Designing to Learn at STEAM Camp

Students are designing to learn at STEAM camp, and they are learning that building an energy efficient tiny home model isn’t as easy it looks.

In Santa Rosa County, Florida, students who will be Navarre High School freshmen in the fall were trying to figure out the best design for their model tiny home made with wood and foam pads. The Santa Rosa County STEAM camp is now in its second year, and is a popular program.

“It’s not easy,” said Donovan McCormick, as he examined one of the house walls. “I did the door and it was very tedious on how to cut it off. The insulation was kind of tough, too, because they’re are rolled up foam pads. The thing is they kind of unravel and they pop out, so it was kind of difficult.”

“We wanted them to engage with something that is not necessarily curriculum driven,” said math and science coordinator at the Santa Rosa County School District Jeffery Baugus. “We wanted them to create an experiment that was real world and with a strong science and strong engineering components as well.”