The Camp Verde Community Library hosted an open house for its Verde Valley STEAM Lab on Thursday, Feb. 1, to showcase the revamped mobile “maker space.”
STEAM stands for “science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.”
The library has owned the 40-foot mobile lab trailer for a couple of years and recently began using it with the assistance of Kate Phillips with the AmeriCorps VISTA program.
The AmeriCorps program supports organizations in areas affected by poverty by conducting projects in education, public health and access to benefits and more in order to create a sustainable change. Members perform activities such as research, fundraising and grant writing.
“The goal is that anybody could walk in and create anything that they want to,” library manager Nicole Metz-Andrews said about the lab, which includes Legos, robotics toys and other engineering materials and make-and-take activities for kids, as well as a printing press.
“Our hope is to be able to take the mobile STEAM unit around the Verde Valley to events and provide free STEAM activities to the community to provide education,” Metz-Andrews said.
The Camp Verde Community Library held an open house for its revamped mobile STEAM [science, technology, engineering, art and math] lab on Thursday, Feb. 1, in Camp Verde. The lab offers many STEAM-related activities for kids to try out. Daulton Venglar/Larson Newspapers
The mobile lab will be making appearances at community events throughout the year, including the Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival and Corn Fest. Its official unveiling will take place at Camp Verde Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 4:30 p.m., and the lab will also be appearing at the town’s Touch-A-Truck event on Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Camp Verde Sports Complex. Thursday’s event was a soft opening that offered a demonstration of the printing press and an opportunity for kids to make a code cipher bracelet.
“We’re very excited,” Metz-Andrews said. She added that STEM is very important to Library Director Kathy Hellman and she has wanted something like this for a long time. “This is a way for us to provide interactive, educational but also fun opportunities for children and families.”
While many events cost money, the goal of the mobile lab is to provide fun and educational opportunities at no cost.
The Science Vortex, Camp Verde Elementary School and other community organizations are contributing to the project, which is receiving funding from the Rural Activation and Innovation Network and the Arizona Community Foundation of Sedona.
