EMU STEM Ed Institute Delivers a Month of Innovative Programming in Brick Elementary’s New Creativity Center

In the months of January and February 2026, students and staff from the EMU STEM Ed Institute visited Brick STEM Elementary School to deliver hands-on STEM programming in the building’s “Creativity Center”. Brick Elementary is part of the Lincoln Consolidated School (LCS) District. 

For many Brick scholars, their time with the EMU STEM Ed Institute team was their first visit to the Creativity Center. Knowing that we would have the unique opportunity to inaugurate this room for many students, the EMU STEM Ed Institute team presented special activities that engaged over 200 elementary schoolers in STEM activities that allowed them to demonstrate their imagination and creativity.

To kick off the sequence, in January, first graders visited the room to find straw building tools. The EMU STEM Ed Institute team tasked them to work in teams to build a house for a stuffed animal. Then, the young architects and engineers had to renovate their homes and add a garage for a toy car. Finally, the students  played the role of real estate agents to pitch the new houses. These creative LCS students presented everything from flying houses to elaborate pipe systems. 

The creativity and innovation continued in February when fourth and fifth graders visited the room to engage with our microscopes equipped with an LCD screen. For this special microscope exploration, students were encouraged to tap into their inner artist and use coloring supplies to draw what they see in the biologic samples (honeybee wings, pumpkin stems, and more). The Brick scholars really added the “A” to STEAM, with amazing colorful illustrations

Finally, the month concluded with a visit from the second graders who had the opportunity to  debut the EMU STEM Ed Institute’s “Creativity Crates,” an activity designed by one of the Institute’s amazing EMU undergraduate assistants from the College of Education (COE). For this activity, students were provided with a large crate filled with everyday items such as spaghetti, marshmallows, toothpicks, yarn, aluminum foil, cereal, and more, and were directed to simply build whatever their imagination comes up with. By the end of the period, students presented everything from movable skill games to shiny pet cats. This dive into innovation truly allowed students to develop their STEM skills while embodying the goal of the Brick Creativity Center–imagination unleashed.

Brick second grader shows off her new 3D pet cat 

About the EMU STEM Ed Institute
Founded in 2023, the Institute for STEM Education, Outreach and Workforce Development at Eastern Michigan University, is a community-driven hub to promote STEM education and encourage local students to pursue a career in the STEM fields and skilled trades. The mission of the STEM Ed Institute is to serve and sustainably support and strengthen the community's cultural wealth related to STEM educational opportunity, outreach, and workforce development. For more information, please visit the STEM Ed Institute website.