Pirate STEM Family Night

 The Pirate STEM Family Night was a great success! The target group was second and third graders. We have 90 kids in those two grades, so my goal for family night was 30 families, and we made our goal! There were exactly 30 families in attendance, and I think they all had a good time. I, with the help of another teacher, decorated my library counter as a pirate ship to get things going. This area was also used for photos so the families could have a remembrance of the night.

We began the night with check-in. Each familiy was given a pirate picture which would be used for group divisions. Each student chose a pirate name tag and using posted lists, figured out their pirate name. (Lists of these pirate names are found online in a simple search.) I printed a few lists and posted them around the check-in area. Full disclosure: in reflecting on the night, we decided to make the pirate nametags an activity next year instead of part of check-in.

All the families congregated in one room for the first few minutes, so that I could give directions to the whole group. Next year I will have signs posted for each pirate picture so that families can group themselves more easily. (This whole year is a learning experience for me.) I gave directions about how long to stay in each room (about 15 mins.), that someone would let them know when to move, and to rmember that the goal was for parents to spend time with their child participating in STEM activities, not socializing. Then we let them go! They were assigned to begin in one of the four rooms we were using, based on what pirate picture they received. 

I planned three activities for each of the four rooms we used. Next year I will plan four activities per room. One or two of the main activities in each room earned each student a sticker to place on a pirate treasure map. At the end of the night, after visiting each of the four rooms, each student should have earned 5 stickers which would entitle them to a gold-covered chocolate coin from Rebekah at the check-out table.

The activities in each room were as follows:

Library -- 

• Pirate map mat for Bee Bot -- the kids chose a task card and then programmed the bot to complete the task. They also had to write the algorithm for the task. Sometimes the parents participated, and sometimes they just watched. Either way, I think it was good for them to see exactly what their kids are doing with coding. (sticker activity)
• The pirate ship photo op area was an activity here. I had a pirate hat, an eye patch, and several photo op sticks the kids could use, and parents could take their pictures on their phones and have it as a keepsake of the night.
• The final library activity was a pirate puzzle. One neat thing about the puzzle is that it actually glows in the dark!

Room #2 -- 

• Plank Building -- I found this activity in a unit I bought through TPT. The kids used blocks to build a plank 12 inches off the ground which they then had to stand/walk on. (sticker activity)
• Reading pirate books like a pirate. I printed out several copies of  "How to Talk Like a Pirate" and placed them near a stack of pirate books from the library. The idea was for the kids to read the books to their parents in a fun way.
• Legos -- We sorted out a box of brown, black, gray, white, red, and yellow Legos that the kids could use to build a Pirate ship.

Room #3 --

• Make a pirate hat with newspaper. There were piles of newspapers and step-by-step directions. The kids looked so cute in their creations! (sticker activity)
• Make a treasure chest. This activity was not exactly the way I wanted it to be. I ended up using a printed out treasure chest which required cutting and folding and taping. It was too small really for the the kids' hands. One of my goals before next year is to find a better pattern or set of directions for making a treasure chest.
• Legos -- This was a different set. It was actually a Pirate Themed set of Legos with printed directions for building pirate ships.

Room #4 --

• Build a Pirate Ship -- The kids had to build a ship out of foil, and then float it in a bucket of water. Next they had to add pennies and discover how many pennies they could add before their ship sank. (sticker activity)
• Crack the Code -- I had two sets of this activity. In a bucket of sand, I hid shells and fake jewels. The kids had a pirate questions to answer, and they had to answer it by digging up all the shells and using the code on each shell. One one side of each shell I had previously printed a letter, and on the other side I wrote a symbol. The kids' code cracker sheets had the symbols printed in order.. When they laid their shells out by symbol and then turned them over, the letters made the answer to the question. This was actually my favorite activity to make, and I think I would have liked it best as a child. (sticker activity)
• Snack -- Pirate Booty popcorn and a water bottle

Overall I saw lots of smiles through the evening. I had five seventh grade helpers, my senior intern Rebekah, two principals, and two teachers helping. I could never have pulled it off without them. This was my third family night. (I didn't get to post about the other two this year.) It had the highest attendance so far, but all three nights were attended by 1/3 of the total represented group. I have one more night to go. That will be in April for 4th and 5th graders. It's already in the works. I love hosting these family nights and watching the parent-child interaction. I think it's good for parents also to see what kinds of activities are connected with STEM/STEAM and all the different ways their kids can interact, design, build, and code even at young ages.