Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Science update!

Today some of the older students explored density. Different types of liquids (such as honey, water, oil etc) are able to separate themselves when poured into one container and can to hold small objects (such as a bead air corn kernel) in a certain layer depending on its density.



Some of our youngest students are busy designing boats that will support a load of washers. The challenge is however that they have limited materials to build these boats with AND they are working with partners which means they must compromise on their boat design.








Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Come sail away


With the last week of STEM camp at GEMS already here, students are taking what they have learned about boat design, buoyancy, water displacement, surface tension, and different building materials to design their final boats. Some boats are being designed to carry a larger load of pennies, some boats are being designed to move on their own with sails and wind, and some boats are even being designed to float for a certain amount of time, then sink, like a submarine!









Thursday, July 18, 2013

Phew....it's hot!

Students ate their snack together and found a great way to stay cool :)

"What'd you say"

An integral part of education, as well as being a contributing member of society, is having the ability and " know how" to work well with others, collaborate, express your own thoughts, and listen respectively to others. Throughout summer camp students have had the opportunity numerous times to share their thinking, make group decisions, and collaborate with peers. Whether it be a decision for the next activity during movement time or through the analysis and discussion of group data. Children have lots to say and everyone is doing a fantastic job working well together!













Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Hula Hoops, Chicken, Coconuts and Monkeys



    Hula Hoop Challenge




    Save the Chicken!





    Coconut Island


Buoyancy and water displacement...

Over the past two days, STEM Campers have been learning about boats that are designed to carry heavy loads of objects. Buoyancy and water displacement were very important to consider while the students constructed their boats. Watching their peers test their own boats gave them ideas during the re-design process of the Tin Foil Boat Float experiment!








Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Need me to carry that?

Today students explored boat books, made predictions in their peer conversations, and then tested out different boat hull designs to see which would be the most effective for carrying a load of washers or pennies. It was the perfect day to cool down with our hands in the water :) ⛵