STEAM Week at Léman International School has just wrapped up, leaving students from all years inspired by a range of dynamic, hands-on activities. This event, which integrated science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics, provided students with opportunities to think critically, collaborate, and engage with exciting challenges. Additionally, many of the projects are connected with the MIT Nord Anglia Collaboration, allowing students to explore innovative problem-solving and cutting-edge research.
For early years and primary students, the activities included:
Pancake Face: Early years students used waffles, bananas, jam, and grapes to design their pancake faces, sparking creativity in a fun and engaging way. This task, inspired by the STEAM Superheroes challenge, encouraged students to think like innovators.
Mini Catapult:Using popsicle sticks and rubber bands, students built mini catapults and explored how simple machines work. This activity, linked to MIT's Build Better challenge, introduced concepts of energy transformation and design for sustainability.
Paper Planes: Students delved into aerodynamics by designing and testing paper airplanes, linking their learning to MIT’s Navigating Tomorrow: Greener Skies challenge, which focused on the future of aviation and environmental impact.
Egg Drop Challenge:A creative engineering project where students designed protective casings to prevent eggs from breaking when dropped from a height. This task tied into the INTO THE VOID challenge, encouraging students to imagine solutions for space exploration challenges.
Secondary students participated in additional challenging ativities:
Parachute from a Plastic Bag:Students experimented with physics by creating parachutes, testing how they slowed the descent of small objects. This task, part of the INTO THE VOID challenge, explored the physics of space travel.
Minecraft Challenge: In this digital task, students used Minecraft to solve coding challenges, promoting problem-solving through game design, in alignment with MIT's Designing Solutions initiative.
Egg Drop Challenge: Like the primary students, secondary students took on the egg drop challenge but with more complex constraints, testing their ability to design effective protection for extreme environments.
Paper Bridge Challenge: Students explored the principles of physics and engineering by constructing and testing paper bridges, connecting with the Build Better challenge’s focus on simple solutions for complex problems.
Spaghetti Tower Challenge: A highlight of the week was the whole-school Spaghetti Tower Challenge, where all primary and secondary students participated in a house competition. Teams from Red Phoenix, Black Tortoise, White Tiger, and Blue Dragon built towers using spaghetti and tape. Each house had 10 teams composed of students from different year levels, fostering collaboration across ages. This engaging project tied into the Build Better challenge and encouraged critical thinking about stability and design. The winner of the challenge was White Tiger.
STEAM Week at Léman International School was a success, sparking curiosity and creativity across all years levels. Students embraced the spirit of innovation and problem-solving, with each project offering valuable lessons in critical thinking and hands-on learning.
