Learning with STEAM

 “Every brilliant experiment, like every great work of art, starts with an act of imagination.” – Jonah Lehrer

S.T.E.A.M. is a multidisciplinary approach to learning and a big buzz word in education:

S - Science (experiments, observations, predictions, inquiry skills)
T - Technology (using tools, being inventive, understanding how things work)
E - Engineering (solving problems, designing and building things that work)
A - Arts (creativity, design, open ended activities, music and language arts)
M - Math (sequencing, patterning, matching, calculation, exploring shapes, volume, and size)

When we integrate STEAM into everyday play and learning we help support and inspire the innovators of tomorrow!

This December we explored COLOR with a STEAM lens.  Check out some of our awesome projects!

Color Wheel Spinners

We made these paper spinners for a fun way to learn about Color Theory and incorporate STEAM principles.

On one side of the spinner was the basic color wheel and the kids designed their own colors and patterns on the other side.

HUGE thank you to Mama Sara and Papa Jeff for helping prepare all the recycled cardboard circles for our spinner toys!

​When spinning you can really see how the red/yellow rim turns orange, the blue/yellow goes a light green and the red/blue turns a bright purple!

If this color spinner is going fast enough it actually appears as white.
White light is made up of all the colors of the rainbow!

​Psychedelic Snowflakes

When the plants and skies start to look gray and dreary outside, it's a great time to bring more color to our inside projects.

​These snowflakes provide a great hands-on way to work with fractions, shapes, and symmetry!

Step 1: Take a coffee filter and fold it in 1/2.

Step 2: Fold it in 1/2 again.

​Step 3: Fold it again in 1/3.

​Step 4: Cut out various shapes.  Sharp scissors help this process, help younger children with the cutting as needed.

Step 5: Dip the corners into different colors of liquid watercolor then carefully unfold and observe the different colors and patterns.

Color and Motion

We used this art spinner to mix colors and learn about secondary and tertiary color creations.  The kids were fascinated as the centrifugal forces drew the wet paint outwards, creating intricate designs.

It's so amazing how unique each piece of art turned out!

Tangram Geometry Collage

This kids loved creating their own colorful tangram puzzles. The younger kids practiced learning the names of the different shapes while the older ones learned about acute and obtuse angles and area as they crafted their designs.

​Huge thanks to Mama Rachel for helping to cut up so many shapes for us to create with!

​Secret Letters

The kids had a blast pretending to be spies and decoding these secret messages with a wax-resist art method. We used a white crayon to write or draw on white paper, then when we used water colors over them it revealed a secret message!

Chigirie Rainbows

Chigirie is the Japanese art of tearing paper to create a collage. It is also known as painting with paper, but there are no other materials involved except paper and glue.

Comparing Opaque and Translucent

Mixing watercolors and tempera! Which color is translucent? Which one is opaque?

Color Vocabulary

These cards are a great tool to use in circle time to expand our language and practice new ways to express ourselves through color.
​
​Our prompt was "How do you feel when you look at this color?"

​"This color makes me feel happy, like a baby!"

"I like this fuschia!"

Color Hunt

Paint Swatch Games

Want a free gift to share with your kiddos? Collect some free paint swatches and present them upside down as a memory match game! 

You can also collect many shades of the same color and then place them in order of lightest to darkest which is a classic Montessori sensorial activity.

​Rainbow ABC Yoga!

What better way to learn about letters and colors than to fully embody them!

Here we are spelling BLUE and RED.

​Rainbow Milk

When we do experiments, we first discuss what the experiment is exploring. Then we have the kids all let us know what they think will happen - this is their hypothesis.

For the rainbow milk experiment, they draw/write out their hypothesis and then we do the experiment. After the experiment they create a conclusion and compare it to their original hypothesis.

​What do you think will happen to the colors in this milk if we add a little soap to it?

In the Rainbow Milk experiment the kids add red, yellow, and blue food coloring to some whole milk on a flat dish. Then they put a dish soap soaked cotton swab in to middle. The soap reacts with the milk fat resulting in fractal swirling of the liquid without motion from the kids!

​“Every kid starts out as a natural born scientist.”
Carl Sagan

 Check out Steve Spangler Science for detailed instructions to try at home.  The kids ask to do this experiment over and over :)

We added an art element by dipping paper into the milk swirl and created amazing marbled milk prints!

Liquid Density Experiment

Will the water or oil float on top?
We first filled a jar halfway with vegetable oil. Then we added a few drops of food coloring (which are mostly water). The food coloring did not mix with oil and sank as little bubbles to the bottom. The kids then slowing added water until the jar was near full. The water sunk to the bottom and the food coloring dissolved into the water making a blue layer! The oil floated on the top and its original color was unchanged 

Technology

We loved learning how animation works with this simple machine! Simply spin and look through the slots and see the animation come to life as the monkey swings from arc to arc!

We then created our own animation pieces on strips of paper.

These Snap Circuits are a really fun way to introduce more advanced technology projects and learn about electronics.

Engineering

Building with blocks, ramps, and tiles to create all kinds of structures and obstacle courses!

This exciting game is all about creating structures and balance, super fun for all!

Math Manipulatives

Math makes so much more sense with tangible tools to discover and play with. The older kids are using them to learn different math equations, while the younger ones are learning basic number recognition and counting.

Cooking is a wonderful STEAM activity!

Science - Observing changes when combining wet and dry, and applying heat
Technology - Using tools; whisks, blenders, scoops, ovens
Engineering - What's the most efficient way to get the mix into the muffin pan?
Arts - Presentation, choosing ingredients, celebrating cultures/customs
Math - Measuring, volume, counting, adding fractions, following a sequence

Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup low sugar or stevia sweetened chocolate chips
• Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling

Mix together dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients. Scoop on to parchment paper lined cookie sheet, then bake at 350 for 11 to 13 minutes.

Garden Kale Chips

After washing, rip up the kale into large bite size pieces, massage with olive oil, add some salt and brewers yeast then dehydrate at 105 over night.

Sun Bread

• 2 1/4 cups raw sunflower seed kernels ground into flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup whole psyllium husks 
• 1/4 cup flax meal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 egg

Mix dry and wet ingredients separately, then mix together. Scoop into grease loaf pan and bake at 375 for 55 to 60 minutes.

For more fun STEAM projects you can do at home visit the Resilient Educator for free resources!

See you next time!