Families gathered last week to help the familiar fairy tale heroine, Rapunzel, by engineering a way for her to escape from her tower! This particular event was geared toward English Language learning families, and teachers and translators were on hand to help things run smoothly. The evening proved something we already knew: that creativity, ingenuity, and problem solving are common across many cultures and easily rise above any language barriers!
The event started with a retelling of the first part of the traditional Rapunzel story, by the Brothers Grimm, pausing when Rapunzel says, "I must find a way to get out of this tower!" Families then split into two groups, and rotated through two activities.
In the DHS Media Center, families were challenged to use a variety of materials on hand to engineer an escape route for Rapunzel. They had access to cardboard, tape, paper, and LEGOs and we were blown away by the creative solutions the families came up with. Check out the gallery below!
In the Delran Innovation & Fabrication Lab, students and families had a chance to make their own pop-up castle using Fab@School Maker Studio software and a die-cutting machine.
Our always-fantastic student STEM Ambassadors were on hand to help out, steering families through their creations in the Delran Innovation & Fabrication Lab. They helped families find the pop-up castle and other designs in the Fab@School Maker Studio software, and then fabricate their designs on the die-cut machines.
Families learned about Growth Mindset, encouraging their children through difficulties, and the power of "yet." Parents also received resources translated into their native languages.
In celebration of NJ STEM Month, we are looking forward to hosting additional Family STEM Nights throughout the month of March. Keep your eye out for registration information coming soon!