STEM Nights
December
Kids learned about acids and bases, learning about the pH scale and the chemical reactions between them. The activity was making fake snow using water and baking soda. We used vinegar to "melt" the snow, showing the reaction of fizzing.
November
This STEM Night was about buoyancy and making a hovercraft as the activity. The kids used a paper plate, a bottle cap, and a balloon to create an air cushion under the plate and make it "hover". They learned about boats and the similarities and differences between hovercrafts.
OCTOBER
Kids learned about the different components of a human hand. They were introduced to the layers of the hands, including the muscles and bones. For their activity, the kids created movable models of the hands mimicking the layers from the bone to the skin.
SEPTEMBER
Kids learned the importance of geometry. They were introduced to the basics of geometry through triangles and angles. The kids applied this information by creating DreamCatchers as their activity, using paper plates and string, with the string creating different shapes and angles.
APRIL
Kids learned about the science behind sound and music. They learned about how vibrations made up the sound they hear and how these vibrations cause instruments to create sound. Then, they created pan flutes out of straws to demonstrate how the vibrations within the straw cause the sound they hear.
MARCH
Kids learned about the structure of DNA. The kids were introduced to what DNA was as well as its nucleotide bases. The kids applied this by creating Twizzler and Gummy Bears to model the structure of DNA with the Twizzlers as the sugar-phosphate backbone and the Gummy Bears as the base pairs.
FEBRUARY
Kids learned about different bridges and their design structures. The kids were introduced to the different kinds of bridges and how their design structures cause them to be secure. For their activity, the kids created their own model bridges using popsicle sticks.
JANUARY
The kids learned about kinetic and potential energy. They learned of the importance of energy and how it is in everything we do. For their activity, they created balloon cars and raced against each other, demonstrating the potential energy in the car when the balloon is inflated and the kinetic energy when released to move.
