BOSTON, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- This spring, fourth graders in New York City Public Schools literally jumped into learning to code with Unruly Splats, a STEM education tool that combines coding and active play.

Four students at PS/MS 029 Melrose School in the Bronx noticed that physical education classes are ripe for disruption and could benefit from some enhancements to meet the needs of 21st century learners. Fourth grade student Evangelin V. noted that "sometimes playing the same game over and over in PE gets boring," and thus began the mission to answer the question, "Can coding in physical education class increase engagement?"

Using Unruly Splats, fourth graders Jasper, Evangelin, Clementine, and Caden designed and coded their own relay race-style game to be played in PE. According to Jasper, "Deciding what kind of game we wanted to create and building all the pieces of it was the hardest part."

Coding was brand new to this group of students, so they had to work together to succeed. The group sprung into action, creating roles within their group and breaking down their Unruly game idea into smaller parts, just like a team of developers and designers might do when building new technology.

The group of fourth graders successfully built their relay race and presented it to their whole grade as part of the District 7 STEM Fair. For Jasper and Evangelin, presenting their game and findings was their favorite part.

This project sparked such a buzz that they were chosen to compete at the Bronx Borough STEM Expo at Yankee Stadium on May 11th. At the STEM Expo, Jasper and Evangelin presented a letter to Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson about their recommendations for community impact based on their research findings.

Parents, school administrators, and classmates proudly watched the group of fourth graders share their learnings with attendees, including Alberto Cruz, the assistant principal at Melrose School. "Watching this group of students go from ideating different games to working together to bring their creation to life was my favorite part," said Alberto. He noted that "because the Unruly Splats are so hands-on and the students were so invested in their project, they were learning without even realizing they were learning."

Going up against hundreds of other students, the fourth grade team must wait to see if they are one of six projects advancing to the NYCPS 2024 STEM Expo on June 3.

And in case you were wondering, this group of fourth graders hypothesized correctly and their research proved it: Coding in PE does,in fact, increase engagement. 94% of their fourth grade classmates reported they were excited to participate in PE class after using Splats.

To learn more, visit www.unrulysplats.com.

About Unruly Studios
Unruly Studios is the creator of Unruly Splats, the first STEM learning tool that combines coding with active-play. Unruly Studios' vision is to create an electronic playground that makes learning more playful, collaborative, and inclusive.

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SOURCE Unruly Studios