A boatload of science brings students together

“Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen,” Hershey Elementary School kindergartner Olivia Overman counts as she slowly drops pennies onto her aluminum boat floating in an aquarium.

Olivia and her East Tipp Middle School eighth grade buddy, Alayah Harris, are testing the boat they built together to see how much weight it can hold before it sinks.

The penny challenge is part of Science Buddies, a program that pairs East Tipp eighth graders with Hershey kindergartners for hands-on science activities. The eighth graders serve as mentors, helping their younger buddies explore observation, experimentation and problem-solving.

East Tipp Engineering and Technology teacher Steven Elwood and Hershey kindergarten teacher Connie Painter received grants to support this cross-grade STEM initiative, including one from the Public Schools Foundation of Tippecanoe County.

“If their buddy did not understand, they had to figure out another way to explain or demonstrate what they were thinking instead of just doing the project for the student,” says  Painter.

The kindergartners practiced counting as they added pennies to their boats and learned to be patient as they waited to test their designs.

Eighth grader Liliana Wiedenhoeft says watching her buddy discover something new is one of the best parts of the experience.

“My favorite part of working with kindergarteners is watching them get amazed at something you show or tell them,” Liliana says. “I think I am learning how to handle smaller kids, teach them things and be able to work with them.”

Alayah says the experience also taught her about leadership.

“What I think I learned as a mentor is that it’s about having fun with them and developing leadership skills by helping and caring about them,” Alayah says.

“Sixty-two, sixty-three. Sixty…..” Olivia’s voice trails off and her eyes widen as her little aluminum boat starts to take on water.

The boat slowly sinks, but Olivia and Alayah are already talking about what they could change to make it hold more weight.

“I like that we kept trying and we didn’t give up,” Olivia says.

When time runs out, the kindergartners say goodbye to their new friends. As they head back to Hershey, one student sums up the experience:

“That was fun, can we go again tomorrow?”