Sonoma Raceway, in partnership with Kid Scoop News and Friedman's Home Improvement, has launched its redesigned STEAM Race Car Challenge Family Guide, a remote-teaching tool to keep students engaged in STEAM activities using the excitement of racing.
This marks the seventh year the raceway has teamed up with Friedman's Home Improvement, a leading, locally-owned home improvement retailer serving the North Bay and North Coast, on the gravity-powered race car challenge, which is designed to educate students about the importance of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM).
This year, with in-class instruction suspended through the remainder of the school year in Northern California, the raceway worked closely with Kid Scoop News to adapt the program to the remote learning environment. The free, downloadable guide can be used by teachers and families who would like to participate.
The Family Guide includes eight lessons on a variety of racing topics, including gravity power, friction, aerodynamics, drafting, tire pressure, race track math and a Make Your Own Gravity Racer lesson. The family guide can be utilized in its entirety or lesson-by-lesson to reinforce the basics of STEAM at home. The program is ideal for students in grades third through sixth.
Sonoma-based Kid Scoop News is a children's literacy non-profit that publishes and distributes a free monthly reader to 500 classrooms and 18,000 kids in the North and East Bay. Kid Scoop News has been key to the program, as the organization is a leader in providing high-interest content that motivates kids to read and explore topics, including STEAM. Through their effort, the program has reached more than 5,700 students since its inception in 2014.
The STEAM Race Car Challenge Family Guide is available at www.SonomaRaceway.com/STEAM. Students who complete their gravity-powered race car at home can submit an image of the creation on the site, as well.
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About Friedman's
Friedman's is a locally-owned home improvement, lumber and building materials retailer serving California's North Bay and North Coast. Built on the strength of generations of hard work, investment and service to the region for more than 70 years, Friedman's legacy of deep reverence and care for its customers and team is experienced through its four retail locations in Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Sonoma and Ukiah, as well as its 3.5 acre Distribution Yard serving professional contractors. With more than 620 employees, Friedman's is headquartered in Petaluma and upholds a longstanding commitment to community involvement throughout Sonoma and Mendocino counties. For more information, visit www.friedmanshome.com and follow the company on Facebook.
