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This fall, Mercer County 4-H hosted participants from the STEM Explorers Summer Camp for an eight-session STEM club. This club met once a week after school. The program was developed to continue engaging young participants who have an interest in STEM and to continue fostering the community developed in the summer while at camp.
Using knowledge developed in the summer in the area of coding, the club focused on C++ coding and physical circuitry using Arduino. The program participants learned how to model circuits using TinkerCad; then, they learned how to write and edit code in C++ to control the components of their circuits. As the club progressed, the students built their physics circuits, coded different light patterns and multiple light dynamics, and used other sensors to complete a capstone project.
The program successfully taught students how to use Arduino to construct circuits. They also continued to develop a sense of community as the weeks went on and strengthened their friendships. Mercer County 4-H plans to run another iteration of this afterschool club in the spring.