Today an Education Council Michiana STEAM camp playground engineering.

Camp Millhouse Discovery Kitchen.

Autism Education.

Education Counts Michiana is underwritten by Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Investing in education and economic development for centuries.

Supporting the past, current and future development of the Michiana region.

Community Foundation of Elkhart County inspire good Kosciusko County Community Foundation Where Donor Dreams Shine.

The Dekko Foundation.

Community Foundation of Saint Joseph County.

LaGrange County Community Foundation Nipsco.

The Beim Foundation.

Crossroads United Way Serving Elkhart, LaGrange and Noble Counties United Way of St. Joseph County Marshall County Community Foundation Ready to Grow St. Joe Early Childhood Coalition and a Gift by Elmer and Dolores Tepe.

Thank you.

Welcome to Education Council.

Michiana I'm your host.

Sam Centellas.

Education counts highlights programs and initiatives that are impacting how we teach, how we learn, and how we embrace education.

This program explores ideas in all education sectors.

Preschool through lifelong learning, K-12, post-high school and job advancement training with the philosophy that we should never stop seeking knowledge.

Find additional resources at WNIT.org and the Education Counts Facebook page.

First up Trial and Error.

Science is more fun when it's a hands on experience.

Kids aged 6 to 11 get to explore engineering during a unique camp through the La Porte County Public Library.

They apply science, technology, engineering, arts and math while constructing a playground obstacle course during STEAM Camp.

Videographer Donovan Barrier.

Editor Greg Banks.

Nice.

Okay, so show me what the courses where.

Where are you going?

To put the jump ropes, Ainsley.

So STEAM camp is a time where kids usually age 6 to 11 come in and learn about science, technology, engineering, arts and math.

It may not always be everything included in all of that.

It might just be arts and math, or it might be engineering and arts or something like that.

The La Porte County Public Library.

We've been doing that for years, just getting the kids involved and letting them learn more about all of those different topics.

In our STEAM camps, we like to incorporate a lot of different things and a lot of different branches that we have.

So we're out at Fish Lake Branch right now, and the Fish Lake Branch has a nature play area where it has a lot of wood things that you can climb and do different things on.

Come on Noah you can do it.

And so that incorporates kind of the physical activity of being able to go outside and create your own.

What we're going to do today is actually create our own obstacle course.

Good job.

So today, they're getting to build their own obstacle course.

Yesterday, they ran it themselves.

Today they get to decide how they want to build it.

And it gives them some problem solving skills of where to place different things and figure out what might work, what might not work, and just get them able to figure things out for themselves.

What are you doing with the jump ropes there?

You just jump over it and jump in it.

Okay.

So they're going to go out there, use this stuff that we have out there, create their own obstacle course and then run it.

And then when they come back inside, they're going to be building their own playground, which they can incorporate, you know, things from the obstacle course if they want to or not.

All right, you guys ready to go back inside?

So what do you want in your playground?

And then you're going to draw what it's going to look like.

Okay.

I am building a playground that has a slide with a hole, bars, benches, trash can.Rock wall net.

And stairs.

Now I'm just drawing some parts to the carnival, like in the bottom.

And where you get off.

For it will be a small playground, but a really good playground.

There's the stairs and the railing.

There's another side.

There's a zip line.

There's a seesaw right here.

And then you're going to start building your playground.

Sound good?

Okay.

With engineering skills, because this is a paper engineering class that they're doing right now, they're going to have to figure out, you know, how to fold things in particular, how to cut things in particular, how to integrate it all together to make it actually work.

Building some tubes for the swing set.

A zip line.

It's like it's kind of like a roller coaster where you can control how fast it goes.

These are the stairs.

This is the front where you slide.

And if you go faster, you would stop right here and not fall and you would go down the stairs.

They experiences that they have here, they're hands on learning experiences.

So they're not just learning from a textbook or anything like that.

They're they're getting to get in and learn physically what's going on.

And it doesn't always include science, but engineering.

This one's particular focused on engineering.

They're learning the process of what an engineer does.

They have to revise.

They have to redo, rebuild, redo things again and again to make it look right, make it created right.

Kids are participating in STEAM camps besides the physical problem solving skills, because they definitely do build problem solving skills to figure out what goes where and what they need to do.

I think they build social skills too, because they're interacting with each other and learning what they want to do and how to how to work with each other.

Because sometimes they they may be in partners, sometimes they may not be.

So it kind of depends on that.

But interacting with each other, you can experience different things at the fish like branch.

We have the wooden climbing structures, but at Union Mills we have musical instruments and so they can figure out different things that they want to do with the musical instruments.

In the fall last year, we did a Space STEAM camp where we focused on building, figuring out how to build a robot.

They got to make Galaxy Slime, which is science of like kind of combining the different elements of that and how it sticks together then.

And they actually got to Skype with a scientist who worked on the Mars rover.

La Porte County Public Library's a great place to explore different technologies.

The STEAM camps are a great opportunity to explore the science, technology, engineering, arts and math, and you can always incorporate that in different ways with the different steam camps that we do with La Porte County Public Library.

Learn more about Steam activities at WNIT.org Extraordinary Camp.

The Camp Experience offers a person the chance to grow and become their best selves.

Camp Millhouse in South Bend is designed specifically for children and adults with special needs.

Campers here get to have the full camp experience and learn how to become more independent in their everyday lives.

Segment producer Brant Fox has this story.

Camp Millhouse is celebrating their 85th anniversary this year, and we are a camp for children and adults with disabilities.

I think that having camp mill house available for both children and adults is vital, especially for adults.

There are camps where our children can go, but they age out at 18.

Once they hit that cut off, there's not a lot available as an adult.

We are a residential camp, so probably the biggest thing is that for many of them, this is their first time away from home, so they get to stay here.

We sleep in cabins, make great, lifelong friends, and they get to do four different activities every day.

We have arts and crafts, music, recreation, our in-ground heated, fully accessible pool.

We also have wheelchair art equipment.

So we help them do wheelchair art, which is just a different way for them to be able to express themselves and have a lot of fun.

No matter what your age.

You build those lifelong friendships.

It's a place where you don't have to worry about being normalized into society.

When you come here, you're celebrated for who you are and what you bring to the table.

Everybody has something to contribute, and that's what we celebrate here.

It's accepted.

You choose your challenge.

You're appreciated for what you can bring.

Even somebody that's non-verbal has so much to give and offer if we just take the time to pay attention.

We do take campers ages 7 to 75 plus.

That makes us unique because most programs and most camps age out in the early twenties.

That's another reason that Millhouse is so vital as that we provide services for campers over 21 to 25.

They can come all their life.

We also take campers with disabilities that a lot of other programs can't support.

We have nurses 24 hours a day.

Our camp director is an RN in addition, and so we always have one.

And most times two nurses on staff.

It is the perfect mix between job and play.

And it's a great time to get together and get to know and take care of adults and children with special needs.

It keeps my skills up.

I'm a school nurse normally, so it's a great way for me to be able to go out and help them.

These families have these, you know, these adult and children, and they want to be able to have that respite care as well.

And so, to, for them to be able to have a place that is secure and they know they're going to be taken care of and they're know they're going to have so much fun is huge for these families and for campers to know that want to come back every single year because it's just so much fun that it's nice.

Going to camp can help people grow and develop.

And Camp Millhouse is making sure everyone is able to have those experiences.

Having a camp experience is huge.

I think it not only gets people in a I like to consider it like a controlled chaos.

Like you don't know what's going to happen, you don't know how it's going to happen.

It it's not like you're in a classroom.

It's not like you're in an area.

I mean, we're out in the open.

We have so much fun and there's so much to experience.

There's, you know, indoor activities like arts and crafts and music.

There's also, you know, outdoor activities that they do.

They have a rec, they have a low ropes course, they have trails, they have a pool.

So they're not only getting, you know, the hands on activities inside, but they're also getting hands on activities outside as well.

This helps them build their independence when they're at home.

They have people at home helping them do everything, their daily living skills, projects.

There's things out here that they don't have available to them in their everyday life.

Many of our campers have never gone swimming.

They don't have a low ropes challenge course, that gets adapted to their abilities.

We're the only one in the area that has wheelchair art equipment, so getting to do those kind of things that aren't available to them otherwise.

But it's really the independence that they build out here, getting to do things on their own for the first time that really helps their self-esteem and it helps them grow.

I would hope that their biggest takeaway for the campers that come here, that they know how loved they are and how appreciated, and that they can do anything they set their mind to.

There shouldn't be limits.

The only limits that they have are what they place on themselves.

And once they get that self-confidence, and once they get that love and acceptance, they can fly.

Find out more about specialty camps at WNIT.org.

Chew on this.

The South Bend Community School Corporation has partnered with Chartwells to offer more than summer meals.

Chefs at Discovery Kitchen introduce kids to different cultures each week through cooking.

Students learn how to make new foods, take home recipe cards and sample cuisines from other countries.

Videographer Kristen Franklin.

Editor Greg Banks.

Today we have on a plate is star fruit.

So star fruit is a southern border of Mexico fruit originated out of Indonesia.

Discovery Kitchen is one of our flagship programs.

It's a nutrition education program that we have rolled out in the schools as well.

It's a great interactive program for the kids to try new foods, interact with our wonderful chefs, and kind of see them cooking as an action station kind of thing.

So they can really see how all the ingredients come together to create what they're sampling that day.

And we decided to bring Discovery Kitchen out into the park for our summer meal program as well.

And that's how we got Discovery Kitchen live in the park.

So we're going to have a little slideshow now.

We went down to Mexico on this this part of Discovery Kitchen to kind of give information about different ethnic foods throughout the region.

So we literally pass out passports for kids to actually go through and--and enjoy little bits and parts of the culture and try two different foods.

So Discovery Kitchen, it's been a program of Chartwells for a very long time and it's been in the schools ever since.

We've come into partnership with South Bend Schools, which is in 2019, but we just started doing the parks last summer.

And today we have kale, jicama slaw with Mandarin oranges, we have the chili queso, which we put on top of the burger.

And then we also serve star fruit and a lot of kids, never ate star fruit.

So we introduce that to them today.

Also, which kale is a good source of vitamin K and it helps promote healthy teeth and healthy bones.

The great thing to pick out the freshest fruit is the more high volume and vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B for them because they're growing kids.

So we want to introduce some of those vitamins to them to help them build strong immune systems like today we serve kale.

Kale is very high and it helps bone growth and teeth.

So we want to introduce some of those vegetables to them so they can, you know, know that these things is a great value to them.

And it's a wonderful feeling to see that.

And I kind of wish I had something to expose me to these new foods that maybe I hadn't seen before when I was a kid.

So it's really fulfilling to see them trying these new foods and figuring out, Hey, I really like this, this star fruit or kale, which is what we tried today.

I love it.

I love it.

It's self-fulfillment.

I love the kids.

Kids love me.

We love doing things like this for the community.

Bring everybody together, giving them a different aspect of the culture of different places.

I think my favorite thing about it is just that interaction with the kids and seeing them try these new and exciting foods that maybe they've never had before.

And they're new, but they're also healthy as well.

So it's really nice seeing these kids come in and seeing them leave happier and healthier than when they came in.

Learn more about the program at WNIT.org.

It's the 30th anniversary of science alive.

So just a long standing tradition in the community.

People expect it every year.

And so with that, we get amazing exhibitors from all over the community and just hundreds of patrons.

So two hours in right now we're at five hundred people.

And the reason I think that they come and enjoy it so much is it's just a free environment to learn.

You can do whatever you want to learn here.

It's not graded.

It's not structured too much.

It's--it's really driven by the people who come.

So I think kids like to be able to explore in a way that they want to.

So they can go up to the second floor and explore different exhibits.

They can go down to the first floor ballroom.

They can go down to the auditorium and learn from all these amazing community partners about the things that they're interested in and get in just all kinds of hands on activities that connect music and science and just--just pure enjoyment for them.

There's a lot of wonderful parks in our community, as you know.

So Potato Creek State Park brought some of their amphibians.

We have some other parks that brought like fossils and different things like this for a living.

Things have changed.

Notre Dame Energy brought 11 to 12 different tables of all kinds of different things of their student organizations.

Even smoke free St. Joe brought, you know, the pig lungs that you can see what happens from smoking in your lungs.

I'm the education and programing manager here at the library, so that department education programing is new.

And so we have a lot of wonderful staff who work with youth and adults that help put this event on and make it possible.

So I help to manage that team and lead that team.

And then but once again, because it's such a big event, it really takes every staff member here at the library to make this work from IT facilities, security services, everyone has a hand in making this a safe and fun environment for everyone.

So we have signature events become signature events across all of our branches and some of the bigger, bigger ones, right, are our main library because of the space we have.

So science wise happens every year, just like, you know, one book and events like that.

So I would say the hope for next year is to leverage that-- leverage this entire space.

So I'd love to see it where we're outside, in the courtyard or in the ballroom or upstairs and the auditorium, so we can get as many vendors in here as we possibly can.

So I could see there potentially being a science alive in the warmer months so we can leverage that courtyard.

I think the beauty of the event is, is kids become aware of things maybe they didn't know about in the past, but also in a fun and enjoyable way.

Learn more about the program at WNIT.org.

Autism can affect a person's ability to learn and communicate.

At the Lighthouse Autism Center, children receive one on one attention so they can better understand the skills needed not just for school, but for their everyday lives.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a developmental disorder that affects the way individuals interact, communicate, behave, and ultimately learn.

And it truly is a spectrum disorder.

So every individual with autism looks different.

You can have an individual who is verbal, communicates and can largely live an independent life with little to no support.

You can also have an individual who is non-verbal, really struggles with daily living skills and needs a great deal of support in their life.

And then you have, really, everyone who falls in between that.

It truly is a spectrum disorder and everyone experiences it in a different way.

Understanding autism is the first step to making sure people with it are able to get the tools they need to succeed.

It's important for a number of reasons.

One, to just shine a light on autism and to really build a community of acceptance around those who have autism, of just accepting them for who they are.

And then also equally as important is building that awareness and that education component.

So making sure that parents, caregivers, really anyone who's around children are aware of the signs of autism.

Of those developmental milestones that kids should be reaching, it's critical that we are able to identify those and give people the steps and resources to get their children diagnosed.

The earlier we're able to diagnose children with autism, the earlier we're able to get them the services that they need.

And ultimately, that leads to better outcomes later in life.

It was definitely a quick process between diagnosis to attending Lighthouse.

We call it school for her.

She thinks it's so much fun.

I just had no idea about what--what happens here.

I think that's just going to be a daycare type thing situation.

But it wasn't at all like I never thought that Annie would go out of her way to go and, like, take one on one session with Gabby.

Personal experience with autism is what led to the creation of the Lighthouse Autism Center.

Lighthouse provides applied behavior analysis or ABA therapy to children with autism.

And so what that does is it helps children increase communication skills, social skills, school readiness skills, daily living skills and a number of other skills.

And so what's really unique about the program is that every therapy program is custom designed to meet each child's needs.

Sort of the happy kid to begin with.

But being here, it definitely brings out the best in her that she can she can go through on a daily basis and to be herself while being able to cope with the challenges that she faces.

It's really surprising how fast she learns at a place that we had no idea that's where it was going to be.

And that's really fun to see and excited to see where she's going to continue.

And they're even taking a brand new approach to helping children with autism.

Lighthouse Autism Center recently rolled out a new clinical model called Lighthouse Fusion.

And what Lighthouse Fusion does is it actually fuses ABA therapy and speech therapy into one enhanced therapy solution for children with autism.

It was designed and developed by a team of duly certified clinicians.

So these duly certified clinicians are individuals that are both speech language pathologists and board certified behavior analysts.

And this program was developed by a team of these duly certified clinicians, some of only a handful in the world.

I mean, it is truly unheard of to have this level of clinical expertize at an ABA center.

At the end of the day, it's important to remember that a child diagnosed with autism is still a child just like any other.

The biggest thing that helped me out with her diagnosis was the doctor saying she's the same kid as she was before the diagnosis.

So that really got me through.

Like, Okay, we'll just get her the therapies, get her help, and she'll be able to succeed in everything that she does.

Yes.

They have an autism diagnosis.

Yes, it's part of who they are.

But it's also what makes them unique in the same way as anything else makes any other child unique.

Check out WNIT.org for information on all these stories.

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The success of every student matters.

Education Counts Michiana is underwritten by Pokagon Band of Potawatomi.

Investing in education and economic development for centuries.

Supporting the past, current and future development of the Michiana region.

Community Foundation of Elkhart County inspire good Kosciusko County Community Foundation Where Donor Dreams Shine.

The Dekko Foundation.

Community Foundation of St. Joseph County.

LaGrange County Community Foundation Nipsco.

The Beim Foundation.

Crossroads United Way Serving Elkhart, LaGrange and Noble Counties United Way of St. Joseph County Marshall County Community Foundation Ready to Grow St. Joe Early Childhood Coalition and a Gift by Elmer and Dolores Tepe.

Thank you.

This WNIT local production has been made possible in part by viewers like you.

Thank you.