First Week Flashback: STEAM in the Library

In this month's First Week Flashback, we take a look at some of our STEAM activities from Literacy Studies classes.

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Over the last several years, students have had access to a variety of materials and activities to explore and make. In 2014, students could choose to participate in Library Lab, a before-school activity that included electronic choices and hands-on manipulatives for students to enjoy and explore. (You can read about it HERE.) Two or three days a week students could choose from things like origami, LEGOs, Marble Run, coding, and gaming.

Over the years, Library Lab became something students might choose to do during their study hall time, but most recently, these sorts of opportunities have become part of the Literacy Studies class that nearly all students take. Using book fair profits and receiving a State of Iowa Scale-Up STEM grant have allowed for additional opportunities for students. Several times a semester students can choose from materials such as:

                • Spheros            • Cubelets

                • littleBits            • Felting

                • 3D pens            •  3Dux Designs

You can see some of their making and exploring below:

With the sudden end to in-person learning at school, students weren't able to enjoy all of the second semester STEAM days planned, but hopefully this fall they can continue to explore and make with these and additional items, like Root Robot, Makedo Construction materials, and Makey Makeys. Stay tuned!

Harnessing STEAM Power

With the new school year comes new STEAM activities! After receiving a State of Iowa Scale-Up STEM grant last spring, we are now able to expand the STEAM offerings to students. Still popular among students were things like Spheros and 3D pens and Cubelets, but students were also able to explore using 3Dux Design activities, dry felting, and Strawbees.


With task and challenge cards available to students both in the activities themselves and in Google Classroom, students explored making, creating, designing, and imagining all sorts of things!

With additional new items still waiting in the wings, students will have additional STEAM days to explore again!