Honda Donates Engineering Kits to Florence 1 Students

Students in grades kindergarten through five at Brockington Elementary in Florence 1 Schools now have an opportunity to make a mini car battery, design a submarine, experiment with bubbles, and explore paper structures--all thanks to the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) Engineering Kits which were donated by Honda.

Educators at Brockington Elementary School received the kits this week. The kits will be distributed to all Florence 1 Schools, and Florence 1 Schools STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Education Director Chris Rogers said all students will be able to work with the kits during their STEM Lab Class time.

“We are excited about partnering with Honda to provide engineering activities that relate to real world engineering careers. The activities in these kits focus on lessons ranging from chemical engineering to aerospace engineering. We usually see our secondary students working on these type of engineering assignments, but these kits will allow students from kindergarten to fifth grade to have this experience,” said Chris Rogers Florence 1 Schools Director of STEM Education.

COSI has designed activities developed by educators to take complex concepts and adapt them for youth audiences. Engineering concepts include aerospace, chemical, structural, marine, and electrical engineering.

“We hope that working with the science kits, students will become hooked on engineering and someday fulfill dreams of becoming an engineer in the future. We are very thankful to have a business partner like Honda committed to providing these types of experiences for Florence 1 students,” Rogers added. 

Honda’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) vision is to help people fulfill their own life’s potential by giving back to the communities through financial contributions and the volunteer efforts of Honda associates. The COSI kits align with CSR’s Education pillar which seeks to inspire the next generation of STEAM professionals. It is one of five strategic pillars Honda uses to drive change within the communities where they live and work.

“We are grateful to Honda for supplying our students with more STEM opportunities that will engage them in critical thinking and problem solving,” said Brockington Elementary Principal Wanda Parrott.  “With the kits donated by Honda, our students will continue to collaborate with hands-on STEM activities and projects in our STEM Lab. The kits issued will be additional resources to support us with delivering effective and engaging instruction. Through this contribution, we can proceed with providing STEM education to students of all backgrounds and abilities.”

“The great thing about these kits is that the activities meet (state and national) learning standards. COSI has worked with educators and education standards to develop these kits which are focused on engineering. Each kit contains an activity book, supplies for activities and digital resources (use of QR codes or websites to help with activities,” said Rogers.

Rogers noted that Honda has donated some 600 Engineering kits which are sharable among students and that in addition to Wednesday’s donation at Brockington Elementary, the Engineering kits will be distributed among other kindergarten-through-fifth-grade locations throughout Florence 1 Schools.