Lighting Up Intergenerational Warmth Through STEAM

On Thursday, April 24th, we hosted a heartwarming workshop at the Settlers Lifestyle Village, where grandparents and their grandchildren came together with our team to create innovative light-up cards using the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) principles. It was a fantastic day filled with creativity and connection—and best of all, every single card lit up successfully. Good job to everyone who participated in this event!

From Idea to Invitation: The Road to Settlers Lifestyle Village

Gaining approval from the prestigious Settlers Lifestyle Village was no easy feat. In fact, our first proposal was turned down—we had reached out early in our journey, before we’d had the chance to build up much experience. But we didn’t give up. After running successful workshops at other wonderful retirement village, like Lady Allum Village and monthly workshops at the Albany Library, we came back stronger and more confident. This time, we connected with the incredible Glenda Adams and Anne Simpson, who saw the potential in what we had to offer. Inspired by our progress, Anne gave us the opportunity we’d been hoping for. We were thrilled to be invited to a meeting with Anne, Glenda and the residents’ representatives, Allan, Patricia, and Elaine to finalize the details on March 24th.

We came prepared with two workshop proposals: a Mother’s Day robotic-flowers session and an interactive light-up-cards session. To help residents make an informed choice, we designed and presented three prototype robotic flowers showcasing different mechanisms (each designed to accommodate varying dexterity levels), along with both 2D and 3D light-up-card samples.

The residents’ input was invaluable! What struck us most was the wonderful alignment between our vision and their desire for meaningful intergenerational connection. Together, we decided not only to host workshops for individuals, but also to encourage grandparent–grandchild teams to work together! After thoughtful consideration, the light-up cards emerged as the clear favorite—a project that would spark joy across all ages and genders.

After weeks of careful planning (and yes, quite a bit of excitement buzzing behind the scenes!), everything fell perfectly into place. Our much-anticipated workshop was officially scheduled for April 24th!

Of course, there was still plenty to do in preparation for the big day. Our to-do list included tasks like:

Drawing the paths for the conductive tape

Poking holes in the cards to let the LED lights shine through

Designing sample cards for participants to use as inspiration

Selecting gifts for the participants

We each took on different responsibilities and worked independently from home, contributing our parts to bring the whole workshop together. Our lead project developer, Keen, kept us connected and on track with Zoom meetings, where we discussed how the workshop would run and checked in on everyone’s progress.

On the day before the workshop, we held our final meeting. Everyone proudly shared their updates, confirming that all their tasks were complete. With everything falling into place, we finalized the plan—and just like that, we were ready to light things up!

Workshop Wonders: A Day to Shine

Finally, the big day arrived! At 9:15 AM, our team members began arriving at the reception, where we were warmly welcomed by the wonderful Anne Simpson. With eager anticipation, we made our way to the workshop space, rolled up our sleeves, and got to work rearranging tables and setting up our equipment.

By 10:00 AM, grandparents and their grandchildren began arriving, though our workshop wasn't scheduled to begin until 10:30. Fortunately, we had planned something special for these early arrivals—the "hydraulic crane" challenge. The children were immediately engaged, problem-solving their way to tasty treats, and the room quickly filled with laughter and excitement. This impromptu pre-workshop activity created the perfect atmosphere of curiosity and joy before our main session even began.

At 10:30, we officially kickstarted the workshop with a warm welcome and quick introduction of our team. We then gave a detailed explanation of how to make the light-up cards before letting everyone’s creativity take the lead.

Here are the materials we used to bring the cards to life:

A pre-made card base

pre-cut Conductive tape

LED lights and batteries

Scissors

Printed instructions

A wide array of stickers

Paints, coloured pencils, and pens

In the end, every single card turned out absolutely stunning. The level of creativity in the room was inspiring—and the best part? Seeing everyone’s faces light up with pride and joy as their LED lights flickered on for the first time.

To better capture these precious moments, we offered instant photo services, giving participants a tangible memory of this special day.

As a final surprise, we prepared DIY magnetic-levitation pen kits for all the young participants. These served not only as tokens of appreciation for accompanying their grandparents but also as educational tools to continue exploring STEAM concepts at home with family. We hope these carefully selected takeaways will extend the workshop’s impact beyond our time together, fostering ongoing intergenerational connections through playful learning.

Reflection

This workshop was another important learning experience for our team, filled with valuable takeaways from our time at the retirement village:

Be warm and welcoming: No matter the age of the participants, being social and friendly creates a more enjoyable experience for everyone. A positive, relaxed atmosphere helps make the workshop more fun and engaging.

Teamwork makes everything smoother: Distributing tasks equally and collaborating effectively as a team makes the entire process more efficient and enjoyable.

Always be prepared: Planning for unexpected challenges and bringing more materials than we think we’ll need is far better than being caught off guard. Over-preparing truly pays off.

Most importantly: have fun! While it’s important to teach STEAM concepts, the experience should be enjoyable. If participants aren’t having fun, they’re less likely to stay engaged or take anything meaningful away from the workshop.

At the end of the day, our goal is to spark curiosity, creativity, and joy—and this workshop reminded us exactly why we do what we do.

Looking Ahead

We are excited that we’re currently preparing a mini STEAM exhibition on June 30th. This upcoming event aims to provide participants with an interactive STEAM experience right at the participants’ doorstep. The exhibition serves a dual purpose: showcasing technological innovation while creating a meaningful intergenerational interactive experience. We envision this as an opportunity for all ages to engage with science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics in a hands-on, collaborative environment that strengthens connections between generations. Through carefully designed exhibits and activities, we hope to inspire curiosity, foster learning, and create memorable moments for families to share.

Thank You!

With all our hearts, we want to thank the wonderful Anne Simpson. Your kindness, support, and belief in us meant the world. Thank you for giving us the chance to share this experience with the Settlers Lifestyle Village community—this workshop wouldn’t have been possible without you.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Glenda, for creating the newsletter for our workshop, refining it to perfection, and promoting our event. Your dedication to crafting compelling communications played a vital role in our success. And to all the residents who generously contributed their time and offered thoughtful suggestions—we are profoundly grateful. Your involvement has been the cornerstone of creating something truly special that will bring joy to everyone involved.

To all the amazing grandparents and grandchildren who took part—thank you for making this day so special. Your smiles, creativity, and laughter filled the room with warmth. We feel so lucky to have shared this time with you, and we truly hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. Until next time—with love, from all of us.

Natalie and Keen

on behalf of the Koru STEM team