Rows of toggle switches and illuminated buttons mesmerized six-grader John Bootier as he got his hands on retired Atlas 2 launch consoles.
He was among more than a dozen children who took part in a STEM Saturday workshop at the U.S. Space Walk of Fame Museum in Titusville.
'He's very hands on with everything he does,' said Cindy Bootier, John's mother. 'Having the action and seeing how it incorporates in everyday life is very important to how he learns.'
The first STEM Saturday at the space museum in Titusville focused on science, and students learned what it would be like to live and work on the International Space Station.
STEM is an education initiative that emphasizes science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Future STEM Saturday sessions will focus on NASA spinoffs and robotics, launch pad engineering and design and rocket trajectories.
Orange County public school teacher Danielle Miller, who aligned the material to Florida education standards, hopes the workshops surrounded by pieces of space history will reinforce the concepts children learn during the week in the classroom.
'They should be seeing things here that they are seeing in school,' Miller said. 'Trying it themselves makes it more real to them, and makes them see that science is important because it will help you understand all things going on around you.'
The space museum moved earlier this year into a larger facility on U.S. 1 in downtown Titusville partly to have room to offer educational programs.
'We always wanted to have outreach in the community,' said Karan Conklin, U.S. Space Walk of Fame chief of staff. 'Science is primarily our function here, teaching the history and the STEM program fits in perfectly.'
The children, 8 to 13 years old, explored the museum and played with relics from the space race that resulted in man landing on the moon.
'This is the actual equipment that has been used over the years out at the space center, which is all science, math and technology,' Conklin said. 'We are STEM.'
Contact Gunnerson at sgunnerson@floridatoday.com, 321-360-1016 and Twitter @scottgunnerson
If you go
What: STEM Saturdays
Where: U.S. Space Walk of Fame Museum, 308 Pine St., Titusville
Next workshops: 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 8, technology; Dec. 6, engineering; Jan. 24 math.
Cost: $25 a session for children between 8 and 13 years old
Registration: Call 321-264-0434 one week prior to workshops. Each session is limited to 20 students.
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