Space Days at the John and Annie Glenn Museum

NEW CONCORD, Ohio – School curriculum often focuses on the three R’s but there’s a summer event held locally that encourages kids to appreciate STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

The John and Annie Glenn Museum is housed where one of America’s first astronauts once lived and honors his memory each July with an event that introduces kids to the sciences that made him a space hero.   

East Muskingum Museum Association Program Coordinator Betsy Taylor explained how their annual ‘Space Days’ event showcases the importance of a STEM education by pinpointing how specific challenges to early space exploration were resolved. 

“We chose forces and motion because they are really obvious and you can have a lot of activities built around those, where the kids can do things that are… you know, they can do things with their hands and they can think and carry out some experiments. So that’s what we’re doing. We are going to work on a force called air resistance. So everybody is going to be assigned a team or they’re going to choose a team and they’re going to work on making parachutes,” Taylor said.

The event is split into two age brackets, with 9 to 10 year-olds one day, then 11 and 12 year-olds the next. Attendee’s must register ahead of time for the $20 program. 

“The idea is to reinforce that… if you come from a small place like this, you have every opportunity to go out into the world and do something that’s noteworthy, something that’s wonderful. So it’s kind of a way to help kids get the idea that they’re important and they can do things that are important,” Taylor said.

Several area businesses step up to sponsor the event that coincides with Glenn’s birthday. You can find more information about the John and Annie Glenn Museum and their Space Days program by visiting them online.