Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski Clearfield Area Elementary School fifth grader Kaden Piper, 12, solves the Gravity Maze at the IU8 STEM Rocks (Rural Outreach Connecting Kids to STEM) booth as part of the Altoona Curve’s Remake Learning Days at Peoples Natural Gas Field on Wednesday.

Hundreds of students from central Pennsylvania and Maryland school districts filled the stands for Wednesday morning’s Altoona Curve baseball game at Peoples Natural Gas Field.

The event — the first of three Remake Learning Days at the ballpark — was more than a fun field trip, it was educational, too.

Students could take part in a variety of activities, including coding at the IU8 table, visiting with the Altoona Fire Department’s arson dog and learning about Lincoln Caverns.

There were also stations featuring the National Guard, Operation Our Town, Conemaugh Nason Medical Center and the WIC program, Curve General Manager Nate Bowen said.

“It is a fun time to have all the kids here,” he said, noting that during the off season, Curve mascot Loco visits area elementary schools, and it was nice to see kids from those same schools participating in the Remake Learning Days.

The students also watched as the Curve took on the Akron RubberDucks, who won the game.

The game that the students watched was also a learning tool, organizers said, as the Curve provides an educational book that teachers can use to bridge the gap between the classroom and the ballpark.

The book provides a way for schools to challenge and educate students through activities and contests featuring baseball — math concepts can be taught using players’ stats, teams’ geography helps students learn about a variety of locales and baseball-related subjects can be integrated into other lessons.

The IU8 table, manned by Sarah Brambley and Brenda Calhoun, was located in the concourse. Here, students could try out a variety of STEM-related activities.

A gravity maze, Sphero ball light coding and Hopper, a logic game, drew the attention of many students, with Calhoun noting it was fun to be part of the students’ journeys in learning.

“We are just really excited to be here, and it is great to see the kids’ faces light up and be curious while playing with the games,” Brambley said.

When Calhoun showed the students what they could do with the Sphero ball light coding, they were especially excited.

“I think it is the concept of being able to learn anywhere, even at a baseball game,” she said.

“We want the kids to realize they can learn in school and also in places outside the classrooms,” said Gregg Behr of The Grable Foundation, which is funding the Remake Learning Days.

The goal of these learning days is to introduce kids and their families to STEM activities, art and design, and many other landscapes of learning.

“What I love about the STEM activities is that they are hands-on, playful and will start to provoke questions,” he said.

Behr said for many of the students, this might have been the first time they were exposed to coding and how circuits work. That could help students connect with school projects, he said.

While 10-year-old Evalyn Kneidel said she doesn’t have a big interest in science or STEM, “I enjoy stuff with it.”

A fourth grade student at Francis S. Grandinetti Elementary school in Ridgway, Kneidel said it was her first time at the ballpark and she enjoyed being there with kids from other places.

The STEM activities intrigued Kaden Piper, 12, a fifth grader at Clearfield Elementary School. While Piper said he is now interested in learning more, Brantley Mort, 10, said he already has a keen interest in science.

Mort, a fourth grade student at North Star Elementary, said he loved the games.

“It was so interesting,” he said. “My favorite was the coding game.”

“It was cool to create the pattern on the tablet and see the Sphero ball light up with different colors,” said Peter Zipfel, 14, a seventh grade student also from North Star.

Zander Rugg, 12, who liked the changing colors in the game, is already thinking beyond school at North Star, as he is considering a career in science or technology.

Remake Learning Days, taking place at a variety of locations across the state through May 23, is also celebrated in 15 regions across the United States and around the globe, with international locations in Uruguay, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

“It is all about connecting kids with learning experiences and seeing them light up,” Behr said.

Mirror Staff Writer Cati Keith can be reached at 814-946-7535.