Grade 5 students demonstrate Crunch Labs STEM kits; committee questions classroom integration

Students and a teacher presented Crunch Labs build-box kits during the Rockport School Committee meeting, describing hands-on projects designed to teach science and engineering concepts. Brody Kerley, a fifth-grade student, explained the kits include projects such as a cipher machine and a disco dynamo; a presenter described Crunch Labs as “a company founded by former NASA engineer and YouTuber, Mark Rober” that offers monthly STEM kits.

Committee members asked how long students spend working with each kit and how the activities connect to the broader curriculum. A student said individual builds typically took “about 10 or 15 minutes,” while the teacher (introduced in the meeting) said the classroom often follows the build with historical or scientific context — for example discussing decoding in World War I and II to link the cipher activity to history and computing. The presentation noted that each fifth-grade student will have the opportunity to build and take home 12 kits over the next five years.

School leaders said the materials were aligned with district curriculum frameworks and offered practical advantages: the kits provide individual, hands-on experiences and allow students to continue exploring concepts at home. Committee members commended the presenters and asked the teacher to share evidence of how builds inform instruction; the teacher said the district is working to connect the hands-on projects with standards-aligned lessons and teacher-led follow-ups.