We at RAFT are immensely glad to provide STEAM activities for the community, and one of the amazing ways we do this is with the Maker Mobile Van. Equipped with all the tools, materials, and staff necessary to bring STEAM activities everywhere it visits, it’s the perfect way to get students to engage with their education outside of the typical classroom setting. In the final weeks of October 2021, we’re proud to say that our Education Team brought the excitement of the Maker Mobile to several Boys & Girls Club sites in the Alum Rock and Oak Grove School Districts.

First, our team visited the Alum Rock Clubhouse, where they led many eager 2nd and 3rd graders in building their own bottle cap mazes. After using paper barriers to assemble their mazes, the students then tested their peers to see how quickly they could maneuver a ping pong ball to complete them. After a bit of collaboration and patience, students were able to complete these challenges in under a minute.

Alum Rock students assemble their bottle cap mazes to test their peers.

Later, our Education Team brought the Maker Mobile to the Boys & Girls Club students at Edenvale and Hayes Elementary Schools. Since Halloween was just a few nights away, they had the students engineer their own skeleton marionettes. After some trial and error involving mismatched limbs and healthy frustration, the students completed their marionettes. “It was great to work with such a creative and engaged group of students,” said Chase Davenport, RAFT’s Senior Director of Education.

Edenvale and Hayes students assemble and control their skeleton marionettes.

This kind of creativity and engagement shown by both groups of students is exactly what we hope our Maker Mobile can bring to the community. STEAM activities are best when students are given the space to explore, collaborate, compete, and develop their skills freely. A huge thank you to our Education Team and the local Boys & Girls Clubs!

Learn more about RAFT’s activities in the community here. If you’re interested in bringing the Maker Mobile to your school, please contact our education team at education@raft.net.