Romania faces a significant gap in scientific literacy, with many children struggling to understand and apply basic scientific concepts in real-life contexts. This gap is particularly visible among children from underserved communities, where access to meaningful extracurricular learning opportunities is limited.
At the same time, Romania has an extensive legacy public network of children’s clubs and palaces—spaces designed for non-formal education—which remain underused in relation to STEAM learning. While these institutions have infrastructure and educators, they often lack the tools, training, and structured content needed to deliver engaging, hands-on science education.
Through our work and research in non-formal education, we observed that children are far more engaged and able to understand complex concepts when they learn by building, experimenting, and connecting theory to real-world applications. However, these types of learning experiences are rarely accessible at scale within public systems.
STEAM Clubs was created to address this gap by transforming existing public learning spaces into environments where children can explore science through hands-on, DIY activities, supported by trained local teachers. The goal is not only to increase interest in science, but to build a scalable model that can integrate practical STEAM learning into existing education structures.
STEAM Clubs operates by transforming existing public children’s clubs into hands-on learning environments where students explore science through building and experimentation. Each club is equipped with a structured curriculum, DIY materials, and basic tools that allow children to work on practical projects connected to real-world concepts.
Teachers are trained to facilitate the activities for groups of 15 8-12 yrs. old in teams of two. The process strengthens their role, from facilitating practical activities to guiding structured exploration, collaboration, and problem-solving.
The program is organized into modules (such as geometry, mechanics, or electricity), comprising a total of 30 activities. These combine individual and team-based projects, culminating in children explaining and presenting their work. Activities extend beyond the classroom through interaction with parents and local communities, helping reinforce learning and build local support.
This approach enables children to better understand abstract concepts by applying them directly, while also developing critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration skills. Feedback collected through observation, structured questionnaires, and knowledge assessments indicates that children not only enjoy the activities but also retain and apply what they learn.
Building on existing infrastructure and local teachers, the model offers a practical and scalable way to integrate hands-on STEAM learning into public education system
Since its launch in 2024, STEAM Clubs has grown from an initial pilot to a network of 11 children’s clubs and palaces and 2 public schools across Romania, involving 44 teachers and reaching 420 children through a one-year program. The model has been implemented in both large urban centers and smaller communities, demonstrating its adaptability across different contexts.
Expansion has been driven both through direct outreach and through organic mechanisms. In several cases, the model has been adopted by nearby or affiliated clubs within the same institutional network, without direct intervention from our team. Word of mouth between teachers and institutional leaders has also played a key role in generating new partnerships.
A national-level recommendation from the Ministry of Education has strengthened visibility and credibility, enabling access to new institutions. At the same time, increased awareness has led to interest and requests from public schools, indicating the model’s relevance beyond its initial context.
In 2026, we plan to expand to at least 6 new clubs, engaging 18 additional teachers and 180 children. Our goal is to reach 26 clubs by 2028, while strengthening the model’s scalability and long-term sustainability, and then accelerate to 100 clubs by 2032, enabling institutions to adopt, adapt, and run the model independently.
As the program has expanded, we have continuously refined both the learning experience and the implementation model based on the feedback from both teachers and children. In addition to before-and-after questionnaires, we introduced complementary feedback tools—such as drawing-based reflection and structured surveys—to better capture how children engage with and understand the activities across different age groups.
The teaching approach has also evolved, with a stronger emphasis on hands-on work, clearer lesson structure, and a balance between individual and collaborative projects. At the same time, we have refined our teacher training model, combining centralized two-day onboarding sessions for new cohorts with ongoing, locally delivered curriculum training as activities are implemented.
At system level, we have observed and actively supported the emergence of hub-based models, where larger institutions mentor and support nearby or affiliated clubs, enabling more efficient scaling within existing networks.
The model has also expanded beyond its initial context, with increasing interest and early implementation in public schools. In parallel, practical challenges encountered during implementation have helped us adapt the program to better align with institutional calendars and local realities.
If you want to try STEAM Clubs, you can start with a motivated teacher (you maybe) or small team and access to a basic learning space. The first step is to understand the model and curriculum, which can be shared digitally, including lesson plans, activity examples, and safety guidelines.
Next you can then take part in an initial training—delivered in a hybrid format—focused on hands-on facilitation, the use of simple tools, and working with DIY materials. Based on your local context, equipment and materials can be adapted using what is available or accessible.
Once prepared, you can implement the program through structured modules, adapting the schedule to your institution. Ongoing support can be provided through online guidance, peer learning, and connections with other practitioners.
The model is designed to work in different educational and cultural contexts, and is planned to evolve through local adaptations. In the future, we aim to support this process through an online platform where educators can access resources and share experiences, feedback, and ideas. Implementation can begin with a single group (15 children and also a partner teacher) and expand gradually as local capacity grows.
