Student-Scientists and STEM Creators Display Their Work

Inquiry, exploration, discovery and problem solving were on display as part of our annual Science Fair and STEM week events.

More than 185 student-scientists from 1st–4th grade participated in the annual, non-juried Science Fair. Each student spent time outside the classroom studying and investigating a topic of interest and prepared a display and/or demonstration of their experiences and learning to present at the fair.

Topics this year included investigations into batteries, jet propulsion, rainbows, owls, hurricanes, albinism, optical illusions, slime, worms, how many Barbies it takes to sink a raft and everything in between!

Riding the tide of science sharing, the entire 5th grade orchestrated a STEM Showcase to demonstrate projects they created earlier as an extension of their STEM Week exploration. The challenge to each participant was to envision a smart device that might improve everyday activities or tasks and build a prototype or project using the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 robotics kits.

The overall goal of the activity is to provide students with an immersive grade-wide build experience to apply all that they had been learning in the previous weeks. Throughout the week, students sketched ideas, worked through numerous designs based on new insights or limitations of the materials, supported each other through encouragement and technical advice, encountered the frustration of a setback and persisted, iterating on and refining their designs and much more.

Final 5th grade STEM creations ran the gamut from an automatic clothes folding machine to a hair braiding device, reflecting a range of interests as unique as the students who created them.

Both the Science Fair and STEM Showcase provided ideal venues for students to share what they have been learning with older and younger students, demonstrating their emergent knowledge and deepening the connections with each other.

Enjoy photos from these experiences here.