With a full two weeks off for Christmas break, you may find yourself in need of some indoor activities for the kids. These three fascinating STEAM activities, inspired by a recent workshop for our middle school students, may be just the thing to pass the time in a meaningful way. All activities should be done with adult supervision.
November 8th was National STEAM Day, and we were delighted to host a special visitor the following day. On November 9th, Katherine Schmidle, daugher of our middle school math teacher and a WCS alumna, spent the afternoon with our middle school students doing STEAM projects in the gym. Katherine is in her second year of Profession School at the University of Toledo. She is in the Doctorate of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences program. Katherine is working with Dr. Cora Lind-Kovacs and the chemistry department to sponsor demonstrations like these in schools to promote a love of science.
The students were led through three different science activities: elephant toothpaste, non-newtonian fluid, and crystal gardens. The kids had a blast conducting these experiments and seeing the fascinating results of their creations.
This fizzing, foaming experiment is sure to cause quite a reaction, and is great for kids of all ages with an adult helper. In this experiment, yeast works as a catalyst to release oxygen molecules from a hydrogen peroxide solution. The oxygen-filled bubbles will foam up and out of the bottle like a giant squirt of toothpaste. We found instructions for Elephant Toothpaste here, but there are a few different variations out there. A quick search will find several different versions of this activity.
Non-newtonian fluid is a fluid whose viscosity is not constant; it’s viscosity changes depending on the stress or forces applied to it. We found instructions for a non-newtonian fluid that is extremely quick and easy to make with household items (cornstarch and water), and whose properties will certainly excite the curiosity of your kiddos.
The last activity we have to share is a little more complicated, but still achievable once you've gathered the ingredients. There are many versions of this experiment. This one requires laundry bluing, but we found some that did not. Adult supervision is a must for this fascinating crystal garden project. Many of our students found this to be the most exciting of all the experiments due to the beautiful crystals that formed initially and will continue to grow over time.
We've added several more photos from the STEAM Day activities below. Will you do any of these fun STEAM experiments over break? Be sure to let us know how they turned out!
