Tri-State classrooms to receive 667 STEM kits combining hands-on learning with social-emotional skills

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CINCINNATI (WXIX) - A local organization is bringing social-emotional learning into Tri-State classrooms as students head back to school, one STEM kit at a time.

The project is a partnership between student-led initiative Handmade Gifts and Crayons and Beyond.

Volunteers packed and delivered more than 20,000 individual gliders into 667 classroom kits set to reach local schools — all on a budget of less than $500.

Each kit contains recyclable hoop gliders and lesson plans designed to teach teamwork, communication, and problem-solving through hands-on activities. Student volunteers assembled the kits using AI-designed lesson plans that combine STEM concepts with social-emotional learning.

Nelson Wong, operations manager at Crayons and Beyond, said the kits are built for ease of use in the classroom.

“Teachers are going to be excited because it’s already put together, it’s ready to use. Their lesson plan isn’t really affected, but you can just grab it and say, ‘Oh, for the day we are going to use this.’ There’s instructions with it and a lesson with it,” Wong said.

One student volunteer who helped assemble the kits said the experience was both meaningful and enjoyable. She has been involved with Handmade Gifts since the initiative launched, which was founded by student Sonali Kulkarni.

“I got to be with my friends while also creating something that would help kids in classrooms and help them learn about different things. And while it could seem repetitive to be creating so many of the same STEM kits, I thought it was actually pretty fun,” the student said.

The project does not end with the classroom kits. Kulkarni said volunteers will use leftover materials — including paper and straws — to create approximately 2,000 fidget toy kits.

Those kits are slated to go to local tutoring centers and organizations overseas.

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