The American Heart Association’s STEAM Toolkit is available to schools that participate in the Association’s in-school initiatives, Kids Heart Challenge and American Heart Challenge, and now include three new activities created by the AHA and OSF STEAM:

·         The effects of vaping/smoking on the lungs

·         The concept of a heart attack and influences

·         The importance of hydration and avoiding sugary beverages

“These engaging, interactive activities and resources are designed to support middle and high school educators who want to integrate STEAM lessons into classrooms across the country,” said Noël Adams, vice president, Academic Collaborations and Operations for OSF HealthCare. “This groundbreaking collaboration will also nurture and inspire a pipeline of aspiring innovative, future health care professionals.”

Through the OSF STEAM lessons, students, families and staff will learn valuable life skills, including how to make smart food choices, the importance of avoiding vaping/tobacco products and the lifesaving skill of Hands-Only CPR. This toolkit is available to schools that participate in the Kids Heart Challenge/American Heart Challenge programs. Currently, more than 15,000 schools across the country participate in the challenges, engaging 14 million students.

The OSF STEAM lessons were chosen because studies have linked smoking/vaping with a high risk for respiratory diseases. E-cigarette or vaping product use is associated with injuries resulting in the hospitalization of 2,800 e-cig users in 2020 alone. Federal government studies also show that nearly half (46%) of all added sugars consumed by individuals aged 2 and older in the U.S. come from sugary drinks, including soft drinks, fruit drinks, sweetened coffee and tea, and energy drinks. Added sugars raise the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and tooth decay.

To learn more about the American Heart Association’s in-school initiatives, or to take the first step in getting these resources in your school, visit heart.org/getstarted.  

STEAM Toolkit Lesson B-roll

A new series of STEAM at Home programs from Jump Trading Simulation and Education Center in Peoria features live, streaming labs, via Zoom, that are also available as a recorded link -- offering the convenience and flexibility most parents and students are looking for as schedules have been up-ended due to protocols surrounding the ongoing COVID pandemic.

“They can sign-up for the live labs that are scheduled for Saturdays, but they can use the post-event link to participate at their own pace,” according to Noel Adams, director of Innovation Lab Programming at Jump Simulation. “That option allows students to pause the video to execute a task or if they want to skip ahead, they have the ability to do that.”

The next series of labs allows children to explore the diversity of life in the darkest, coldest reaches of the ocean by dissecting a foot-long, color changing, beaked, inking squid. The virtual dissection lab, Comparative Anatomy of Mysterious Sea Monsters, compares the squid to the anatomical benefits of being a jawless lamprey whose suction-cup mouth with tiny sharp teeth, a crab that uses its claws to manipulate its food, and a starfish that projects its stomach over its prey to digest it outside its body.

The labs are divided by grades 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12, with the material designed for the appropriate knowledge and skill levels.

“The Sea Monsters class uses comparative anatomy in a fun way to teach students learn to look for similarities, differences and patterns in everything around them. The concepts apply to all living organisms who have similar basic survival needs – air to breathe, food to eat, and systems to release waste and procreate,” explained instructor Shannon Egli.

“The latest course emphasizes creatures in the deep ocean evolved with features that allow them to survive even the harshest conditions. But students quickly learn that, like humans, when one basic need isn’t met, it throws off the entire system and threatens life.”

Instructors for STEAM at Home are part of a partnership with the Illinois College of Medicine - Peoria (UICOMP) and OSF HealthCare using trained educators with a background in a variety of health-related fields to offer an exciting menu of fun, interactive classes that convey concepts focusing on Science, Engineering, Technology, Art and Math. 

The lab dissection kits can be picked up the second Wednesday of the month at the Jump Center at 1306 Berkley Avenue or for an additional fee, they can be mailed anywhere in the country. The kits are vacuum-sealed so there is no need to refrigerate. They can be kept stored until ready to use. 

Parents and students can visit the Jump STEAM at Home website to register for any of the upcoming classes or on-demand video options from previous STEAM at Home dissection labs including the virtual Baby Shark Lab or Home is Where the Heart Is … and All Other Organs Too.

PNC has provided ongoing support for STEAM programs including STEAM at Home, which also extends learning options for patients at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois.

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Jump Simulation is a collaboration between the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria and OSF HealthCare. The center replicates a variety of patient care settings to ensure novice and seasoned clinicians can practice handing medical situation in a life-like environment. Boasting six floors and 168,000 square feet, the center is one of the largest of its kind and provides space for conferences, anatomic training, virtual reality and innovation. More information at https://www.jumpsimulation.org/