The programme will consist of an hour long activity to engage and inspire. The activities will range from watching a fulldome show, “Space Jam” workshop where the children will develop a soundtrack for one of our shows in collaboration with a local STEM company to deliver. The children will develop a storyboard that we will animate and place up on our 360 degree dome. At the end of the 3 months we will showcase their work displaying this to our visitors. If the children complete at least 8 sessions out of 12 during the term we will reward them with a free facility pass. We will then begin another term of after schools to engage with another group of local kids. This will help us keep in touch with the families after the programme.
We want to achieve an engagement with local children in low science capital areas and in areas of social deprivation to inspire them and show them that STEM is for them, and that they can get involved. We will educate them by stealth where they are learning and having fun at the same time and we want to grow that engagement where the families have our facility to use at any time and that locally they are proud to have on their doorstep. Through the programme we wish to increase our afternoon visitors. We aim to have a legacy and will promote through our PR company, social media, and we will take the resources that the children make and showcase them to the general public. We want to give local kids a chance to get involved.
Activities
Cadets Conducted light experiments; made Space Lego Technic Orerries; Used Cobra astronomer technology; Used Scratch + Minecraft; Quizzed astronomers; Saw 360-degree Space dome shows; Built + launched rockets; Touched a large meteorite and learned how to identify one; Made a virtual Black hole; observed and recorded Sunspots; explored AOP’s Eco/Astro trail; visited a weather station; made a cup anemometer and more.
Outcomes
- In a survey taken in April 2023, 21% of the cadets said they were “somewhat interested in STEM subjects, 79% said they were “very” or “extremely interested in STEM subjects”. 93% claimed to enjoy learning about Space and astronomy, 7% “somewhat enjoy” same.
- Parent of a boy gave verbal feedback advising that she’d noticed a change in her son’s behaviour and learning patterns during SCC, he was “wanting to learn more about dinosaurs and see TV programs about them instead of just sitting on the ipad at home”.
- In the final week of the second SCC cadets expressed some dismay that the STEM club was ending and asked if there was a follow-up club I knew of that they could attend.
- The children all made new friends, from different schools and different backgrounds. The students coming back into us again for visits!
