Science looks different this spring at New Manchester Elementary School and Sweetwater Elementary School. Instead of books, students worked with strawberries and pasta dough to explore science, technology, engineering, and math.
The workshops, held March 27 at New Manchester and March 31 at Sweetwater, were made possible through a partnership between the Douglas County Education Foundation, Microsoft, and Plantlanta as part of the Community Empowerment and Environmental STEM Education initiative.
At New Manchester, second-grade students worked with educator and chef Aja Embry. As founder of SoCame' Grows, Embry helped students explore fruits grown in Georgia during the spring season.
She also helped students learn about agriculture, nutrition, and the environment before making their own parfaits using organic, non-dairy ingredients. Following the workshop, students said they planned to recreate the recipe at home.
Sweetwater's fifth-grade students in the 21st Century After School Program took a similar approach, working with Taylor Kelly of Eventful ATL. Through the process of making pasta, they learned to understand structure and strength. For the day, they were food scientists.
Both workshops used rotations to keep students actively engaged throughout each session. The partnership with Microsoft and Plantlanta also includes plans for future garden builds, tree planting, and sustainability projects at additional DCSS schools.