Any time a new session starts, we welcome a mix of friendly and familiar faces alongside new and enthusiastic faces into our classrooms. In our first week back in the new year, we were absolutely blessed to welcome a bunch of new students, a significant number of which came from very diverse backgrounds.

First was Matvey, a bright and curious 7 year old boy whose family recently moved to the states from Russia. While students that speak primary languages other than English is far from rare in Southwest Florida, having a student that speaks Russian–and only Russian, can present certain challenges. However, armed with Google Translate, the universal language of curiosity, and a healthy dose of enthusiasm, Matvey didn’t just participate, he excelled in our robotics challenges and 3D modeling challenges. In spite of having just moved to a new country, not knowing the language, not knowing anybody in the class, the teacher, or having ever used LEGO Mindstorms before, there was Matvey beaming with excitement as he worked with his English-speaking partner, building, testing, and programming his robot to complete an obstacle course. As I watched the boys learn how to communicate with each other and their newly built robot, I couldn’t help but be filled with pride.

If Matvey was the only confirmation that Full STEAM Ahead was doing great things, that would have been enough. But then, there were 46 more. They filed off the school bus a touch confused, and glared strangely at Hilary and me as we introduced ourselves, which is fair enough–we’re a bit strange. The kids, ranging from Kindergarten to 5th grade, are part of a phenomenal outreach program put together by Sports Club to give a group underprivileged students from Poinciana Elementary extra opportunities for high-quality after school care and enrichment. When Sports Club mentioned to us that we could be a part of this amazing opportunity to give these kids much needed STEAM opportunities, we didn’t even stop to think about it. We were in.

So here they were. 46 of them in total from varied backgrounds, but sharing one thing in common: after school enrichment had never really been an option for them before. Most were bilingual in Spanish and English, and all had some idea, but not a complete idea, about what they were here to do. We split the groups up into younger kids and older kids, and half went to play sports while the other half came with us. After the first half, we welcomed the second half who were no less enthusiastic and we got to do it all again. We brought them up the stairs to our makerspace and music classroom, and for the first time as a direct result of something we did, we saw smiles creep across their faces. The pianos, the guitars, the drums came into view first, and we started hearing some whispers and “woahs”. Half the group continued into the makerspace to see robots, computers, wires everywhere, and strange machines printing what looked like toys. The smiles spread wider, and I knew that this was going to be an incredible experience for all of us.

Our first lesson was short because of some first day procedural business. We taught them some piano and programmed Ozobots to play a simple game. But by the end of it, the smiles had erupted into laughter, curiosity, fun, and a million questions. They already couldn’t wait to come back next week, and we can’t wait to have them back.

Early on, we made it our mission to reach all populations of students with Full STEAM Ahead–not just those that could regularly afford after school enrichment. It isn’t always easy. As small business owners and teachers, we have to balance our need for capital to keep ourselves and our business afloat with our goals of making a profound difference in the lives of as many students as we can reach. However, when opportunities arrive to help those that need it most, we will always jump on them. Hilary and I are immensely grateful for the opportunity provided through the work of Sports Club and the kids, families, teachers, and counselors from Poinciana Elementary, and can’t wait to continue the program!

My Story: Being “Great-But-Not-Woah”

Comparison of musical ability. It has its benefits and pitfalls. In a competition driven society where we are trained to evaluate, we’re so quick to label ourselves and others just like the judges on American Idol. Or The Voice. Or X-Factor. It’s such a part of our society that it’s become second nature. Who’s got that special something that will get them to Hollywood. Who’s gotta be sent home because they’re just not good enough. So definitive. So conclusive.

In light of all this comparison and labeling, I decided to do something difficult, as passionate musician and teacher who has put all her eggs in the music education basket – take a good look at my own musical journey, label myself, evaluate where my label has gotten me, and reflect a bit. So here we go.

As I rewind my musical journey far back to my piano lesson days, my place on the musical-ability spectrum in comparison to my piano teacher’s group of students is very clear in my memory- around the top 90%. Great, but not “woah”. I was really good, but there was always someone better.

What you do with this realization is what matters. Do you give up, wondering what good it does to be great if you really need to be remarkable to “make it big”? Or do you think that being great means becoming remarkable is within your reach? Do you hold your head high or do you get discouraged? Do you accept the distinction? Or do you reject it, demand the next level, and put in the work to get there? Does your label even matter at all? It’s awesome if music comes easy to you. But it’s also awesome if it doesn’t or if you’re somewhere in the middle.

So there it is – I’m “great-but-not-woah”. Let’s keep a running tally. What has my particular self-assigned label done for me so far? I acknowledge that with a great deal of time and practice, I could change it. I still can. But as a new business owner and new mom, I don’t have the time. Maybe later in life I’ll get there. For now, I’m proud of where I am. I’ve really made my spot on the musical spectrum work for me. I perform, I teach, I try my hardest to make a difference. One point for being “great-but-not-woah”.

My vocal journey wasn’t easy. I worked hard to figure out my voice (more on that later) and I take pride in how far I’ve come. I think that makes me a better teacher. The knowledge, experience, and understanding I gained from the difficulties I faced and vocal obstacles I overcame have really proven useful in helping my students work through their vocal issues. Another point for being “great-but-not-woah”.

I thought my piano journey was easy when I was young. I loved playing. I loved harmony. I loved expression. But as I grew, I realized how much better I could have been if I had only practiced more (more on that later). You live you learn and it’s never too late. Kids need to know that. Point for “great-but-not-woah”. For a long time, I only played by reading notes, not by listening. One big humbling experience (more on that later) taught me to start using my ear and not be so tied down to sheet music. Another point for “great-but-not-woah”.

Since college, I’ve been plagued by performance anxiety (more on that later) – but I push through it and have many strategies to combat it. Kids get nervous. They need someone who gets it and can help them. Point again for being “great-but-not-woah”!

I love writing music. I always have. I figured out myself how to use recording technology and made connections with people that could help me because I’m one really determined chick. Didn’t have the stuff or the knowledge, but I figured it out. Point for “great-but-not-woah”. I performed my songs all around high school and college, but also knew that I wouldn’t make it big. Does that mean that all is lost? No way. Why do music? For the glory? No. Because it feels good? Yes, for me. Shoot for your dreams. Work your tail off to get here. But remember that the most important piece is enjoying what you do. Kids need to know that. Point for “great-but-not-woah”.

There always is someone better. And you have no idea what they’re dealing with or what they’re thinking. Who defines “better” anyway? And who cares? You just need to do the best you can do and have fun. Kids need to know that. Point for “great-but-not-woah”. It’s important to note here that being “woah” is awesome, too. So is being just “so-so”. Always aim high, but remember that the most important part is your passion, your enjoyment, and your love of music.

…Maybe all my points actually make me “woah”? Maybe I don’t want to be “woah”. Maybe it just doesn’t matter. 🙂

As part of the collaborative efforts to put on the first ever, one-of-a-kind, DIY Battle of the Bands, we here at Full STEAM Ahead are committed to sharing ideas, resources, videos, and pictures. The open source maker movement supports the sharing of ideas and acknowledges that when we all share, we all win and progress moves much faster. We believe no differently at Full STEAM Ahead, so here are some of the ideas and resources guiding our early protoyping:

It was a very busy week at Full STEAM Ahead this week, starting with the Mini-Maker Faire at Barnes and Noble over the weekend. We had tons of fun showing off some of our kids’ work and demo-ing some of the cool toys that Barnes and Noble had to offer. In fact, we were so inspired by some of the things they had, we set out to purchase some of our own new toys. Boy, am I glad we did, because they were a big hit this week! More on that later. We brought our 3D Printer with us to Barnes and Noble which certainly drew a crowd, but without a doubt the star of the show was the Rubix Cube solving MindCub3r robot built by 6th graders Tom and Blake. The boys worked diligently for nearly a month on this complex project, and in the end were rewarded with a machine that can do with ease what most of us can only dream of doing–solving a Rxubix cube in about a minute!! See the video below for the first ever successful run (after much tuning), which was followed by many more afterwards at Barnes & Noble in front of amazed onlookers. Way to go Tom and Blake!

Oh, and no experience is necessary with most of these.

1.) Teach Them Computer Programming

[image credit – hourofcode.com]

Coding used to be a niche skill that only career computer programmers and hackers ever learned (or wanted to learn). However, programming instruction has come a very long way from the days of learning Basic and C using and endless stream of nonsensical characters on a too small Windows 3.1 machine with 75MB hard drive.  “Hour of Code” is a hugely successful coding push endorsed by more famous people than you can shake a stick at, and it’s just scratching the surface of what’s available. Scratch from MIT is a contender in the “get kids programming” arena, and Lego Mindstorms connects their programming language with customizeable robots built of, well, Legos. Interactive, engaging, graphics and icon based programming is all the rage, and will keep your kid entertained for hours while laying the foundation for highly marketable skills in the future.

Stuff you need: a computer with “the interwebs”; Lego Mindstorms (optional); Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead Robotics Camp (optional)

Skills gained:  logic, reasoning, patterns, digital appreciation, and obviously, coding!

3.) Take them fishing

[image credit – DoFloridaRight.com]

While on the surface it seems like just another summer time waster, think about all of the variables that go into learning to fish, particularly in fickle coastal waters. Besides patience, skilled anglers need to learn about tides, winds, water temperatures, weather fronts and patterns, predator and prey relationships, food chains and webs, seasonal migrations, barometric pressure, moon phases, and even dabbling in cooking technique. Got a 5th grader in Florida? Because that’s 80% of the state science curriculum right there.

Stuff you need: fishing pole, a fishing book, fish

Skills:  patience, environmental science, biology, weather, solunar cycles, and the oh-so-exciting world of knot tying

4.) Go to Kindermusik

[image credit – Kindermusik.com]

A shout out to the little, little guys here: got a youngin’? Look no farther than Kindermusik. Countless research and studies show the benefits of music on the development of young minds, and nobody does it better for infants and toddlers than the internationally recognized Kindermusik curriculum. And the best part? You get to stay with them! That means you can attend a few classes, learn all the songs, and then steal them and sing them to your beloved baby in perpetuity.

Stuff you need: A Kindermusik class near you

Skills: musicality, bonding, musical appreciation, accelerated brain development

5.) Learn to 3D print

[image credit – fullsteamaheadFL.com]

3D printers aren’t just cool, they require some pretty serious spatial reasoning in order to design and print things using programs like SketchUp. 3D printing is truly a transformational technology that will no doubt transform and revolutionize the way our world creates, invents, prototypes, and even does business. Not interested in footing a $1,000-$3,000 bill? 3D printers are in almost every makerspace around the country, and are popping up in libraries and other shared community spaces. You can even learn to design at home, and send it off to a website like Shapeways to have it printed for a small fee. Kids can design, download, or modify, and print out their dreams. As long as their dreams are smaller than about 1000 cubic inches.

Stuff you need: SketchUp (free, optional), a 3D printer (not free, not optional) or access to a 3D printer (not as hard as you might think), Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead 3D Printing Camp or Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead Maker Camp

Skills:  *spatial reasoning, 3D design, creativity, technology, engineering

6.) Learn to record a song

[image credit – presonus.com]

With all of the obvious benefits of music, you’d think everyone would do it all of the time. There’s a few major drawbacks: it’s hard, expensive, and time consuming. Music technology, digital recording and audio editing software has come a long way and done a lot of work toward making music creation much easier. Garage Band on the iPad allows anybody to strum their way to greatness, while more complex programs like Mixcraft, Fruity Loops, and Adobe Encore allow you to create masterpieces, even if you can’t really sing. Or play any instruments. And don’t have a ton of natural music ability.

Stuff you need: Garage Band, or Mixcraft, or Fruity Loops, or Presonus Music Creation Suite, or Adobe Encore, or any of the 100 other programs of varying quality, Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead Music Tech Camp

Skills:  music, technology, rhythm, composition, creativity

7.) Play Minecraft… the right way

[image credit – Photobucket]

While I’m sure it’s a blast to run around hitting green monsters with a shovel and shearing sheep to your hearts content, Minecraft has done amazing things to unlock the builder in millions of kids. The Lego of a new generation, Minecraft not only allows kids to build whatever their imagination desires in a 3D interactive environment, it makes a connection between natural resources in our world, their availability, and their practical uses. Well, besides a diamond sword. Who would make a sword out of diamond? It just takes you to help them make the connection. Why not play with them? (It’s actually a little addicting…and a lot better than all that Candy Crush you’ve been playing.) Plus, recent additions such as Redstone have allowed players the ability to build electrical circuits and working machines bit by bit that lay the foundation for understanding of Electrical Engineering. Not bad for a bunch of cubeheads.

Stuff you need: Computer or device, Minecraft (not Pocket Edition to use redstone), Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead Minecraft Camp(optional)

Skills:  architecture, engineering, creativity, electrical circuit design, simple machine design

8.) Engineer with solar energy

[image credit – FullSteamAheadFL.com]

This cheap kit from SolarMade comes with everything you need to get started building a solar powered boat or car out of everyday household materials. Build a boat out of pieces of styrofoam, build a car out of recycled plastic, and use the easy to figure out solar panel and motor to give it all the power it needs. Buy 2 and have a race. Buy 3 and have a solar party. Kids will get to experiment with design and get creative while building their engineering prowess.

Stuff you need:solar kit, styrofoam, cardboard, basic tools, adhesives; Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead Solar Racing Camp

Skills:  engineering, problem solving, electricity

9.) Go to a museum or historical building

Smallwood’s Store – Chokoloskee, FL [image credit – TampaBay.com ]

As we strive as a nation to become better at math and reading, we forget that increased time and resources in those arenas mean less time and resources in others. Social Studies and History tends to slip through the cracks more often these days, and at a time when we need a distraction from the present more than ever. Museums, any museum, allows kids to connect with their history and get beyond the world they see in front of their eyes. Until scientists figure out time travel, museums are among the best ways to remind our children where they came from, and that it is important to know about it.

Stuff you need:A Museum and/or historical building

Skills:  social studies, historical appreciation,

10.) Build a robot

[image credit – fullsteamaheadFL.com]

There are 100 different robotics kits out there, plus other 100 ways to build a “robot” out of things lying around your house (think lots of cardboard) and bring him to life using things like littleBits or good ol’ fashioned imagination. Among the best of the high-tech kits, however, is the Lego Mindstorms kit. It has all the fun of building Legos, plus it’s backed by a legit visual programming language that gives kids an introduction to programming: loops, boolean logic, and variables. They can write simple programs that attack your ankles on sight using onboard sensors, or one that makes the robot afraid of the dark. Or, just chase the cat around all day.

Stuff you need: Lego Mindstorms Kit or another of the 100 different options, Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead Robotics Camp(optional)Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead Robotics Camp

Skills: engineering, problem solving, creativity, programming, logic, technology

11.) Go for a hike

[image credit – DoFloridaRight.com]

Gardner’s multiple intelligences gets talked about often in psychology classes, but is often overlooked once students enter within the walls of a school. Schools tend to look for very specific forms of intelligence, while the real world rewards all different forms and levels of intelligence nearly the same. Even more overlooked is the later-added naturalist intelligence which wasn’t added until 1996. Let kids get in touch with their naturalist self. It unlocks and encourages that inner creativity, develops observation skills and an appreciation for the world around us, giving kids a broader perspective. A little exercise and fresh air isn’t going to hurt anyone either.

Stuff you need: feet (optional)

Skills:  outdoor awareness, fitness, curiosity about the natural world

14.) Teach them grit

[image credit – www.pearls-4-girls.com]

If teaching gifted kids in the public schools for the last 7 years has taught me anything, it’s that success in the classroom (and beyond) is not usually defined by intelligence; grit is a much better predictor. Students that give up easily when things get tough or boring or uninteresting tend to struggle, no matter what their intelligence level. Teaching a kid to persevere when the going gets tough–whether they have an IQ of 70 or 170, will serve them better in the long run than any other skill they learn. How do you do it? Let them struggle. Give them chances. Practice grit. Model perseverance. Teach them that failure is not the end of the road; it’s a critical step in real learning, and something that every great innovator deals with.

Stuff you need: perseverance, patience, practice

Skills:  more perseverance, more patience