On Sunday, November 22nd, 23 kids and their parents attended “Curious Kids”, a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) pilot class organized by Amcham and DMECC (Dalian Mother’s Education Consulting Co), and hosted by Epoch.
The course was designed by volunteers from AmCham partner Intel to utilize hands-on interactive demonstrations to spur students’ creativity and to simplify complex concepts surrounding robotics, sensors, electricity and conductivity. The class centers around Makey Makey, an “invention kit designed to connect everyday objects to computer keys”. Essentially, when the Makey Makey circuit board is connected to a conductive material in a certain way, one can control arrows on a keyboard, the space bar, or a mouse click of a computer.
There are three main learning objectives that come with this class: to get a very basic understanding of electricity and circuits, to figure out what types of material are and are not conductive, and to invent a “console” that would let a user play a simple game or piano on their computer.
During the class, the teachers first gave a brief presentation about electricity, and wowed the kids with a robotic hand and a “smart” truck. Then, the kids were taught to set up the Makey Makey board, and were tasked with figuring out which material conducted electricity. Students tested out pencils, paper, fruit, vegetables, flowers, clay, aluminum foil… anything they could get their hands on. Finally, the kids were let to unleash their creativity, letting them design whatever they felt like.
This class was provided for Epoch’s employee’s children, but the program hopes to expand to other Amcham partner companies, as well as deliver classes to underprivileged local Chinese communities. If you are interested in either hosting a class at your company or participating in volunteerism through this class, please contact Jazmyn Lu (WeChat: jazyjaz13).
We would like to thank our volunteers Jazmyn Lu (DMECC), Aman Tesfu (DAIS), Sara Kim (DMECC), Dima Ghalili (DMECC), Udit Narula (Intel) and Tesfu Solomon (AmCham/Intel). Special thanks to Epoch for hosting the event, technical support, translation support and a delicious lunch.
In addition to the “Curious Kids” program, DMECC also hosts Mother’s English. Mother’s English believes all children deserve high-quality English language learning opportunities to maximize their educational and future career success in an increasingly global society. For more information go to: www.mothersenglish.org.
