Some of the activities Osmond students participated in involved building bridges, catapults, and boats. (engineering)

Osmond students attend virtual I.N.S.A.N.E. science field trip

(by Sarah Polacek, 4-h Extension Associate, Madison County)

NORFOLK — Imagine Now! STEAM and Nebraska Extension (I.N.S.A.N.E.) Science event provided a unique virtual hands-on learning experience for 388 youth from five counties on Oct. 28 and 29. Nebraska Extension in Madison County hosted it from Norfolk, and presenters were from multiple county offices.

Schools participating included St. John’s from Battle Creek, Christ Lutheran and Bel-Air Elementary from Norfolk, Wisner-Pilger, Osmond Community School, Zion Lutheran from Pierce, St. Rose of Lima from Crofton, and Summerland Schools from Orchard.

The purpose of the day was to inspire young people to take up studies and careers in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) while sharing the importance of science and its application among people. Coordinator Sarah Polacek, 4-H Associate at Nebraska Extension in Madison County, stated, “We need to expose youth to new experiences and help them develop the skills to be successful while sparking an interest in STEAM!”

Throughout the sessions, students in kindergarten through sixth grade participated in hands-on activities that were designed to instill curiosity and critical thinking. Nebraska Extension staff from across Nebraska taught live sessions featuring Junk Drawer Robotics, MakerSpace activities, GERMS and growing bacteria, Windpower, Exercise science and other projects that applied the scientific method.

The keynote speaker was Carly Horstman, educational coordinator with the Lincoln Children’s Zoo, featuring animals from the zoo with her presentation “Is this Science?” Materials for all sessions were packaged and delivered to the schools prior to the event so that teachers had no preparation for this event other than to connect online!

This I.N.S.A.N.E. program is a part of the Madison County 4-H School Enrichment programs. For more information about 4-H School Enrichment programs in Madison County, visit madison.unl.edu or call the Nebraska Extension in Madison County at (402) 370-4040.

Stay in the know!

To get news alerts on your cell phone, get the Cedar County News app in the ITunes store or in the Google Play Store.