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COSI employees pour a tank of nitrogen into a puddle to
create a cloud for children at the Columbus
Metropolitan Library’s
Barnett Branch on East Livingston Avenue. The library is a distribution
point for
summer meals from the Children's Hunger Alliance, and COSI
made a visit to to show off
science and distribute science kits
Wednesday.[Eric Albrecht/Dispatch]
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COSI Distributing Science Kits to Feed Young Minds in Underserved Areas
By BethBurger
July 28, 2020
This story is reported by The Columbus Dispatch, a Spectrum News partner.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, many camps
are closed and the Center of Science and Industry has been unable to
open its doors.
So COSI is visiting Franklin County children in the form of a box filled with hands-on science activities.
The kits are being delivered to children in underserved areas where
many homes do not have internet access, mostly at sites where children
already go for free meals during the summer.
“We believe that education is the great equalizer. Especially in the
middle of a pandemic, we don't want our youth to get left behind,” said
Stephen White, vice president of external affairs, strategic
initiatives and business development at COSI. “These kits will provide
them with critical distance learning, fun STEM content that they’ll
have for the entire week through these learning lunch boxes. So
together we are feeding lives, feeding hungry lives and feeding hungry
minds.”
The first rollout was Wednesday, as families received lunches from the Children’s Hunger Alliance as well as the COSI kits.
A steady stream of families came to the summer meal distribution site
at the Barnett branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, one of the
alliance's busiest.
East Side parents and grandparents were happy to be able to pick up the science kits, too.
"I'm so anxious to look in the box," said Mary Larry, who has three school-age children. "I feel like one of the kids."
Her 17-year-old loves science and will happily work with his younger siblings on the projects, she said.
The contents of the learning boxes differ. For example, one box
included 3-D glasses, seeds for students to plant, a workbook and an
“energy stick’’ that allows your body to be a human conductor of
electricity via trace amounts of electricity that travel across your
skin.
“Inside, you’re going to have all the tools necessary,” White told The
Dispatch. “You're gonna have really great fun, exciting things that
we're going to be developing around different topics. We're gonna
”COSI-ify’’ it to make it fun for kids to learn when it's needed the
most.“
The activities in the box are rooted in Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math, or STEM, and are aimed at students from
kindergarten through high school. Activities and videos also are
available on the COSI Connects webpage.
Franklin County commissioners earmarked $250,000 for the boxes.
“It actually can reach all of the kids in Franklin County. That’s the
beauty of it,” said Jodi Andes, a spokeswoman for the county
commissioners.
Through a COSI app, a week’s worth of activities can be downloaded at
free hot spots such as libraries and community centers, providing
another option for families who don’t have internet access.
“There can be a learning gap in the summer if young minds aren’t
exercised and challenged, and children in disadvantaged neighborhoods
often suffer the most because they don’t have equal educational
opportunities to begin with,” Commissioner Marilyn Brown said in a
statement. “So, it is critical that we invest in programs that not only
educate and enrich, but keep our youth engaged.”
U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette applauded the
efforts for STEM learning, including the learning boxes, at an event
Tuesday hosted by the Ohio Business Roundtable and held at COSI.
“We have to continue that work in the development of students,
particularly within STEM education, ” Brouillette said. “We also need
to continue to increase the diversity not only of the opportunity ...
but the diversity of the students themselves making these programs
available in underserved communities all across the nation.”
To check out COSI activities online, visit cosi.org/connects/
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