Dryden is taking STEAM by storm! STEAM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math. We are learning and enjoying the benefits of the seamless integration of these areas, rather than just focusing on each in isolation. We are also learning that STEAM is "fueled" by collaboration, trial-and-error, creative problem-solving, curiosity, critical thinking and perseverance. The more we learn, the more we want to do!
Dryden recently held its first STEAM Night for families. We had a wonderful time together!
There was an engineering playground for building roller coasters, paper airplanes, newspaper towers and bridges with dominoes and a deck of cards.
How exciting it was to make a piano with bananas, a few wires, a circuit board, a USB cord and a laptop!
Families could tinker and explore the sturdiness and size of various pipe cleaner structures.
We were fortunate to have volunteers from the local high school share the first-place state Science Olympiad winning Rube Goldberg machine that they built over the course of several months.
There were opportunities for families to work on different child-friendly coding programs on computers and iPads as well as on paper grids and with cups.
Art Teacher, Mrs. Fuglestad, taught families how to create stop-motion animated music videos by app-smashing.
Building towers and taking away pieces without letting the structure fall was a fun and exciting collaborative, problem-solving adventure!
Families were give design challenges and a few household materials. This group worked on designing a contraption to help get items out of the bottom of a toy box.
There were opportunities to figure out how to make the strongest bridges,
discover the strength of the architectural feature of an arch,
build a raft that could float with the most pennies,
and create a boat that would sail the fastest.
We were also fortunate to receive posters, pamphlets and a chain game from the Society of Women Engineers to share with students and families.
What a great evening! We can't wait to have more STEAM experiences in the near future!
No comments:
Post a Comment