Sooner Elementary Engineering and Science (SEES) clubs-an informal education experience for elementary children

It has been stated that if you have not interested a child by the 4^th or 5^th grade in science or mathematics, you have lost the opportunity (Prism, February 2001). Since engineering is mainly composed of science and mathematics, the industry has lost its potential entrants at a very early age. Based on this realization, the idea of the Sooner Elementary Engineering and Science (SEES) Club was formed. This program is an informal education program in that it is a voluntary, after-school learning experience that is open to all children, pre-kindergarten through 5^th grade. Hands-on, inquiry based experiments aimed at teaching 3 to 4 words or key concepts are presented each month. These words or concepts are in the physical sciences or mathematics areas. Curricula presented to date include the areas of chemistry, aeronautics, weather, environment, logic, electricity, circuits, and physics. During a meeting, the students are offered multiple stations where different yet related experiments can be performed in an active environment. The students leave each month with a summary of the topics taught in addition to a list of resources that their parents can obtain from local educational stores. Faculty and students from the University of Oklahoma College of Engineering and some parent volunteers from the individual schools staff the program. To date, the elementary schools´ PTAs, the Norman School District Foundation, and the Oklahoma State Society of Professional Engineers have provided the funding for the program. In this paper, a brief description of the program and its specific curricula are presented. In addition, basic demographic data that has been gathered for the 2000-2001 academic year is discussed.