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STEAM Day

Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) Day took place on Friday 11th October. The theme for the day: “Journeys” was used to link all the STEAM subjects. Prior to STEAM Day Form V-P presented an assembly in which they brought their audience on a journey through time looking at some of the great scientists. Biographical information on each was displayed on The Street.

For STEAM Day, the whole-school timetable was set aside with Prep pupils rotating around the school, completing various tasks and activities. In Music, the Junior pupils travelled to the continent of Australia, where they learned about Aboriginal and traditional culture through camp-fire songs and native Australian instruments. They also learned about the ancient history of the Songlines, which are special songs used as a type of map to journey across the Australian outback. In the area of Languages, pupils had the opportunity to create and design streets and a selection of different shops and buildings in a town, labelling each in either French or Spanish. Lego figures or robots were then used to create role-plays.

In the Sports Hall children could be seen measuring the distance and time covered in different walking and running “journeys”. Whilst in ICT pupils collaborated to design, build and code Lego and Makeblock robots to enable them to complete a short journey around the LRC. In the area of Science, the children focused on the journey of light and how it travels. They learnt how we can see this by making periscopes. The pupils also learnt how forces affect the journey of an object by designing and making catapults. In the Art department, the children made 3-D paper hot air balloons. Maths activities linked to the theme were carried out with Form Teachers before the day concluded with a quiet period of reflection for all the children. Some took part in meditations, others carried out mindful breathing exercises, while others engaged in silent reading sessions.

Pre-Prep pupils also carried out activities linked to the theme, both in their classrooms and outdoors. Pre-Prep 1 made telescopes to go on a shape journey through the school, while Pre-Prep 2 created a science video about the journey of light. In addition, they made journey sticks in the forest, carried out a pumpkin experiment, and their robotic mice went on a journey. Pre-Prep 3 started working on timelines with photographs of themselves from when they were babies to now, and they also made bridges for their teddy bears to go on journeys.

There was great energy and enthusiasm throughout the day and it was wonderful to observe the real sense of fun and engagement with all the STEAM areas.