Chesco IU Offers Festival Of Learning, From Farms to Drones

DOWNINGTOWN, PA — A ten-day festival of learning returns after a challenging academic year, as Chester County's Intermediate Unit brings drones, coding, farming, and STEAM events to help "remake learning" in May.

In partnership with the PA SEED Ecosystem, southeastern Pennsylvania will host more than 30 events during this learning festival between May 6-16, 2021. These events are designed for parents and caregivers to learn alongside their kids and offer relevant and engaging educational experiences for youth in pre-K through high school. Most events are free, Chester County IU said.

After a most challenging year for education, Remake Learning Days Across America (RLDAA) will return this spring in 17-plus PA regions, with family-friendly learning events designed to engage caregivers, parents, and kids around the country.

Southeastern PA's festival of events will capture the themes of Career Readiness, Maker, Outdoor Learning, Science, Technology, and Youth Voices, Some of the events planned are:

• Exploring Drones (May 14): Participating students and families are in for an action-packed evening of everything drones. They will experience FPV, coding, and flying drones as well as see live demonstrations from professional drone pilots and drone industry professionals.
• Fluxspace’s STEAM Festival (May 8): Fluxspace will spend the day exploring everything STEAM! Attendees can build something in their makerspace, program and code robots/electronics, see drone demonstrations, explore 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC routing, vertical farming/hydroponics, VR experiences, and more!
• Girls Code the World (May 14): Girls will experience a holistic science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education by completing a series of engaging activities related to biology, chemistry, and coding. There will be a range of fun hands-on and computational projects that will provide a glimpse of a maker education.
• Pennsylvania Pig Farm Showcase (May 11): Students will learn about the inner workings of a Pennsylvania pig farm from National Pig Farmer of the Year Chris Hoffman. He will highlight the inner workings of his farm and the many ways pigs impact the lives of all Pennsylvanians.
• Sustainability and Your Students (May 12): Teachers will explore strategies to connect our students to plants, animals, and our world. Teachers will create their own EVERFI account, explore the Plants, Animals, and Our World course, and gather several extension ideas to implement in virtual or in-person classrooms.

"Educators, looking to be innovative and connect children with the future of learning are engaging students every day with STEAM-based activities," said Demetrius Roberts, director of STEM and educational technology for CCIU.

"Remake Learning Days is a way for us to showcase these learning innovations and bring them into the community so that we can reach more students and caregivers. We believe that a student’s total knowledge can’t depend on the school alone and we’re thrilled to bring this celebration to communities and caregivers," Roberts added.

Find a complete list of events and registration information here.

Pennsylvania STEM Experiences for Equity and Diversity (PA SEED) Ecosystem is a collaboration of stakeholders committed to engaging its local and global community in connected science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) learning.

Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County, and Montgomery County Intermediate Units build the foundation for the STEM Ecosystem. The intermediate units’ experience providing professional learning across the continuum of school professionals, along with technical assistance from district to classroom level, allows for an understanding of the opportunities within the region, an IU news release said

With over 25 private, NGO, and/or philanthropic partners, 15 post-secondary partners, and support from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the intermediate units collectively offer a suite of STEM educational services that act as the foundation for a STEM Learning Ecosystem.

To learn more about PA SEED and who it serves, go here.

The Chester County Intermediate Unit is an educational service agency that exists to provide quality, cost-effective services to the community and its residents. The Chester County Intermediate Unit administers instructional, enrichment, and administrative programs and services to Chester County’s 12 public school districts and to over 45 private and parochial schools in the county.

Remake Learning Days Across America is led by Remake Learning (RL), a network that aims to ignite engaging, relevant, and equitable learning practices in support of young people navigating rapid social and technological change. National partners of RLDAA include PBS Kids, Digital Promise, Common Sense Media, Learning Heroes and Noggin.

RLDAA is supported by The Grable Foundation, The Hewlett Foundation, Schmidt Futures, Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Ford Foundation. Visit remakelearning.org for more information.