Summer STEAM Tour Encourages Children to Read Beyond the Beaten Path
The Lifelong Learning Institute in Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Office of Online Services and Educational Outreach (OSEO) is partnering with the SIUE STEM Center to offer a Summer STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) Tour at 11 Metro East libraries that aligns with the iREAD 2022 summer reading program theme.
Under the theme Reading Beyond the Beaten Path, the iREAD program encourages people of all ages to read and engage in activities related to fun in the great outdoors. The STEAM Tour will feature activities that include owl pellet dissection, insect identification, stone painting and more. The SIUE STEM Center will also offer programs related to outer space using its portable planetarium.
The Lifelong Learning Institute has long provided educational outreach and resources for adults in the community. Its signature program is a weekly speaker series held in the fall and spring that is attended primarily by retirees and seniors who enjoy learning about a wide range of topics from art to zoology.
“Summer is tricky when it comes to program planning,” shared OSEO Program Coordinator Alicia Taylor. “Our Institute members are involved in different organizations and many spend time with their grandkids over the summer. That got us thinking about how we could engage our lifelong learners during the summer – through intergenerational programming, and from there, the Summer STEAM Tour was born.”
The Lifelong Learning Institute partnered with the SIUE STEM Center to design programming suitable for both children ages 5-11 and adults. Topics can be explored collaboratively by siblings, friends and children with their guardians or family members.
“We are excited to partner with the Office of Online Services and Educational Outreach on this STEAM Tour,” said Emily Wonnacott-Stanley, community outreach coordinator for the SIUE STEM Center. “This collaboration is a perfect fit, as the SIUE STEM Center provides a variety of programming and services to broaden STEM education throughout the region.”
The SIUE STEM Center organizes and judges science fairs, develops and tests innovative curricula that builds computational thinking among elementary school students, and utilizes its team of researchers, educators and creators to define best practices in STEM initiatives.
The Summer STEAM Tour will include stops at libraries in Columbia, Edwardsville, O’Fallon, East St. Louis, Granite City, Glen Carbon, Mascoutah, Freeburg, Fairview Heights and Alton. All programs are free and open to the public. Parents or guardians are encouraged to attend with their child.
Check with your local library for details on the Summer STEAM Tour dates and to register. Activities vary between locations and registration is sometimes required.
Contact Taylor with any questions at alitayl@siue.edu.
