team ran a six-block STEM-focused Curiosity Club at Meadow Well Connected.
Each block focused on a different topic varying from space to the human body to the environment.
The project was a learning experience for everyone involved. After weeks of trialling new ideas and initiatives, our team eventually developed a model that worked for all the children taking part.
Part of the model entailed that each session incorporated multiple STEM investigations, a crafts table and an activity pack at the end of each session that the children could take home and complete with their family.
The children loved the activity pack. In fact, for 6-year-old Noah, the activity pack quickly became the highlight of his week as his parent told us, “It is literally the highlight of his week seeing what the week’s activity is.”
Emma Clark, STEM Engagement Officer said: ” It was so lovely to see the children progress over the year, to see them become more engaged with science activities and enjoy investigating and learning.
“Particular highlights for me were when children would show other children how an activity was working, or the delighted looks on their faces when they worked something out that they had been working on for a while.”
As much as the children loved the activity packs, so did the parents. One parent told us, “We look forward to our activity bags. We really enjoy them and we get lots of un out of them. I also look forward to getting them.”
MORE ABOUT OUR STEM-FOCUSED CURIOSITY CLUB
The club takes place every Monday during school term time from 3:30 pm till 5:30 pm and is suitable for children aged 5+.
To attend the club, parents/guardians must book their child in advance. To do so, please contact Meadow Well Connected directly as the club runs under Meadow Well Connected’s Mini Kids Club.