Chamois R-1 Library Media Specialist Samantha Mitchem has been engaging young minds with special projects, some during the day and others after school.

“There is a lot of exciting technology out there, and I want our students to access it as much as possible,” said Mitchem, who also teaches Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) courses for grades K-6, coding (programming) for students in grades 7-12, and exploratory courses for junior high students. “My hope is to get these students interested in something that may become a career path.”

And to be honest, Mitchem said it’s a lot of fun to interact with the kids, especially on projects involving moving parts and pieces.

“They love the Sphero Ball,” said Mitchem.

The small mechanical ball is capable of rolling around under the control of a smartphone or tablet, and has been used in several projects, including the “Oregon Trail,” which involved the creation of various scenes pioneers encountered during that trek.

“There were several different scenarios, and the balls were used to pull ‘wagons’ and things like that,” said Mitchem. “It was really cool.”

The Oregon Trail project was completed by eighth-graders in her computer literacy class.

“We learned that the Sphero Ball can go under water, and you can paint it because it can be washed off,” said Mitchem. “The kids love experimenting with it.”

This project also incorporated 3D printing as students developed a 3D model of the Oregon Trail, and then created “covered wagons” to drive over the trail. Spheros (robotic spheres) were used to power their covered wagons. Students learned how to code the Spheros, and worked through the design process to develop a covered wagon that would work with the Spheros. Students used materials such as cardboard, tape, Legos, K’Nex, and water to create rivers, hills, mountains, and town along the Oregon Trail.

“We even had Native Americans (cups with headdresses that covered other Spheros) attack the covered wagons since that was one of the hardship settlers faced,” said Mitchem.

Additional exploration activities for students in grades 6-8 involves a 3D printer, which Superintendent Lyle Best wanted for the program and purchased last fall.

Many different materials can be used for 3D printing, such as ABS plastic, PLA, polyamide (nylon), glass filled polyamide, stereolithography materials (epoxy resins), silver, titanium, steel, wax, photopolymers and polycarbonate.

Mitchem uses nylon, and though the machine only allows one color at a time, students have created some interesting designs.

“They are able to design what they want on the computer, and then watch as it prints,” said Mitchem. “Some things are basic, but there have been some other designs that are very useful.”

One student, Riley Davis, created a pet carrier, for example.

A special project involving stop motion videos also captivates the imagination, as students are learning animation to bring static objects to life on screen. This is done by moving the object in increments while filming a frame per increment. When all the frames are played in sequence it shows movement.

“The kids use Legos in conjunction with math,” Mitchem explained. “For example, to illustrate their understanding of fractions, they built a Lego house, and then using stop-motion animation, showed three-quarters of the house, then half, then a quarter. It’s a very appealing project for many students.”

A particularly involved extra-curricular project for junior high students, who meet after school twice a week as they gear up for an April 18 competition at the University of Missouri.

Mitchem explained that the two four-person teams are each working on a bridge made completely of balsa wood. The bridge must be 36 inches long, and at least seven inches high and seven inches wide.

“This project includes engineering and math, so we took a trip to visit a math teacher for help on dimensions,” said Mitchem, whose team last year finished seventh in a field of 20 teams. “Students created the design on the computer, and then went through the drafting process, followed by the actual construction of the bridge.”

So far this year, the teams are in the drafting stage, with partial construction complete.

“It has to be scaled from the computer to real-life dimensions, and then built to withstand the competition,” said MItchem.

Once at MU, the bridge will be judged on its lightness, how much weight can it handle and how aesthetically pleasing it is to the judges.

“The goal is to have a lightweight bridge handle the most weight as a toy truck is pushed across it,” said Mitchem. “They add weight after each round until the bridge collapses.”

Bridges may be painted or decorated, but Mitchem said that just adds weight, which is not worth the trade-off in the final analysis.

“I’m so proud of the kids for their performance last year, and I’m hoping we can do even better this year,” said Mitchem. “We have some veterans back, and they learned a lot last year, so I’m confident we’ll have a good showing.”

Each member of the winning team will receive $500.

“The kids are really motivated to do well,” Mitchem said.