Library STEM Days provide fun learning opportunities for children in Southeast Ohio

What do Hex Bugs, foldable microscopes and Play-Doh have in common? Each were used in the 2025 Library STEM Days that 花季传媒鈥檚 Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service conducts every summer, teaming with libraries in Scioto, Ross, Pike and Jackson counties in Southeast Ohio.

More than 50 children attended each session, which included learning about engineering design processes, electrical circuitry and energy. The funds for the Summer STEM days come from an ongoing grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office, which funds the School鈥檚 , as well as from the American Electric Power (AEP) Foundation as part of its Growing STEM in Appalachia program. 

鈥淒OE and AEP funding enables us to provide valuable opportunities for kids 鈥� our future workforce 鈥� to become engaged in the science, technology, engineering and math fields as early as possible to begin to prepare them for jobs in these fields,鈥� noted Stephanie Howe, director of energy programs at Voinovich School.

The Voinovich School STEM outreach to each of the four counties began several years ago with a table at the local county fair, where attendees could play games like pH Bingo and other hands-on activities that helped promote STEM engagement. For this summer, the Voinovich School continues to emphasize making the program as experiential and hands-on as possible.

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鈥淟ibraries serve as a vital resource for the community, and many, like Jackson, have very active summer programs,鈥� says Jen Bowman, director of environmental programs at the Voinovich School. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 important to have educational experiences that are free.鈥�

The summer activities are fun for children in Southeast Ohio and they provide important learning opportunities.

鈥淭he weekly summer STEM activities, provided by faculty from the Voinovich School, were a wonderful opportunity for children to keep their minds active and curious,鈥� says Jon Simmons of the Jackson County Library. 鈥淛ust because a child is on summer break, doesn't mean their mind has to stop learning.鈥�