The Lancaster Science Factory has announced an expanded schedule of hands-on STEM classes, for students in kindergarten through eighth grade, for winter and spring.
Space is limited in the six-week classes, which start Jan. 19.
Those attending the classes can stay and play in the Science Factory’s exhibit hall, with an accompanying parent.
— Grades K-3, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursdays or 2-3:30 p.m. Fridays: The Creatures in Your Neighborhood, in which students explore the insects and wildlife in the world around them. Each class features a biology lesson, a math activity and a building or engineering project.
— Maker Space workshops for grades three through eight:
• Tinkercad Design Workshop, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursdays. Students learn 3D printing and beginner CAD design, and how those skills can be applied in the real world. Projects include personalized keychains, spaceships, game pieces, action figures and more.
• Wind Power, 2-3:30 p.m. Fridays. Students learn about the history of wind power generation and the principles of energy. They’ll engineer contraptions that harness the power of wind to perform tasks. Projects include electricity generation, boats, cars and windmills that can lift objects.
— Maker Camp for grades two through eight, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays: Junk Drawer Inventor, in which students use upcycled household and common objects to solve a variety of engineering challenges. Students use their creativity and critical thinking skills to make cardboard creations, build cities and bridges, take apart and reimagine toys and build hydraulic lifts.
— Homeschool Hands-on STEM, grades one through six, 10-11:30 a.m. and 1-2:30 p.m. select Tuesdays. Home-schooled students will use science, technology, engineering and math principles to solve problems and answer questions from well-known fairy tales.
— PASTE pre-K program, for ages 4 to 6, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. select Tuesdays. Students hear a story and make hands-on projects to solve problems from popular fairy tales.
— Homework Club, grades one through eight, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday. Students enrolled in any type of online, virtual, or hybrid learning can attend for a partial or full day to get extra help from the Science Factory’s professional educators.
The Lancaster Science Factory is at 454 New Holland Ave., and is open from noon to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
To register, visit the website at lancastersciencefactory.org. The Science Factory can be reached at 717-509-6363. Cloth masks that cover the nose and mouth are required for all visitors over the age of 2 in the Science Factory. Full COVID-19 policies can be found on the website.
