COCOLALLA — Keeping kids engaged throughout the summer is essential, and what better way than through the hands-on activities of Southside Elementary’s STEAM Curiosity Camp.

“We really want to encourage students to continue learning throughout their summer, and STEAM Curiosity Camp is one way we as a school can assist students to continue building their skills during the summer,” said Lynette Leonard, the school’s librarian and STEAM coordinator. “It is a time for students from the community to interact with others, imagine and build skills, create new friendships and fall in love with the many aspects of STEAM in a fun, innovative way.”

Last week marked the second year of the STEAM Curiosity Camp, with about 45 kids ranging in grades K-6 in attendance each day,

Each of the five days last were done in the order of STEAM — science on Monday, technology on Tuesday, engineering on Wednesday, art on Thursday, and math on Friday. Some of the activities in the area of science included bubble painting, magnetism, Newton’s Laws of Motion, tie-dye science, states of matter, chemical reactions and senses science. Technology included robotics and coding. On Wednesday, for engineering, the kids each made a Newton’s cradle and a Ferris wheel from Popsicle sticks, as well as participating in BrickLAB engineering, balancing frogs and other engineering design process activities. Art included painting, tie-dye, bookmarks made from old books, and Critter Beads. Math activities included coding, counting, measuring, estimating and Lego math. Some of the activities, such as Critter Beads, were a crossover between art and math, as art was actually implemented each day of the camp.

“They rotate between three classes each day, and each class has a different lesson and different aspect, and it is really hands-on,” Leonard said. “... They learn about the science, technology, engineering, art and math in those lessons, but we really focus on them getting in there and creating and doing it with their hands and learning. So I think it is a great way for them to learn those skills from STEM fields and get excited about them in the summertime.”

Leonard said she enjoyed seeing the kids so engaged in the program, and most of them were excited to come back each day. In a survey at the end of the week, all of the parents said their child really liked camp and want to come back next year, asking for it to run for a longer period of time.

Southside principal Jacque Johnson said she was “especially taken aback” by the number of students who were fully engaged in real-world science throughout the week, in the middle of their summer vacation. She was impressed by the dedicated staff who took the time out of their summer as well, as Southside art teacher Karen Beno, and special education teacher Tiffany Aarestad, teamed up with Leonard for the camp.

“Lynette’s willingness to take on our Southside summer program truly highlights the value of shared leadership in our school,” Johnson said in an email to the Daily Bee. “We are lucky to have such dedicated teachers that go above and beyond for the students and families of Cocolalla.”

It is through grants from Idaho Library of Commission and the Idaho Stem Action Center that Southside was able to host the summer camp again this year, Leonard said. Also through the grants, every student was able to assemble and take home their own Kamigami robotic bug, as well as the tie-dye shirts they made.

“We are thankful for our community organizations who continue to provide funding for the many programs we offer at Southside,” Leonard said.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.