Civic Nebraska has doubled its capacity this year to bring makerspace magic to Omaha children. So we’re celebrating with a free Family Night with one of our favorite school communities.
Join us from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19 at Lothrop Magnet Elementary, 3300 N. 22nd St. in Omaha, for a Family Night. We’ll be commemorating Big Red Keno’s and Beyond School Bells‘ donation of two additional mobile THINK MAKE CREATE pop-up classrooms for our organization. The 12-foot trailers are filled with STEAM activities and other undertakings for students to learn lifelong skills, think critically, solve challenges, and engage positively with others.
Families can tour the trailer, get a free meal, participate in activities, enjoy music, and meet community leaders. They include County Commissioner Chris Rogers, City Councilman Ben Gray, and State Sen. Ernie Chambers. Preston Love Jr. with Black Votes Matter, Eric Ewing with The Great Plains Black History Museum, WellCare, and NET also will be on hand.
The labs are inspired by traditional maker spaces: areas inside schools, libraries, or other facilities with high-tech, low-tech, or no-tech tools that emphasize building, learning, exploring, and sharing.
Big Red Keno and Beyond School Bells first partnered with Civic Nebraska in April 2018 to provide two THINK MAKE CREATE labs for the state’s two largest cities. The additions bring our fleet of labs to four.
“These innovative mobile labs provide a transportable platform to serve any group, organization, or event with high-quality STEAM activities,” said Chris McCurdy, Civic Nebraska’s THINK MAKE CREATE coordinator. “The labs are dynamic units carrying customized extended-learning programming for all ages. We are grateful to both Big Red Keno and Beyond School Bells for helping us reach even more children this year.”
THINK MAKE CREATE programming teaches the eight habits of mind – to observe, express, engage and persist; to envision, stretch, explore and reflect – and to understand the world around us. It also helps youth develop a growth mindset and become lifelong learners. Click here for more information about the THINK MAKE CREATE labs or email chris.mccurdy@civicnebraska.org.
The Lothrop event is free and open to the public.
