A St. Albert scientist will open a new business this week that he hopes will bring scientific fun to local kids.
St. Albert geoscientist Ryan Baker is holding the grand opening of his branch of IDEA Labs Kids this Saturday July 6.
IDEA Labs Kids is a Texas-based company that runs STEAM-based camps, classes, parties, and workshops for youths aged 4-14 around the world.
STEAM is an educational approach that aims to get people interested in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math (STEAM). It typically blends multiple subjects together in hands-on projects and teaches problem solving, teamwork, and experimentation. The concept has caught on in St. Albert-area schools, as exemplified by the ultra-popular STEAM Academy at Four Winds Public.
Baker said he first learned of IDEA Labs Kids a few years ago when visiting friends in Houston, Texas. Wanting to start his own business and come back to St. Albert, he left the oil and gas sector and signed up to launch the company’s first outlet in Alberta.
“I really wanted to bring something new like this to our community,” he said.
Baker said his business will offer camps, workshops, and after-school sessions on STEAM-related topics such as coding, 3D-printing, and stop-motion animation. Guests might work with staffers to build Lego robots, practice engineering with Popsicle-stick structures, or learn about chemistry by baking muffins.
“I call it ‘sneaky learning,’” Baker said, as the kids learn about science and engineering without realizing it because they’re having fun.
“If a child has an interest in anything STEAM, we hope we can help them continue to explore it.”
Baker said he hoped his business would foster curiosity and an appreciation for science in St. Albert youths and support STEAM-based education in area schools. Should this outlet prove popular, he hoped to open a second branch in Edmonton in a few years.
You don’t have to be earning a PhD to appreciate and enjoy STEAM-based activities, Baker said.
“Whatever you end up doing in life, having a baseline understanding of why or how things work is very valuable.”
Baker said the grand opening will feature tours, robots, a scavenger hunt, and likely some sort of slime-based science demonstration. There will also be displays by Savvy Custom Creations (who made the uniforms for Baker’s staff), food from St. Albert’s Dawg Gone It food truck, and free candy from the St. Albert U-Store-It outlet.
The grand opening runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 6 at #120 1135 St. Albert Trail. Email Baker at [email protected] for details.
