Parker Ramsey 9, a third-grader at Girard City Schools, shows his family and others the miniature golf course he made during the summer program.

GIRARD — Students at Girard City Schools have spent the past three weeks gaining skills with problem-based learning, while also creating projects and doing activities with the Summer Olympics theme.

Julianne Ware, associate superintendent, said this year is the fourth the district offered summer programs, but the second year with a focus on problem-based learning in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math).

The activities, which began in late May, included students designing and building an Olympic village, food trucks, sailboats, boat course, miniature golf course, skateparks, basketball court and catapult.

“Our theme was the Summer Olympics, so everything the students did had a focus on international games and activities. We had students make international food trucks. They did research on different nationalities and all the countries that will be at the summer games,” Ware said.

Other activities included building robots with coding and programming. And for the younger students, there was a reading intervention program and ways to boost reading ability.

Problem-based learning is a student-centered approach to learning that involves groups of students working together to gain knowledge and skills through research, discussion, planning, designing and building.

Ware said Girard teachers and staff assisted with the instruction.

“The students did reports and focused on how they would design and create their projects. That is a huge part of the learning process,” Ware said.

She said a lot was trial and error, with students trying different propellers to help their boat move in the right direction.

The programs were available for students in first to 12th-grade.

Beth Drennen, coordinator of the program, said she hopes when the students leave after the program they will have learned more about the Olympics and watch the olympics.

Ware said 684 students have taken part or will be taking part in summer learning.

Students were able to register for individual weeks that allowed more students to participate. Programs focused on engineering process, science of bubbles, Lego and amusement park rides.

WHAT STUDENTS LIKED

Fourth-grader Cora Carreno-Simeone, 9, said “I liked learning more about the Olympics and making new friends. I made an Olympic treehouse.”

Leah Carreno, 11, a sixth-grader, said she worked on a boat and got to race it. She also made a miniature state park and worked on a running track.

“I have learned a lot about the history of the Olympics. I liked how they use the running of the torch to start the Olympics,” Leah said.

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