Every Thursday night, Lindsey Moore sits down at her computer ready to be amazed.

“It’s amazing what kids can do with just some raw materials,” Moore says.

She runs an after school STEM club for elementary school students. She started the program as a way to get more young kids interested in STEM outside of the classroom.

What You Need To Know

  • The virtual STEM club is run through the Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum

  • The cost to join is changeable in order for more students to take part, and some families are able to enroll at no cost through the support of grants

  • Families were given boxes of reusable materials at the start of the program

The program was supposed to be in person every week, but the pandemic had other plans. Thankfully, finding solutions is what STEM is all about.

“You know what, the engineers of the Erie Canal had so many challenges that they had to adapt, and that’s exactly what we did,” Moore says.

The program is run through the Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum.

Each week is a different project, like wind powered boats. The goal is for kids to come up with their own way to use the materials they have. Lindsey gave out 50 boxes of supplies, between the fall and spring programs.

“It was a bit of a Jenga process,” Moore says, placing items into a box with a very specific order, “Because otherwise their foil and their cellophane get crinkled.”

Just like with each week’s prompt, thinking outside the box is encouraged.

“It is practically made out of food,” says Lilly, a second grade student showing off her boat over Zoom. “It has a snack bag thing that I folded.”

“Look at that!” says Lily, another student in the club. “This container here, that’s what’s holding the metal balls.”

“I just found all of this from the recycling bin,” says Maddie, a fourth grader showing off her boat, which is made from an old milk carton.

Wind powered boat voyage complete, it’s on to the next week’s project. From egg drops contests to building pyramids, these young STEM students will get creative and find a way to make it work.

The virtual STEM club is run through the Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum. The cost to join is changeable in order for more students to take part, and some families are able to enroll at no cost through the support of grants.