VoE

That day, I returned home with a heart full of joy. I couldn’t wait longer—I opened my office bag, pulled out a small box, and carefully took out the LED bulb inside. With lots of excitement, I walked over and replaced the bulb in our living room.

Then I called my husband and two sons over. “I want to show you something!”

They gathered around, looking at the bulb, slightly puzzled. “What’s so special about this bulb?” they asked.

I smiled and said, “I made it myself.”

Their eyes widened. “How?”

I told them how I had learned to assemble the bulb during today’s workshop at the STREAM Lab. They were amazed.

And there I was—just standing there, staring at that glowing bulb in awe, not even realizing how long I’d been watching it.

I’ve never seen kids so excited about learning before. During our STEM sessions, they weren’t just participating — they were eagerly waiting for the next class. They’d come up to us and ask, ‘When’s the next STEM hour?’ like it was their favorite part of the week!  I have seen students, who were poor in certain subjects like math, science or writing, doing these exercises without much effort. The exercises in the STEM book, combined with writing, drawing, and coloring, really made learning feel less like a task and more like a creative adventure. Seeing their faces light up as they worked through the activities, building confidence along the way, was incredibly rewarding.

I got a surprising call from an 8th grade student who had attended our STREAM Fest ideation camp. He said that he and a few of his friends were coming to Kochi the next morning—to visit a tube-light cracking unit! I was shocked. “Wait, you’re coming all the way here on your own? Without any adults?” I asked.

That’s when he explained. For his STREAM Fest project, he had chosen Tube Light Recycling as his topic. Since then, he’s been actively collecting discarded tube lights from his school and neighbourhood. Now, he’s eager to take the next step—understanding the actual process of recycling. He wanted to visit the unit, not just to see how it works, but to truly learn the initial steps himself.

His determination and initiative really amazed me. It’s great to see young minds taking ownership of their ideas and trying hard to make them into real action.

— STREAM Expert

We were in a first-grade classroom, taking some measurements for STREAM lab infrastructure. A little boy came up to us with wide eyes asking, “What are you doing here?”

Smiling, we replied, “We’re going to turn your classroom into a STEM lab!”

But instead of excitement, his face fell. “No!” he said firmly. “This is our class. We’re not giving it to you!”

He wasn’t joking—he meant it. He loved his space that much. It was his little world.

So we knelt down to his level and gently explained, “We know how special this classroom is to you, but this room is perfect for STREAM Lab.  We’re going to build the lab right here. It’ll still be your room, you and your friends can come to explore, learn, and do real experiments…”

He stood there thoughtful for a while. After a few seconds of serious contemplation, he sighed deep and said, “Okay…”

It was such a genuine moment.

— Team STREAM