STEAM News
Foundation
Our Foundation students recently participated in an exciting, hands-on STEAM incursion led by trained experts from Computer Xplorers.
During the one-hour session, students were introduced to the basics of programming. Using the 2DIY 3D game creation tool, students brought engaging characters to life and explored early computational thinking.
What the students achieved:
- Character Movement: Learning how to make characters navigate a 3D space.
- Short Animations: Creating simple, visual stories through block coding.
- Cause-and-Effect: Discovering how their code directly changes what happens on screen.
This interactive experience provided a fantastic introduction to technology, building the essential foundations for their future programming and problem-solving skills!
Year 1/2
👂 What If We Had Animal Ears? Year 1/2 Design Thinkers!
Our Year 1/2 students have been diving into the fascinating world of animal adaptations! This week, we read the fantastic story What If You Had Animal Ears? by Sandra Markle. The children discovered that animals don't just use their ears to hear—they use them as incredible survival tools!
We learned that:
- 🐘 African Elephants use their massive ears like giant fans to pump blood and keep cool.
- Jack rabbits use long ears to release body heat in the scorching desert.
- 🐨 Koalas have fluffy, oily ears that act like little umbrellas to shed rain!
Putting on their engineer hats, the students then followed the Design Process to create and build their very own pair of wild animal ears. They brainstormed functions and then selected materials like cardboard that matched their chosen animal's "superpower".
The classrooms were buzzing with creativity as students tested their designs, made adjustments, and proudly shared their creations with their peers.
Regards,
Dorothy Markou
STEAM Teacher