S.T.E.A.M. Stations at Hutchinson Public Library Tuesday

BY JUDD WEIL
Hutch Post

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Public Library will be holding a S.T.E.A.M. Stations event for kids on Feb. 7. 

There will be multiple S.T.E.A.M stations with a number of different activities for kids to engage in.  

“Kids and parents are welcome to come through or they can kind of go through on their own pace, but we have different stations set up, so there's no set order,” Darcie Canfield-Riggs, Youth Services Librarian, said. “You just kind of move through as you want to.” 

The S.T.E.A.M. Stations event for February will be Valentine's Day themed.  

Kids will be able to make their own take-home Valentine’s Day projects such as wind rockets or light up Valentine’s-themed circuits.  

S.T.E.A.M is a great opportunity for the Public Library to engage both younger and older children in a variety of fields, while stoking a passion for them.  

“It's Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics,” Shelby Robinson, librarian, explained.  

Katie Jensen with the Public Library, added, “We try to find different activities that kind of help kids incorporate all those kinds of things and have fun while doing that, but also explore their feelings and what they're interested in.” 

Reflecting that, kids and their parents will be able to go to different tables in the Library’s Children’s Activity Room, that correspond to a different S.T.E.A.M. aspect, and at their leisure at the upcoming event.  

“They can go to whatever station they want,” Canfield-Riggs said. “If there's something that they're like ‘that doesn't sound good to me or I don't I'm not interested in that,’ they don't have to go to it.”  

Some of the activities will be self-guided, others will have kids and parents working together, and then with some of the harder projects, library staff will be stationed.  

One of the activities, the heavy hearts challenge, ties into coding. 

Kids will have to arrange different-sized pieces, among other activities that will serve as an introduction of sorts to coding.  

Kids will also have the opportunities to work with catapults as part of a S.T.E.A.M. project at the event.  

Refreshments will be available.  

Canfield-Riggs said the evening event is a great way for families to get their older, school-aged children involved in what the Public Library has to offer.  

The S.T.E.A.M Stations event will take place Feb. 7 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Children’s Activity Room at the Hutchinson Public Library located at 901 N. Main St. 

Another S.T.E.A.M Stations event will be held in March.

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