Silver Award Spotlight

Silver Award Spotlight

Nuts and Bolts about S.T.E.M.

Shaiyan F., Troop 6700

Lack of resources prevented many children in my old neighborhood from accessing and learning the fundamentals of science in a way that they could enjoy. Since they hadn’t gotten the opportunity to learn and explore science in a fun and interesting way, some of these kids did not enjoy the subject and thought of it as boring. This problem was especially alarming considering there is a science center located conveniently close to the neighborhood where these kids lived. I wanted to find a way to encourage them to develop a love for science! And, that’s where the Girl Scout Silver Award came in!

For my Girl Scout Silver Award project, I organized individual S.T.E.M. lessons for children using resources from the Da Vinci Science Center in Allentown, PA. First, I contacted children in my old neighborhood, from grades Kindergarten to fifth, and asked what they were interested in. Next, I recruited a few of my friends to help! I explained my vision to take each child’s interest and turn it into a fun and educational science lesson. From there, we worked together and researched various S.T.E.M. topics, brainstormed ideas, and visited the science center to see what displays we could use to teach lessons to the children based on their individual interests. For example, if a child was interested in cars, we designed a lesson on motion.

For the science center visits, we created a pre-test, an actual lesson at the science center that was approximately two hours long, and a post-test. We used the pre-tests and post-tests to evaluate the impact of the project; we wanted to see what the kids learned and retained!

Another phase of my project was to secure funds to purchase tickets to the Da Vinci Science Center. We investigated several ways to raise money to buy tickets for the children. In the end, I had some leftover Adventure Credits from the Girl Scout Cookie Program, that I used to buy the tickets! Siblings and other family members were also given access to the Center, meaning the entire family could benefit from all the awesome resources at the center.

Through my project, I was able to provide individual lessons and visits for 15 curious and eager children who were thrilled with the many activities in which they participated. During the time I completed the Silver Award, the Center had a huge reptile and frog exhibit. The children were fascinated by the animals; many of them had never seen some of the reptiles that were there. I noted that the younger children (Kindergarten -2nd grade) enjoyed the aquarium and water exhibits the most, while the older children from (3rd-5th grade) were more attracted to the exhibits relating to Newton’s laws of motion and magnetism.

The families of these children were grateful that their children were able to experience the diverse exhibits at the Da Vinci Science Center. And, likewise, the Da Vinci Science Center was also very happy that we used their facility to educate and inspire the children. My Silver Award project was highlighted to members of the Center!

Through my Silver Award project, I was able to learn many life skills for the future. The most important thing I learned was that earning the Silver Award isn’t as scary as I thought it would be. Although it can take more than the 50 required project hours and there is an application process, the task became less intimidating with learning proper time management, budgeting, leading a helpful team, and overcoming a fear of public speaking skills.

Some advice I’d give to Girl Scouts that are interested in earning their Silver Award is to start the process and submit your Silver Award Proposal as early as you can so that you have enough time for approval and project completion! With proper planning you can space out the tasks that you have to complete to earn your Silver Award. Last, make sure that you document what you are doing throughout the course of your project. There were some days that I got so busy with my project that I forgot to take pictures. Documenting your project is very important and a required part of the project, so be careful to take pictures and keep records of everything you do!

Earning the Girl Scout Silver Award was a pleasant and rewarding experience, and it was all worth the effort when I saw the smile on the children’s faces after they learned something new! I am glad I was able to make a difference in the lives of the families and the children by instilling a love of S.T.E.M. concepts and science subjects!

Discover how to earn the Silver Award! Visit www.gsep.org/silver-award.