On Nov. 6, 2024, Children’s Wisconsin invited ATC employees to do a project with patients at their Milwaukee Hospital’s Child Life Center to celebrate National STEM Day.
The Children’s Wisconsin Child Life Center provides opportunities for patients to engage in a safe and supportive environment during their hospital stay. With backgrounds in development, child life specialists specialize in helping children, teens and families cope with stress and anxiety related to illness, inpatient and outpatient treatment, and trauma. The Child Life Center is considered a “safe” room where no medical procedures can be performed. It’s also a place where daily programming and special events take place for patients to enjoy when at the hospital. Activities range from educational projects like the snap circuit STEM kits ATC provided to cultural awareness days to arts and crafts.
ATC employees worked with three patients who were able to participate in the Child Life room and two others who worked from their hospital rooms and joined using Zoom.
“A huge thank you again to the ATC volunteers for taking time out of your busy days to visit our Child Life Center for our National STEM Day activity. It is wonderful when we can bring projects like your paper airplane snap circuit kits to our patients,” said Julie Caan, Senior Corporate Engagement Coordinator with Children’s Wisconsin Foundation.
“While one hour may seem like a small amount of time, it can make all the difference for a child who is yearning for a sense of normalcy, wants to take their mind off a difficult diagnosis, or just wants to have fun trying something new!”
Each child received a snap circuit flight deck kit and worked together and individually to build the flight deck and several interactive projects, including a ball thrower, paper airplane launcher, and the kids’ favorite, a motorized spin-art platform that let them get creative with colorful markers.
Everyone involved agreed that it was a special and rewarding way to encourage learning STEM skills and mark National STEM Day!