The Bowler School District has been awarded a $500 STEAM grant from Central Wisconsin Electric Cooperative to purchase STEAM bins to help promote science, technology, engineering, art, and math for its first-grade students.

Tarah Malotky, first grade teacher at Bowler Elementary School, said the STEAM bins, which will be able to be used for years into the future, contain items that help students develop their problem-solving skills and their creativity.

“The first thing they’re most excited about are magnet tiles,” Malotky said. “They are little blocks that magnet together, but I also have a workbook so there’s different challenges for them to do. That’s what I’m most excited about because I really want to see how creative they can be and if they can problem solve to build all those.”

Malotky added that she plans to have at least one dedicated time slot in the weekly classroom schedule for students to work on a STEAM bin activity. In addition, when students finish their school work early each morning, they will have the opportunity to use the remaining time working on STEAM bin activities.

“They’re really going to work on their problem-solving skills and their creativity,” Malotky said. “I’m very excited for them to use it as a time filler activity. If they finish up their math homework early, then they can go work on that and they’re still building those skills, but in a fun, hands-on way.”

The goal for Malotky is for her students to do activities that will help them experience real-life skills related to engineering, graphic design, etc.

“All of those things the bins are going to be targeting, are skills that they can apply later in life,” Malotky said.

Without receiving the STEAM grant, Malotky said it wouldn’t have been possible for the district to purchase the STEAM bins. And in addition to the STEAM bins being beneficial for her students, the STEAM bins are also going to be beneficial for her.

“As a first-year teacher, I am starting my classroom from scratch and do not yet have many items available for my students to use freely,” she said. “I want to fill our classroom with items that are appealing and beneficial to my students for years to come. Through the process of creative and meaningful play, students will develop critical thinking skills necessary for numerous aspects of their life.”

She added, “We’re just so thankful for the grant and the kids are so excited. I could not be more grateful.”