2019-2020 STEM LAB
Check out what we accomplished!
ROUND ONE- HALLOWEEN THEMED STEM LAB
In grades K, 1, and 2, we are reading Room on the Broom, and then building a broom out of Legos to hold the characters in the story. It’s tougher than it sounds- how do you build something out of random pieces? Ask your kids; they figured it out!In grades 3, 4, and 5, we are building candy corn towers. This challenge is difficult, but if we work as a team and use the math and science we’ve learned in our classes, we may figure out how to make a strong enough structure to stay standing!
HALLOWEEN FUN
Ghost Balloon Activity
Materials neededOne balloon1 tbsp baking soda1/2 cup vinegarWater bottle
Steps:1) color a ghost face on a balloon2) pour 1 tbsp of baking soda into the balloon3) pour 1/2 cup of vinegar in a water bottle4) put the balloon securely on the water bottle, and dump the baking soda into the vinegar to see your ghost appear.
How does this work? Vinegar and baking soda, when mixed, create carbon dioxide which fills the balloon “by itself.”
ROUND TWO - THANKSGIVING THEME
1st - 5th graders are building boats to carry the pilgrims! Boats cannot leak and have to float on their own while carrying two pilgrims and two packages of supplies. Groups who are successful will be given more and more challenges!! Kindergarteners practiced their sink or float science standards from earlier in the school year!
ROUND THREE - CODING THANKSGIVING
All grades read There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey. In an effort to save the turkey this Thanksgiving, we coded his way out of the maze to keep him from the old lady! There were many ways to challenge the different grade levels. Ask your child how they got their turkey to safety.
ROUND FOUR - SNOWBALL FIGHT
All grades are creating a catapult this session to see who can launch a marshmallow (our snowball) the farthest! 2nd - 5th grades used 7 bamboo skewers, 4 marshmallows, tape, a spoon, and a rubber band. They launched a mini-marshmallow.
K and 1st grades used 10 popsicle sticks, 6 rubber bands, and a spoon. They launched a regular-sized marshmallow.
We had a great time!
ROUND FIVE - SNOW MUCH FUN
Wow! Round Five came and went. We had so much fun playing with “snow.”K, 1, and 2 built snowmen out of paper and other materials in an attempt to build the tallest amongst their class. They had to collaborate to think outside the box!3, 4, and 5 created snow scoops with notecards and sticks and clips. Then, they tested their scoopers to see how much of the different types of “snow” they could collect. We had some record measurements with their creative designs!
ROUND SIX GROUNDHOG DAY DEBUNKED?
This round was all about shadows and Groundhog Day! We realized that groundhogs may have a sense about the weather, but whether they see their shadow or not is determined by the sunny (or not so sunny) day it is on 2/2.
ROUND SEVEN - VALENTINE'S DAY!
This class was all about Valentine's Day! Kindergarteners made hearts out of toothpicks and marshmallows, 1st and 2nd grade created scoopers to see how many candy hearts they could collect, and 3rd, 4th, & 5th graders made origami Valentine Frogs with a box of their design. They made their frogs hop 1.5 feet with a candy heart on their backs - their box creations needed to hold the candy without it flipping out!
ROUND EIGHT - ST PATRICK'S DAY RAINBOW BRIDGE
All grades created a Rainbow Bridge to hold "pots of gold" with different weights. I saw many different bridges, and I was impressed with how many students, of all ages, came up with a design and build that worked! The batteries were the heaviest "gold," and posed the greatest challenge for the groups, but many were able to withstand the weight.
