iSprowt

Category: Updates

  • Thank You, From iSprowt

    Dear Friends,

    As we start 2021 we wanted to express our gratitude for your support last year. Whether you bought a kit, shared a social media post, attended one of our online assemblies or signed up for our emails, we say THANK YOU.

    When we set out to launch iSprowt in March, we had no idea that an unprecedented pandemic, complete with school shutdowns, was right around the corner. A new, small business trying to get its footing during regular times is a challenge. Add to that a global lockdown.

    We are proud that with the obstacles came ingenuity and we pivoted our school programs to include online assemblies. We had so much fun meeting children from all over on Zoom while we taught them about science. We’ll continue this initiative in the new year, and can’t wait to meet many more students.

    We’re a small business creating a community of STEM-lovers, passionate about education. Thank you for joining us on this journey.

    Sincerely,
    Juliana, Rob and Robbie Sherwood

  • Virtual Science Assemblies From iSprowt

    iSprowt is Bringing Science to Virtual Classrooms

    Schools Across the Country Will Have Access to Science Experiments

     

    virtual science assembly

    We’re excited to announce that we are working with schools and PTAs across the country to bring live, iSprowt virtual science assemblies to over 5,000 elementary students. Each student receives a kit that includes 2 hands-on, extremely fun, STEM experiments and a 16-page booklet filled with activities. 

     

     

     

    Benefits of Virtual Science Assemblies

     

    One of the great things about our Virtual Science Assemblies is that there is no cost to families. iSprowt subsidizes the cost of these assemblies to make them highly affordable to all schools (the cost is just $2 per student!). The PTA buys the kits for students and distributes them.

    Another benefit to these assemblies is the way they engage the students. We strongly believe the best way for children to learn is by doing. Our Virtual Science Assemblies bring science to life in your home with easy, mess-free experiments that are highly visual and engaging.

    Lastly, there’s no issue with privacy, or missing out if you can’t attend the live assembly. iSprowt uses your school or PTA’s virtual classroom technology such as Zoom, Teams, WebEx, etc.  This ensures the student’s privacy is protected.  Schools are encouraged to record and redistribute the virtual assembly so that any student who cannot join live, can still fully participate.  

    science assembly

    Examples of the Hands-On Experiments

     

    In our Wacky Weather Assembly, students will be laughing and learning as they build, create, and observe.

    • Experiment #1: Tornado-in-a-bottle: Students will whirl and twirl to create their own mini tornado in a bottle.  They will be mesmerized as the water picks up debris in its powerful spiraling spin. Here’s an example of the tornado-in-a-bottle experiment.
    • Experiment #2: Chemistry and engineering experiment: “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?”  Students get a packet of safe, highly absorbent powder.  They add 1 cup of water and the powder expands over 700%.  Students can now build with the powder to create shapes such as a snowman, igloo, animal, dinosaur, letters, etc.   Over the next 7 days, the water slowly evaporates from the powder and the shape changes.  This allows the students to continue learning while they observe as evaporation slowly changes their original design.
    • 16-page Educational Activity Booklet: All of the directions, science, and fun activities such as a short story, word search, maze, Find-It picture, and Silly Story (similar to a Mad Libs) to keep the students engaged, laughing, and learning. 

    Want a virtual assembly at your school? Contact us and we’ll send you info to pass on to your PTA and principal! Let’s work together to inspire kids and keep them excited about learning. Thank you!

     

  • COVID-19 School Closures- How to Keep Children From Falling Behind

    school closures

    Today’s students are facing an unprecedented challenge when it comes to learning science. A recent Los Angeles Times article indicated California students are struggling to meet the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) adopted nationally in 2013. These standards were designed to teach core scientific concepts via hands-on activity. Unfortunately, with limited budgets for scientific materials and space to store materials for multiple classes of up to 40 students, meeting the standards has so far been a challenge. Now, with students completely out of the classroom for the remainder of the school year thanks to COVID-19 upending life as we knew it, limited materials available at home, and parents’ lack of comfort teaching STEM subjects, achieving these standards could be completely out of reach for many students.

    Interestingly, the LA Times article cites a specific example from the fifth-grade test which asks students to engage in “ordering the stages of a plant’s life cycle on a diagram.” This very topic is brought to life through the hands-on activities included in iSprowt’s first kit! In kit 1, kids in kindergarten through fifth-grade sprout herb seeds, plant them in soil, place them in a sunlit window, water them, and track their growth. By kit 4, the fully grown herbs are harvested and the kids learn to make their very own pasta sauce — completing the life cycle of the plant with hands-on activities they will be able to recall when it’s time to take the standardized NGSS test. Activities like this example also help students understand how science applies to them as a regular part of life in their home and their community. 

    With iSprowt’s new Donate the Gift of STEM program, you can help students bring these core scientific concepts to life. iSprowt was designed to help children achieve their highest potential in school and in life through hands-on, fun, STEM kits which include experiments, easy-to-follow instructions, and materials mailed directly to their homes monthly. iSprowt kits get them unplugged and experimenting in exciting ways. 

    Knowing that many families are experiencing serious financial difficulty, we decided to take action. Here’s how you can help support children during this crisis:

    -Donate kits to children in need and help decrease their risk of falling behind during COVID-19 school closures by purchasing a kit via the link below and selecting “donate” at checkout. We are partnering with schools to provide donated iSprowt kits directly to the students who need them most.

    -For every 100 kits donated, iSprowt will donate an additional $500 of iSprowt kits.

    -Help spread the word about iSprowt and our Donate the Gift of STEM program. Email your friends, share on social media, and talk to your family members about this program during your next family video chat – encourage them to donate kits as well! 

    This crisis has shown us just how essential it is to have a future workforce with a passion for STEM. Together, we can spark that passion and build a solid STEM foundation for students all over the country.  

    Educational Gifts for Kids: Donate the Gift of STEM to a child in need, visit the page here.

  • iSprowt Donates STEM Kits to Children Impacted by COVID-19 Pandemic

    We hope that this message finds you and your family well. As many of you know, we launched iSprowt to help children achieve their highest potential in school and in life through hands-on, fun STEM kits that get them unplugged and experimenting in exciting ways. Little did we know that just weeks after launching iSprowt, COVID-19 would upend the world as we knew it.

    COVID-19 has shaken families and communities- from school closures to parents teaching and working from home to the uncertainty of what the future holds. All of this weighs on us, as parents and advocates for education, heavily.

    Knowing that many families are experiencing serious financial difficulty, we decided to take action. We want to share with you how we plan to help support children through this crisis:

    • Today iSprowt is launching Donate the Gift of STEM– an initiative to put STEM experiments in the hands of children in need.
    • Donating kits to children in need could decrease their risk of falling behind in school during COVID-19 school closures.
    • We are kicking off this program by donating $1,200 in iSprowt kits to children in need in Los Angeles by working with local schools.
    • Going forward, for every 100 kits donated, iSprowt will donate an additional $500 of iSprowt kits.

    For educational gifts for kids, consider our Donate the Gift of STEM program that benefits a child in need. Please visit the page here.

    We want to thank you for being with us on this journey. 

    All our best,
    Juliana, Rob, and Robbie Sherwood