Students impress at this year's Rose Show
This year's Rose Show featured over 130 student projects, representing nearly every academic department.
Rose-Hulman President Rob Coons said these projects will make an impact in the real world.
'It's really kind of Rose-Hulman's modern version of the world's fair', Coons said. 'The idea is that students have senior design and capstone projects that they've been working on, generally with a client. This creates an opportunity for them to actually present their project and show how it works.'
One group of students, including senior Emily Buchta, built a stream table for kids that will be used at the Montessori Academy in Terre Haute.
'It's durable, so it's a lot lower so that children can interact with it', Buchta said. 'We have different handles and things that children can grab on to, it's very sturdy. We also created these side panels in it that children can look in. You can see erosion happening, you can see deposition, landforms, waterforms. We have four different educational packs that we have created, so as the child goes through the Montessori method, they can do different things with the stream table.'
Another group, with senior Jake Gibbs, worked with the City of Terre Haute to plan out engineering solutions in a local neigborhood.
'It's called Terre Town, up in northern Terre Haute', Gibbs said. 'It was a project that was assigned to us by our professors, but it's a neighborhood that is in great need here in Terre Haute. They are having issues with cracking in their pavement. They also have undersized roads, a lack of any walkable paths in the neighborhood, and ponding issues.'
Years down the road, students are hoping to see their projects still being used.
'Coming back as an alumni, especially during homecoming, and seeing this stream table still running and that our clients are still using it to teach these kids about stem topics that I really love', Buchta said. 'It just means so much to me and so much to my team. We've put in so much work just to make this product, not only a good product, but something that is built for this academy that these children can use and love for years to come.'
The Rose Show is the last big project for seniors, as most plan to give their work to their collaborating organization next week, before walking the stage at commencement on May 31st.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to MyWabashValley.com.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Best learning tower
Kitchen counters are built at a standard height of 36 inches to make it easy for adults to prep and cook. Kids who are curious about cooking and baking would like to help but are too small to be able to work at the counter the way an adult can. Until now, that is. Learning towers are purpose-built step stools with enclosed sides so kids won't fall. The term 'learning tower' is trademarked but has come into common use the same way someone would say 'Kleenex' when they mean 'tissue.' Whether you call them learning towers, kitchen staircases or kitchen helpers, these platforms give your children the opportunity to explore, interact and play at adult heights. If you are looking for the original learning tower, take a look at the Little Partners Original Learning Tower, designed by a Montessori educator. Standing on a chair to help in the kitchen is typical of little kids, but it's unsafe because chairs are designed to be sat in, not stood on. Learning towers are made of wood or plastic and have one or two steps with a platform to stand on and sturdy sides to learn against. These sidewalls and safety rails are the key differences between learning towers and step stools. The primary purpose of a learning tower is to let little kids participate in everyday activities that give them a sense of accomplishment by turning groceries into meals. Kids develop their gross- and fine-motor skills and learn to define cooking as fun, not drudgery or something that magically happens. Adults also get more quality time with their kids and connect them to their heritage with recipes and techniques passed down from generation to generation. Learning-tower activities you can do with your child What are the learning tower's dimensions? The height of the tower and the height of the platform where your child stands are two important measurements to consider. Look for learning towers that allow you to adjust the height of the standing platform to conform to your kids' dimensions as they grow. How safe is the learning tower? Does it sit solidly and firmly on the floor? What about the side and front rails? Can your child lean on them with confidence? Design Many parents like learning platforms that coordinate with the decor of their kitchens. Look for learning towers that come in a range of colors and finishes. Extras Look for better learning towers to be able to turn into art-center easels by adding whiteboards, chalkboards, erasers, magnets, nonspill paint cups and storage compartments for art supplies. Basic learning towers cost between $60 and $100. Better units with greater safety, more features and more adjustments cost up to $200. When can my child start using a learning tower? A. The right time is when your child is able to stand for longer periods. Kids usually acquire this skill somewhere around 18 months. Are learning towers really safe? A. Yes. Learning towers are purpose-built to be stable platforms. As long as you don't exceed the weight limit and your child stays inside the rails, your tower should be very safe. Top learning tower Little Partners Original Learning Tower What you need to know: This first learning tower was designed by a Montessori educator. What you'll love: This learning tower stands 39 inches tall overall, supports up to 250 pounds and adjusts to any or four different height positions. This learning tower has a wide base for extra stability, two climbing steps and a four-position adjustable platform that measures a roomy 15 by 18 inches. This product comes in your choice of five different colors. What you should consider: Because it's large, it takes up a lot of space. Top learning tower for the money Sdadi Adjustable Height Mothers' Helper Kitchen Step Stool What you need to know: This solid-wood learning tower has four side rails and side-angled base supports for added stability. What you'll love: The entire unit is 35 by 18 by 15 inches, and the nontoxic polyurethane coating on the wood allows for easy cleanup. The steps are coated in anti-slip materials, and the height has three levels of adjustment, so the roughly 12-inch-square platform can be raised from 13 to 17 inches above the floor. This learning tower is tested to be safe to hold up to 150 pounds, and at nine pounds, is easy to move around. What you should consider: This product arrives unassembled. Worth checking out Guidecraft Classic Kitchen Helper Stool What you need to know: This natural-wood kitchen platform folds flat for convenient storage in a small space. What you'll love: This 36 by 23 by 23 inch learning tower is available in three styles and a range of colors. All four feet on this learning tower have two toes for added stability. This durable stool is crafted from solid hardwood and birch plywood and supports up to 125 pounds. It has a nonslip mat and netted front and back sides. The finish protects against scratches and scuff marks. What you should consider: This foldable learning tower arrives mostly assembled, only requiring you to attach the feet with a screwdriver. BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Atlantic
21-07-2025
- Atlantic
The Mistake Parents Make With Chores
Each September at the Montessori school I run, the preschoolers engage in an elaborate after-lunch cleanup routine. They bustle through the room with sweepers and tiny dustpans, spreading crumbs all over the floor and making a bigger mess than they started with. If any scraps do make it into their dustpans, most of them spill out as the children exuberantly walk to the trash bin. It would be faster and neater to simply let the teachers do all the tidying up. But our goal is more than achieving a spotless classroom; it's also helping children develop motor skills, responsibility, confidence, and the ability to clean effectively on their own. Sure enough, by December, the children's sweeping efforts become more refined. By springtime, if not earlier, they start to pick up other messes throughout the day without a teacher's prompting. They haven't just learned to mop and scrub; they've taken ownership over their environment. Contrast this with my own house—where, in a half-hearted effort to encourage my children to take responsibility for our home, I've been known to say, 'You live here!' as they ignore the pile of dishes in the sink. After years in Montessori classrooms, I assumed that a culture of taking responsibility would develop spontaneously in my family. And it might have, had I not made some early mistakes. When my oldest daughter, as a toddler, stirred pancake batter out of a bowl, I wrested the spoon from her hand. When my son made an earnest effort to fold a pair of pants by himself, I immediately refolded them more neatly. After those moments, and countless other small ones like them, my kids' enthusiasm to help started to dwindle. As the researchers I spoke with told me, this pattern is common among parents who, in an effort to make chores more efficient, unwittingly thwart their child's desire to help. Granted, most kids, mine included, do some housework, and plenty of kids do lots. But research indicates that parents shoulder much of the burden. A small 2009 study of dual-income, middle-class families in Los Angeles showed that chores accounted for less than 3 percent of household activities for the children, who were between the ages of 5 and 17, compared with 27 percent for their moms and 15 percent for their dads. Lucia Alcalá, a psychology professor at California State University at Fullerton who studies sociocultural and cognitive development, pointed out that lots of parents these days use chores to refer to tasks that solely benefit the child, such as cleaning their own room, rather than to duties that serve the whole family. The half a dozen researchers I spoke with said that many children do little when it comes to vacuuming the living room or taking out the trash. 'We give our kids a free pass,' David F. Lancy, the author and editor of multiple books, including The Anthropology of Childhood, told me. Many parents, he said, 'don't hold our kids accountable for self-maintenance or contributing.' The free pass Lancy refers to may hold back children, who stand to learn much from chores. These complex, multistep activities require sustained focus, planning, problem-solving, and a commitment to working toward a goal—all valuable skills for anyone to develop. Put together, these skills may lead to strong executive function. For young children, chores can also be intrinsically rewarding. When a kid folds a pile of laundry, they've created order out of chaos. Seeing their success, children can start to develop a sense of self-competence and self-efficacy —the belief that they'll succeed at a given task—which may boost their confidence. On a physical level, household tasks can lead to stronger fine-motor skills, which are essential for, say, zipping a jacket and handwriting, and which teachers report have been declining over the past several years. To help with these deficits, some parents seek occupational therapy for their children. But for many kids, at-home practice will suffice. A National Geographic article from earlier this year recommends activities such as squeezing sponges and pouring cups of water to improve grip and coordination. But helping with the dishes could naturally have kids wringing out sponges and emptying glasses into the sink, no special setup required. Not only is incorporating skill-building into necessary tasks easier on parents; it can also help children feel like they belong, researchers told me. Chores are 'social glue,' Lancy said. They integrate a child into the family and give them a purpose —and kids are eager to be involved. Studies have found that young children have a willingness to pitch in and support others. Angeline Lillard, a professor and the director of the Early Development Laboratory at the University of Virginia, told me that in one study she helped run, when children were given the choice between pretending to do a task, such as washing dishes or baking cookies, or doing one for real, most children opted to do it for real. When asked about their choice, the children said that they had opted for the real task because they wanted to contribute. According to Suzanne Gaskins, a cultural-developmental psychologist who has spent nearly 50 years studying children and their families, the motivation to engage in chores is simple: 'Children want to go where the action is.' And there's a lot more action in a real kitchen than in a pretend one. Many parents might insist that their kids don't want to help out—and they may have a point. Typically, very young children are the ones who are most excited to mimic their parents and lend a hand with laundry. But a toddler's contributions are often clumsy and, like the efforts of my Montessori preschoolers in September, may actually result in more work for the adult—so the adult shoos the child away. After enough times hearing 'Go play,' the child will get the message, Michaeleen Doucleff, the author of Hunt, Gather, Parent, told me. Other parents may turn a simple chore into an involved lesson, with lots of talking and micromanaging, rather than allow the child to participate on their own. As Doucleff explained, this dynamic turns the child off as well. Much more effective is finding a middle ground between the two extremes. What this looks like will vary based on the kid. 'A child could peel one carrot or even just watch,' Doucleff said. This approach might demand some patience and flexibility from parents at first. Children aren't going to be instantly capable at something they haven't had the opportunity to practice. But getting kids in the habit of helping early is much easier than convincing an older child who has never done chores to give them a try. For parents with resistant kids, their best hope is to avoid bribes, allowance, other incentives, and chore charts, and instead turn chores into a social activity. Saying 'Let's do this together' can make a task more engaging, Barbara Rogoff, a distinguished professor of psychology at UC Santa Cruz, told me. And, if that fails, parents may have to simply enforce their expectations, Cara Goodwin, a child psychologist, said. Although kids may not like being held accountable at first, many will eventually gain satisfaction from a job well done. None of this is as easy as it seems. I believe wholeheartedly in teaching children practical life skills, yet I still inadvertently turned my oldest two children off chores by micromanaging my first and shooing away my second. Guiding my students to tidy up came naturally. But once I had children of my own, I learned how a 3-year-old earnestly asking, 'Can I help?' could sound like nails on a chalkboard. I'll admit that when I was exhausted, short-fused, and desperate to get dinner on the table, my children's budding self-efficacy wasn't front of mind. I have four kids now. Over the past few years, welcoming all of their help has become easier, partly because I realized that I could spend more time with them if I included them in my routines. As my littlest ones tagged along with me, unloading the dishwasher, pulling clothes out of the dryer, and even mixing pancake batter, my older ones started asking to join in. Perhaps they wanted to be where the action was. Or maybe they wanted, as Gaskins suggested, 'to give back to the people they love'—a common motivation for kids. When Gaskins told me this, her theory sounded a little idealistic. But when I asked my kids why they do housework, they all said it was because they wanted to help me. Turns out they were eager to pitch in all along. They were just waiting for me to let them.
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Yahoo
Woman Allows Jobless Sister to Move in, Then Gets Mad When Roommate Wants to Split Rent 3 Ways
A Reddit user grew frustrated with their roommate after she allowed her sister to "basically move in'NEED TO KNOW A Reddit user expressed their frustration with their roommate, who allowed her sister to "basically move" into their small apartment The user explained that the sister was supposed to leave after a few days, but after "what feels like forever," she was still in the apartment Growing frustrated, the poster decided to split the rent three waysA Reddit user turned to the platform for support after getting into a disagreement with their roommate over rent. In the post, the user explained that they recently 'traveled for a family get-together' and, following their return, they 'found someone else in the apartment," who turned out to be their roommate Rose's younger sister. 'I asked her what was going on, and she casually said, 'Oh, she just came from the village and will be staying here for a few days while she applies for a job,'' the user writes. 'I asked her why she didn't let me know beforehand, and she said, 'I thought you wouldn't mind.' ' However, 'those 'few days' turned into what feels like forever," the poster writes, noting that the sister 'basically moved in." "Her sister is always home doing absolutely nothing. No job hunting, no house chores, just using up our space, electricity, water, and food," they explain. Once rent was due, the poster "divided it into three," rather than their usual 50/50 agreement, so that the sister could pay her share. However, after getting the payment, Rose immediately called the poster, saying they "didn't send [her] the full rent." "I told her to divide the total into three, and that is my part," the poster recalls. 'She flipped. Said her sister isn't working yet and I've been working for years, so I should be able to afford the full half. That I should 'overlook it' and 'render a little help,' ' The post continued, 'I told her point blank: You didn't ask me before bringing your sister in, and now you expect me to pay her rent too? Absolutely not. She called me wicked and stormed off.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Despite tensions in the household, Reddit users applauded the poster for standing their ground. 'Tell landlord about the sister moving in without your approval. They'll kick her out,' one user wrote. Another added, 'She invited her to stay there without your permission so she volunteers to pay any increase in bills because of that.' Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
