Robots and Lollipops = STEM LOVE

February 16, 2018
|In General, MSU Urban STEM, Sustainability Fellows
|By Chessica Oetjens

What do robots and lollipops have in common?  They were both part of an extra special Valentine’s Day activity for a few of our #MSUrbanSTEM Sustainability Fellows.  Michael Kosko and Marianna Jennings added some extra STEM fun to their lesson plans on February 14th.

The STEM Specialists in Michael Kosko’s class tackled an inquiry project as they explored the question, “Can robots be artists?” Students worked hard to create their very own Scribble Bot!  That’s not all!  As the robots began to scribble, they also created some very unique, custom wrapping paper for Valentine’s Day!  I guess robots really can be artists!  Check out the scribbles below.

Marianna Jennings led her students in a fun Valentine’s Day activity as well.  They had to figure out the volume of a heart shaped lollipop. Tricky! Jennings shared that the students had some misconceptions about volume, but the power of student-to-student discussion pulled them through!  They came up with many strategies.  Some students broke the heart into different composite shapes, while one group worked on finding the area of the square and then subtracting triangle shapes around the heart.  “The activity was amazing!” she shared.

Robots + Lollipops = STEM Love