Mathnasium of St. Charles Visits Munhall Elementary for STEM Night!

Mathnasium of St. Charles Visits Munhall Elementary for STEM Night!

We had an incredible time joining the Munhall Elementary School community for their exciting STEM Night! 🎉 It was a true joy to connect with so many bright young minds and their families. From hands-on activities to great conversations, the night was filled with energy, curiosity, and—of course—lots of math!

At Mathnasium of St. Charles, we believe that math can be fun, engaging, and accessible for everyone—and STEM Night proved just that! It was so inspiring to watch students explore math in a creative and playful way. Thank you to Munhall Elementary for welcoming us and to all the families who came out to spend their evening learning and having fun together. 💛

To keep the math excitement going at home, here’s a simple and fun STEM activity you can try with your kids:

🧠 At-Home STEM Math Challenge: Build a Paper Bridge!

Goal: Build a paper bridge that can hold the most weight using only paper and tape!

You’ll need:

• 2 stacks of books (to act as supports)

• 3 sheets of regular printer paper

• Tape

• Small objects for weights (coins, small toys, etc.)

Instructions:

1. Place the two stacks of books about 6 inches apart.

2. Using one sheet of paper, lay it flat across the gap to create a “bridge.” Tape the ends down to the books.

3. Begin placing small weights (like coins) in the middle of the bridge—count how many it can hold before collapsing!

4. Now, try different paper shapes or folding techniques (accordion folds, rolling the paper, doubling it up) and test which design holds the most weight.

5. Talk about why some designs were stronger than others. What changes made a difference?

Math Connection: Have your child track the number of items each design holds and create a simple chart to compare the results. Ask questions like: Which design was the most efficient? Why do you think that is?

We love opportunities like STEM Night to spark creativity and build confidence in math. If you and your child had fun with the bridge challenge, we’d love to hear about it—share your photos and results with us on social media!

Let’s keep exploring the exciting world of math together! 💡

Until next time, 

The Mathnasium of St. Charles Team

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