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.
COSI’s “learning lunchboxes“ include many items to stimulate learning and interest in science, technology, engineering and math — STEM subjects. [Eric Albrecht/Dispatch]
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/
bburger@dispatch.com
@ByBethBurger
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