Wantagh Elementary School students and their families will explore 30 holes of miniature golf at the fourth annual Wantagh Open on April 29. The course is being designed by this year’s fifth grade students and has become a highly anticipated annual event.

The project is a partnership between two special area subjects — physical education and STEAM. In physical education classes, students learn about golf rules and etiquette. Construction of the miniature golf holes takes place in the STEAM classroom. Fifth graders work in small groups, and each of the six classes is responsible for building five holes.

Every class comes up with a unique theme, and the five holes are all related to that common concept. This year’s themes are food, games, landmarks at night, movies, New York and school subjects and supplies. 

STEAM teacher Kaitlin Humphrey said that planning and building takes about two months. The majority of the holes are built using cardboard and duct tape. This year, Ms. Humphrey introduced a new tool, kid-safe routers, which allowed students to easily cut large pieces of cardboard into the necessary shapes. One class is experimenting with glow-in-the-dark components this year. 

The completed holes are set up in the gymnasium and fifth graders are invited to an after-school event with their families to play. All students then get to go through the course the following days in physical education classes.