County Libraries To Host STEM Festival Activities Over Next Month

County Libraries To Host STEM Festival Activities Over Next Month
A participant is pictured enjoying a STEM activity last year. Submitted Photo

BERLIN – A month-long celebration of science, technology, engineering and math will return to the Worcester County Library.

Beginning on Friday, all five branches of the Worcester County Library will offer several STEM programs to children and families.

Library Director Jennifer Ranck said the county’s library system will provide hands-on STEM activities in conjunction with a statewide Maryland STEM Festival.

“The festival runs from Oct. 11 through Nov. 10, and all five library branches have planned a number of different activities for children and families,” she said, “to come and explore science, technology, engineering and math and to get excited about STEM learning.”

This year, libraries, museums, public and private schools, colleges, universities, government agencies and private companies throughout Maryland will bring hundreds of STEM events focused on fun, interactive learning to students and families. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing and the 60th anniversary of the Goddard Space Flight Center, this year’s festival theme will be “Space and Flight.”

In Worcester County, the library will offer several programs, including a “Wind Tunnel Challenge” at the Berlin branch and a “Gardening in Space” activity at the Pocomoke branch. Ranck said the library will also incorporate STEM into its monthly story times and afterschool programs.

“We’ll do some things during the day, some things during the afternoons after school, and we’ll also have a few Saturday activities as well …,” she said. “We have a variety of programs, but a lot of them have to do with the ‘Space and Flight’ theme.”

Ranck noted that the festival has grown each year.

“We try to add more programs each year, and add them at different times to encourage people to come …,” she said. “We are always looking for events like this to encourage people to get excited about learning and give children a learning experience outside of school.”

For more information on Maryland STEM Festival, visit marylandstemfestival.org. A list of STEM Festival activities can be found on the library’s website, www.WorcesterLibrary.org, or Facebook page.

“Worcester County Library is excited to be a part of the Maryland Stem Festival,” Ranck said. “It is a special opportunity for us to create programming to help children and families explore STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) topics.  Our goal is to excite young learners about STEM learning and encourage them to think about pursuing a STEM related career.”

Programs at the Worcester County Library are as followed:

Celebrate Maryland Maker Day!, Oct. 12, noon – 2 p.m., Ocean Pines Branch

Movie “Fly me to the Moon,” Oct. 15, 10:30 a.m., Berlin Branch

STEAM PM “Wind Tunnel Challenge,” Oct. 16, 3:45 p.m., Berlin Branch

STEAM Storytime “Apples and Pumpkins,” Oct. 17, 10:30 a.m., Ocean Pines Branch

LEGO® / DUPLO® Challenge “Get a Move On,” Oct. 19, 1 – 2:30 p.m., Ocean Pines Branch

Make & Take “Rainbow Unicorn Slime,” Oct. 21, 10:30 a.m., Ocean City Branch

3..2..1..Blast Off!, Oct. 21, 4 p.m., Pocomoke Branch

STEAM Storytime “Apples and Pumpkins,” Oct. 22, 10:30 a.m., Berlin Branch

Magnetic Slime, Oct. 23, 4 p.m., Berlin Branch

Story Time “A World of Shapes,” Oct. 24, 10:30 a.m., Ocean Pines Branch

Homeschool Coding, Oct. 25, 2 p.m., Ocean Pines Branch

STEM “Robots,” Oct. 26, 1 p.m., Ocean Pines Branch

M&M Science Rainbow, Oct. 28, 10:30 a.m., Ocean City Branch

Family Time “STEM Explorations,” Oct. 28, 4 – 6 p.m., Ocean Pines Branch

Homeschool Lab: Gardening in Space, Nov. 1, 2 p.m., Pocomoke Branch

STEM for Homeschoolers “Catapults and Trebuchets,” Nov. 1, 2 p.m., Ocean Pines Branch

LEGO®/ DUPLO® Challenge “Home is Where the Heart Is” Nov. 2, 1 – 2:30 p.m., Ocean Pines Branch

Shaving Cream Paintings, Nov. 4, 10:30 a.m., Ocean City Branch

STEAM PM “STEM FEST,” Nov. 4, 3:45 p.m., Snow Hill Branch

STEAM Storytime “How’s the Weather?” Nov. 5, 10:30 a.m., Pocomoke Branch

Story Time “Up, Up and Away,” Nov. 5, 10:30 a.m., Berlin Branch

Polka Dot T-Shirts, Nov. 7, 3 p.m., Berlin Branch

Saturday Story Time “Story Time on Screen,” Nov. 9, 10:30 a.m., Ocean Pines Branch

Movement & Batteries, Nov. 11, 10:30 a.m., Ocean City Branch

About The Author: Bethany Hooper

Alternative Text

Bethany Hooper has been with The Dispatch since 2016. She currently covers various general stories. Hooper graduated from Stephen Decatur High School in 2012 and the University of Maryland in 2016, where she completed double majors in journalism and economics.