After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Plattekill Elementary School’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) Fair went “full steam ahead” once again, enjoying a packed house on the evening of May 17.
More than 200 people attended the event, which featured nine hands-on learning stations, where students and their families could tackle a variety of challenges, from writing code for various robotic creations to whipping up a batch of satisfyingly gooey—and scientifically intriguing—slime.
The evening, chaired by Plattekill Principal Monica Hasbrouck, was staffed by District faculty members, as well as more than a dozen Middle and High School students. In addition, representatives from the Ulster BOCES Instructional Services team and the Plattekill Library facilitated several activity centers, answering questions and joining in the fun.
“This is truly a community-wide event,” said Mrs. Hasbrouck. “It’s a great time for families, students, and teachers to interact and engage in fun hands-on activities.”
The various projects and games allowed students to explore basic STEAM concepts and practice a variety of skills, including measuring, programming, designing, building, and working with technology. At many stations, family members eagerly took part in the action.
At one learning station, a family of four strategized on how to build the tallest tower out of marshmallows and uncooked spaghetti. At another table, parents joined their children in programming robots to perform activities like navigating through a maze. Elsewhere, students were busy making erupting volcanoes out of lemons and making monoprints from acrylic paints and tinfoil.
A station with something called Snap Circuits taught participants basic engineering, electronics, and circuitry concepts by using building components with snaps to assemble electronic circuits on a simple “rows-and-columns” base grid. The resulting projects function like the printed circuit board found in most electronic products. Students read cards explaining how each circuit snap performs a task like “sensing, connecting, thinking, and acting,” and can assemble multiple creations that can move, emit light, or produce sound among other things. Grade 5 student Daniela Rodriguez created a self-moving train with a light at its forefront. “We do this all the time in library class!” she said.
Virtual reality (VR) games were another big hit, taking viewers to the moon, on a safari, and under the sea. “I’m in the ocean!” Grade 1 student Ava Croce shouted gleefully as she sported VR glasses. “I just saw a shark!”
Back by popular demand was ice-cream making, trail-mix creating, and of course, slime molding. When asked how the ice cream was, Grade 1 twins Christian and Gabriel Jorge both gave their seal of approval. “It’s good!” they said. “It tastes like home!”
At the end of the fair, everyone left with a tasty snack, a fun project, and stronger STEAM skills. A great night of family fun and learning was in the books again, and it was an event that was clearly missed.