Wantagh students design shoes to withstand winter weather

As the winter temperatures plummet, first-grade students at Forest Lake Elementary School, in Wantagh, designed shoes to protect themselves against ice, snow and cold. The science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics lesson, led by Wantagh STEAM teacher Jamie Kanner, accompanied the students’ study of Arctic animals and their ability to protect themselves through the use of insulation and texture.

Using pom-poms, felt, popsicle sticks, straws, bottle caps, tape and paper, the students used their STEAM skills to design the shoes, tested their creations on their hands and placing them in a bucket of ice. If a student felt the cold, then he or she knew to add insulation or texture, much like the fur on a bear or the padding on the foot of a wolf, Kanner said.

—Brian Stieglitz