Wantagh students gain STEAM at Makerspace fair

Wantagh Elementary School students and their families explored the various ways to design their own inventions during a fun-filled evening of creativity, showcased at the school’s annual Maker Fair last month.

As part of the district’s STEAM — science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics — curriculum, Makerspace brings students together in a designated space to design and create so they can discover, invent and understand principles through hands-on learning, Principal Dr. Randee Bonagura explained. 

Prior to the event, the school held a T-shirt logo contest, and fifth-graders Kaitlin Rapuano and Macen Wood submitted the winning front and back T-shirt designs, respectively. 

During the evening, participants visited the Explorateria where they coded with Chromebooks and worked with Ozobots, Cubelets and Dash and Dot robots. Students made slime, rice snowmen, cork boats, binary and LED bracelets and used their creativity to design with duct tape and more. In addition, students made holiday cards for veterans, pet toys for local animal shelters and welcome home decorations for the family.