Job Description
Seeking STEM teacher/maker to work with bright, motivated 5th 6th and 7th graders in a small 9-week summer program in and around Cambridge, MA. College juniors or seniors, grad students, recent graduates or current science teachers welcome. Engineering mindset and skills a must. Some experience with Lego Mindstorms, Arduino, and/or littleBits or aptitude/ability to learn these would be great. Most important is a love of learning and teaching and an enthusiasm for learning through building.
Teacher will lead 5-8 students each week in a hands-on engineering-oriented project. Some weeks, students will have “client” for whom they build a given project, in teams of 2-3 students. Read about possible projects below. Please send resume and cover letter/note to rachael at wordaroundtown dot com. Compensation is competitive and is commensurate with experience.
About Us
STEM camp was started by Rachael Burger for her son and some friends in the Summer of 2013 and is entering its 3rd year. The camp is created in collaboration with families of children from a number of area schools and communities.
Possible STEM Camp 2015 Activities
Note: these are ideas for inspiration but not set in stone. See Pinterest Board for additional visual inspiration and examples.
1) DIY Greenhouse
Your client is seeking a portable greenhouse or cold frame for her home in Medford to help extend the growing season and boost the planting in her urban homestead. Day 1. Meet with your client to discuss requirements and possible locations. Research how to make a greenhouse, with special focus on PVC, metal conduit, bamboo, plastic or plexiglass sheeting, and rebar (for securing your installation). Discuss findings with the group and form teams (2-3 children in each). Day 2. Draft designs and estimate preliminary costs for materials. Get feedback from client and revise as needed. Day 3 – 5. Build. If time permits, extend your project but adding automated ventilation, watering, or other (using Arduino, Tiny Bits, or other).
2) Stylish Chairs out of Cardboard
Your client is seeking a stylish, sturdy eco-chair made from recycled cardboard to be featured in her store which focuses on recycled objects and materials. Day 1. Meet in your group to discuss cardboard chair construction and types of materials available (these will be mostly smaller cardboard pieces from a variety of old boxes, in different sizes and thicknesses). Meet the client to discuss her design requirements (style, load, size). Research different ways of making chairs from cardboard. Discuss approaches with the group and create teams (2-3 children each) to create drawings and do some preliminary testing of techniques by making small prototypes. Day 2. Draft designs and make preliminary materials lists. Get feedback from client and revise as needed. Day 3 – 4. Build. Day 5. Present final work to client.
3) Land, Air and Water Vehicle
Toy boats are fun, as are RC cars and helicopter, but can we make a vehicle that travels on land, water and in the air? Day 1. Research land, water and air vehicles that are currently on the market. Take note about how they seems to deal with: a) body construction; b) placement of electronics; c) movement on land (e.g. wheels, gliders); 4) float; 5) forward movement. Draft possible designs in teams based on modifying an existing RC helicopter. Day 2 – 4. Build and test. Day 5. Final presentations.
Other possible Projects:
4) Mapping Central Square
5) 3D laser cut creations in wood: Make lamps, boxes, or other 3-dimensional objects in wood at the Fab Lab at Edgerton Center, MIT or other venue.
6) Representing DNA. Visit the Braud Insitute and then devise ways to represent genetic material using a quilt, a mosaic, or a scratch program.
7) Week at the D-Lab at MIT?
8) Week with Blockytalk people at Tufts?
9) Make a chicken wire composter, rocking chair, or other out of wood pallets
10) Solar Cookers — I think this is a must-do for this summer, modeled after the Greenhouse project. There are lots of ways to make solar cookers and the cookers can be extended with arduino/tiny bits to rotate with the sun.
11) Wind Turbine or other project using wind energy. A related project would be kinetic sculpture (wind sculpture).
12) Kinetic Sculptures at (or inspired by) the MIT museum (see existing exhibit at MIT Museum by Arthur Ganson)
14) Pop-up paper with Denise Price, paper artist.
15) Make a solar hot water heater using rain barrels and tubing.