NAVARRE — STEM-related learning and the fun that can be had with it took center stage recently at a local elementary school.
For three hours Tuesday night, students and parents at West Navarre Primary School got to dabble in science, technology, engineering and math activities during its second annual Science Night.
View photos of students building with the LEGOS >>
The hands-on activities ranged from 18 science experiments set up in the school’s cafeteria to computer programming to the ever-enticing Legoslab set up in a classroom.
“I really enjoy it because it gives us a chance to see what the kids are doing,” Krissy Lunsford said as she sat on the floor helping her three children play with the Legos. “I’ve heard about the Lego lab but I’ve never been to it. It’s pretty awesome. I wish they had something like this when I was in school.”
Lunsford and her children weren’t alone in their fascination with the colored, interlocking blocks. Family after family didn’t hesitate to tackle the task of using the Legos to build everything from jails to space shuttles.
The Legos, which were purchased with a $2,000 grant from Blueprints Education, are used to foster an early interest in engineering, problem-solving and teamwork, according to teacher Susan Julio, who wrote the grant.
“They love, love the Legos,” she said with a laugh.
During Science Night, the blocks were laid out in piles around a large outline of the state of Florida. Each pile had a piece of paper with the name of a city and a picture of something famous in that area.
Second-grader Christian Brown was instantly drawn to the Legos beside the sign for the Kennedy Space Center.
“The captain’s probably going to be the only one going to space because we’re probably not going to find any more helmets,” the 8-year-old said as he sorted through the blocks with the help of eighth-grader Nicolas Kayser, who volunteered to help at the event.
After assembling a space rover and mission control, the boys were joined by first-grader Jacob Angle, who couldn’t wait to help pitch in.
“He was very excited about coming in here and seeing the Lego lab,” Susan Angle said as she watched her son play. “Of course, anything with Legos, kids are going to get excited.”
Moments after sitting down, Jacob finished constructing a space shuttle and held it up to inspect it before turning back to his new friends.
“We’re all working on it together to build it, right guys?” he said.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Katie Tammen at 850-315-4440 or ktammen@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieTnwfdn.