STEM programs continue to be some of the most popular programs at Prince William Public Libraries.
One example for all: Last month we hosted a Sphero Design Challenge. Participants were broken into teams and given a Sphero robot, a ping pong ball, and a bag of assorted craft supplies. They had to do some problem solving and use their creativity to build something that would enable Sphero to carry the ping pong ball through an obstacle course.
Visit "Library Events" on pwcva.gov/library to find upcoming STEM programs.
And the coding fun continues...
Thanks to ChangeX grant, we have enhanced our STEM Kits with new Coding Mouse Robots!
We also hosted another coding program - Zoo Coding using programming language Scratch, and another program is scheduled on July 22 - coding for website design.
The ChangeX grant to the Bull Run Library has already had a great impact on our community and will continue to do so for years to come. The Bull Run library used this funding to start off a Hour of Code program at the library in March 2021, with 2 sessions of a virtual Hour of Code lessons taking place on March 9 and March 16, and 3 weeks of screen free take-home coding kits provided at the library. Together, these programs allowed us to have an immediate impact in our community with 143 patrons participating in these programs. In addition to the attendees, we were also able to have a widespread impact through our advertising. We advertised through our social media platforms, in-library flyers, and through the local educators, including one teacher that joined our ChangeX team. These efforts ensured that thousands of people saw these programs and helped our community understand that the library is not just a literary site, but also a STEAM resource.
The Hour of Code program was very well received, with survey responses from our participants showing that our patrons want more of this type of content. This positive reception has allowed us to plan and begin adding quarterly coding classes to our calendar, with the first session of this happening on June 17. We are looking forward to future programs of this type, and the collaboration with educators these will encourage.
In addition to this programming, the funding will also add a variety of other coding programs to our library system. A portion of the grant funding will be allotted to creating a coding STEAM kit made of Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Sets, which can be requested by any library in our system to provide a basis of coding program. The Bull Run Library will also buy OSMO coding kits, which will be added to our Maker Lab and increase the variety of coding programs that the Bull Run Library can offer.
Our first Hour of Code on March 9 was so much fun. It attracted not only kids but also their parents. Total of 19 people participated.
Of 13 kids, 11 were new to coding. They were all able to work on Hour of Code and complete at least four levels on it. We gave them an assignment, so we'll follow up with them next week and see what they produce. Looking forward to it!
Here's the flyer that we've created for the program.
Team,
Congratulations on completing the 30 Day Challenge.
Soon, the community served by Bull Run Library will be able to enjoy Hour of Code and learn new skills.
Hour of Code VA – ChangeX.org Grant
Bull Run Library, Prince William County, VA
(Team members agreed upon this action plan during Team Meeting on Dec. 15 at 3:00 p.m.)
Hour of Code VA Team: Gabriella Scalph (Programming and Outreach Specialist), Kristen Burnham (Programming and Outreach Specialist), Michaela Hamiary Janotova (Marketing and Public Relations Specialist), Rosanne North-Jack (Senior Librarian, Youth Services Supervisor), Greg Fahey (Teen Librarian)
The goal of this team is to introduce an Hour of Code program to the Bull Run Library and the community this library serves. We anticipate having an impact by offering an opportunity for school-aged patrons to register for a FREE coding program to promote STEAM skills and offer them the opportunity to practice these skills with their peers in a completely virtual, inclusive environment. Participants will have a chance to collaborate and work in dependently to complete various coding projects from Hour of Code, both online and asynchronous.
Action Plan:
1. Rosanne and Greg will coordinate and choose which activities and materials are needed for Asynchronous Coding Kits that will lead up to the program: [these will be left in the Bull Run Library lobby to encourage contact-free pickup].
i. Paper Printouts
ii. Coding Bracelets
iii. Chalk Coding Kit
2. Once materials are identified Rosanne and Greg will coordinate with Shelly Kleinfeld (Bull Run Library Administrative Assistant) and Gabi who will purchase the materials using initial seed money from ChangeX.
3. Michaela and Nicole will continue to contact and engage team member, Illya, a team member who signed on outside of our organization.
4. Greg submits a description of the program to the spring issue of our library magazine, Explore.
5. Greg and Rosanne will collect online coding resources to post in program description leading up to the event in March so that participants can have access to additional materials as well as attend a Live Webex Program, as all library programs are hosted virtually.
6. Rosanne will submit a poster request to graphics designer
7. Kristen will submit a list of STEM Hub kit items and the Team will decide which to spend the rest of the funding on to create Stem Hub Kits for other librarians to use and create their own future coding programs.
8. Kristen will provide statistics to Rosanne for materials requested, including outreach supplies, to show what kind of potential impact creating new Stem Hub Coding kits will have.
9. The entire Team will contribute and touch base on creating new Coding Kits, to be finalized after the program, March 23rd, 2021, to incorporate input from program participants as well.
10. Rosanne will create an exit ticket survey for program participants to fill out and determine program’s impact on their learning and coding skills and collect suggestions for Coding Kits.
11. Rosanne and Greg will continue to work on building content and challenges for the program in March 2021.
12. Shelly Kleinfeld will coordinate all purchases made with the ChangeX funds via the Bull Run Library Foundation account with Gabi advising purchases in line with Team goals.
Hello team members,
Thank you for your hard work and prompt actions. We are approaching the finish line of our 30 Day Challenge! Looking forward to the Kick Off Meeting.
