Indigenous STEAM camp teaches kids about the stars and Ojibway culture using pop-up planetarium

A group of Indigenous students learned about constellations through a lesson incorporating Ojibway creation stories, a laser pointer and a portable planetarium Wednesday onthe University of Winnipeg campus.

The pop-up planetarium day waspart of aSTEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) Camp put on by Wii ChiiwaakanakLearning Centre, an outreach program of the university.

"We use this course to tell our stories and go over a lot of our culture," said presenter Rockford McKay.

McKay is Anishinaabe andthe science facilitator for the Manitoba First Nations School System. He taught thegroup of 30children aged five to nine about the Ojibway creation story, the moon, the fourseasons and the Ojibway names of constellations.

Over 10 years ago, McKay attended a conference in the United States and came across a portable planetarium. He andCree educator Wilfred Buckstarted developing lessons to teach young people about science and astronomy through an Indigenous lens, with McKay focusing on Ojibwayculture, and Buck focusing on Cree.

For McKay, it's an opportunity to teach Indigenous students about the stars and cosmology through an Indigenous worldview.

"It's a jumping point not only for language and culture, but it's a jumping point for science education, as well as mathematics," said McKay.

"When we talk about science with Indigenous students who are given the opportunity to learn, they'll pick it up as well. They love it."

Getting kids excited about science

This is the seventh year that Wii Chiiwaakanak has put on a free, educational summer camp for Indigenous students in the inner-city. This is the first year that they have put an emphasis on the sciences.

"We're underrepresented in all of those areasand so I think it's important to give that opportunity toignitethat passion within young kids, especially Indigenous kids," said Angeline Nelson,director of community learning and engagement for Wii Chiiwaakanak.

Wii Chiiwaakanak translates to "walking together" in Ojibway. The centre is located in Winnipeg's west end and offerseducation and cultural programs to help develop paths for Indigenous students to university.

Nelsonsaid that earlier this weekthe students were introduced to coding, learned how to make bannockand learned about Inuit culture and storytelling.

The rest of the camp will see the kids learning from a chemistry professor anddoing water-related experiments based on traditional teachings. They will be doing more coding, some engineering and willtravel to FortWhyte park.