VMNH educators had a wonderful time working with our afterschool partners this year! With the support of the LEGO Children's Fund, we provided science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programming to over 500 students over the course of two semesters!!

Take a look at some of our delightfully fun experiences. Enjoy!

Exploring the properties of water - mixing water and soap.

Measuring a bubble tower with a ruler.

Investigating the interaction of water and antacid tablets.

Anticipating launching our antacid tablet bottle rockets!

Designing our layout before building a rainforest tree.

Working together to build the tallest tree we can imagine!



Combining our trees to discover the layers of the tropical rainforest.

Designing the perfect parachute that will travel to the ground at the slowest time.

Displaying the finished product!

What a Drag!

Fieldale Community Center participants were challenged to use several common materials such as coffee filters, tissue paper, and straws to design and build a parachute that would drop a toy to the ground at the slowest possible rate. Also, participants discovered the importance of drag (a force that counters gravity) and how it affects landing time.

Next, we discussed different shapes of parachutes. Then, they sketched their designs and were given 10 minutes to construct the parachute.

After testing the parachutes, participants were asked to change one aspect of their parachute that would increase the landing time.

An example of the final product!

Adventures with Edventures

Fieldale Community Center participants explored mechanical engineering and the engineering design process through building with LEGOs. Over the course of four days, students investigated simple machines and discovered how simple machines make life easier.

Searching for simple machines in a cartoon.

Concentrating to build the perfect brick flipper (also known a lever).

After completing the brick flipper, the students were challenged to modify the lever to launch a Lego the farthest possible distance.

Building an inclined plane.

Making last minute changes to a cart and cart launcher before the race begins!

Design It!

Campers at the Fieldale Community Center investigated the world of engineering in this design-inspired camp! Civil engineering was the theme of the week as students were given several structural challenges that tested their ingenuity and problem solving skills.

Students visited Fieldale Park to observe the truss bridge before creating their own bridge from a single sheet of paper.

Using two bricks, a sheet of paper, and several pennies, students explored different folding methods to test the strength of their paper bridge.

Who knew marshmallows and toothpicks could be combined to form a sturdy structure?

Clearly, drinking straws are used for more than drinking!

The week culminated with the students designing and building amusement park rides.

Nature Photographs

Students from the Boys and Girls Club Teen Center explored Frank Wilson Park with VMNH on July 20th. As part of their week-long Photography theme, they participated in several photo-related nature activities. They acted as photographer and camera to view elements of the park ecology more closely, they reviewed their life science while completing a nature photo scaventer hunt with their cell phones, and they created framed artwork with materials from nature.

Photographers take nature photos with their human cameras

Getting a close-up with their cell phone cameras

They found a conifer!

This tree needed a hug

Frame complete, now for the art

Framed Nature Art

She found a dead butterfly in the leaves, a beautiful swallowtail

Design and Dig!

The MHC After 3 group from Collinsville participated in VMNH led programs the week of July 5 - 8. They learned about plants, gardening, and the importance of community green spaces. For the last two days of the camp, they chose a site for a new garden at Jack Dalton Park (they decided on two small gardens), prepared the sites, chose the flowers, designed the gardens, planted, mulched, and sweat a lot in the heat! Henry County Parks and Recreation assisted with site options and loaned some shovels, and Gateway Streetscapes worked along-side the kids the whole time and also let us use some of their equipment. Next time you're at Jack Dalton park, check out the new garden next to the walking trail.

Breaking Ground

Digging in to remove the grass where the garden would go

Adding a Butterfly Bush

Planting some perrenials

A hard-working group!

The whole group with one of the completed gardens

And a little goofiness

Walk This Way!

Students at the Boys & Girls Club and Fieldale Community Center discovered the world of orienteering with VMNH educators.

First, the students created a compass rose using paper plates. As they designed their compass rose, each student labeled the cardinal directions and assigned an angle to each direction.

Next, using Play-doh to create mountains, students explored and discovered the importance of topographic maps. Creating the mountains helped students draw their own topographic map, which allowed them to understand elevation.

They measured the height of their mountain and divided it into 1 cm increments and placed its sections on a sheet of paper, outlining the perimeter of each section (starting from the top of the mountain to the bottom of the mountain) which allowed them to create their own topographical map.

Lastly, students worked individually or were divided into groups to hide treasure. Putting their orienteering skills to the test, each group was instructed to use bearings, degrees, pace and a compass to find the hidden treasure as well as incorporate prior knowledge and experience based on past lessons from the VMNH educator.