Activities @ The STEAM CenterWith over four dozen groups sharing the space; with hundreds of volunteers; with hundreds more participants, the STEAM Center will be busy with many activities. Below is a sampling of what is in store:
CLASSES The many hobby, youth & STEAM groups will offer a mix of both free and paid classes. A large percentage will involve hands-on building projects. STEM SPEAKER SERIES Occasional speakers will be brought in to discuss items of topical importance. ROBOT GARDEN PROGRAMS Robot Garden makerspace will offer classes on how to use the makerspace equipment & tools. They'll provide classes on CAD software, advanced manufacturing, micro controllers, robotics, electronics & more. WEEKEND & SUMMER CAMPS Several groups offer STEAM camps for youth. You'll never be bored at the STEAM Center! AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS After school STEAM programs and tutoring. Wheels Bus can drop them off after school. We'll keep youth busy learning until their parents can pick them up on the way home from work. SCOUTING MERIT BADGES Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts can work on STEAM related badges & merit badges. We'll make it easy for scout leaders and volunteers. So more scouts will be able to work on their STEAM badges. HOME SCHOOL GROUPS These groups will be able to use the STEAM Center while other kids are off attending their private or public school programs. AVIATION GROUND SCHOOL We're working with local flight schools to get more youth flying planes. We'll offer ground school to local high school students. STEM TUTORING This will be available on site as an after school program for various STEAM topics. INTERNAL KICKSTARTER We'll accept proposals for unique or engaging makerspace projects. On a quarterly basis we'll pick the best and help fund them. PROJECT TEAMS Have a big project? Put together a team to help design and complete it. We'll make it easy for your team to design and build your project. STEM TEACHER SUPPORT TEAMS We support our teachers! Teams of volunteers will help make classroom demonstrations & visual aids for STEM. HOMEBUILT PLANE CONSTRUCTION Yes. Real planes. We have donated planes that need to be refurbished. Separately, we're working to get a kit plane that can be built from scratch. MINI-MUSEUM & HANDS-ON DISPLAYS Our front lobby will be a 3200 sq ft staging area and museum. We'll provide interesting self-led content and fun safe hands-on activities in this area. Additionally, we'll use wall space throughout the STEM Center to provide other museum quality STEM content. OUTDOOR PICNIC AREA & VIEWING PLATFORM Enjoy a nice day watching the planes come & go. Stick around and learn the rhythm of a small GA airport. The viewing platform will provide a better airport of the airport grounds and make it easier to view planes as the take off & land. |
Special Events @ The STEAM CenterJust as the weather changes, so will some of our programs. These periodic events will keep STEAM Center participants busy & engaged throughout the year.
STEM COMPETITIONS Local teams will be able to build & test their designs. When appropriate, local robotics and science competitions will take place at the STEAM Center. Each hangar will have up to 6000 sq ft of adaptable space that can be rearranged for competitions. That's a total of 12,000 sq ft of high ceiling space for a variety of community events! CAREER DAY To help build the local work force, regional businesses will be recruited to present at this event. Scholarships & internships will be highlighted. WRIGHT BROTHERS BICYCLE REPAIR DAY The Wright Brothers were bicycle builders. We'll help kids make the connection with plane building while they help community members keep their bicycles rolling. AMATEUR RADIO ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ARISS) An opportunity to speak directly to astronauts on the ISS using amateur radio equipment. ELECTRONICS TEAR DOWN DAY Become fearless about opening up equipment to see what's inside. Learn how devices work by taking them apart. We'll recycle the parts that can be recycled. ELECTRONICS REPAIR DAY (aka Fix-It-Clinic) We void warranties! Bring in your non-working electronics. Work side-by-side with STEM Center volunteers to dismantle and debug your device. Order parts and repair it, if time & cost warrant the effort. ASTRONOMY NIGHT View the stars and periodic astronomical events directly from the airfield. CARDBOARD BUILD DAY For the kid in all of us, use cardboard to build a fort, ray gun, helmet, or other creation of your own making. SUNDAY SCIENCE A free program where adults learn about the history of science and recent scientific breakthroughs while their kids have a chance to socialize, play and learn with popular building toys such as Knex, Lego, Snap Circuits, Zometool, Zoob, and Chaos Tower. AMATEUR RADIO FIELD DAY A once a year event where local ham radio operators test their equipment and skill sets under emergency "off grid" conditions. TECH TOY PLAY TIME A chance for kids to play with some of the funnest, most engaging and most educational toys available. YOUTH PRESENTATIONS Youth will be given the opportunity to get up in front of the local STEM community to talk about their projects and favorite programs. BREAKFAST FLY-INS FOR PILOTS Working with local pilot groups we'll organize pancake breakfasts for pilots who fly in from other airports. A great way to meet pilots locally and from afar. TEENS ON THE TARMAC We'll open up the tarmac and give youth an opportunity to relax and socialize directly on the airport tarmac. MOVIE NIGHT We'll show an occasional movie relevant to aviation & aerospace (either documentary or drama) to provide a bit of downtime at the STEM Center. A great community builder! |
This is just a sampling of activities to be offered at the new Tri-Valley STEAM Center. Because the STEAM Center is also a makerspace, participants will have access to a variety of tools and resources that will keep them busy designing & building their own projects. There will be plenty to keep both youth & adults busy with a variety of activities of their own making.
