Play Topic Suggestions
Light Lab – Manipulate light, colors of light (spectrum), transparent, translucent, opaque, color theory, vision, reflection, refraction, difraction, forms of energy; light & sound.
Wind Tunnel – Wind energy, measuring distance/projectile, weather, currents, flight, inventors, force and motion, compare and contrast materials’ weight, structure, form, properties of matter.
Loose Parts; Imagination Playground, Dinosaur Bones, ramps & balls, Nudel Kart – Structure, engineering, categorizing, gravity, force and motion, energy, compare and contrast materials’ weight, structure, form, properties of matter, measuring objects, creating word problems with various loose parts.
Marble Run Challenges- students will face a number of challenges around creating a marble run. They will compare materials, explore gravity, prototype, test and iterate.
Women In STEM Recycling Challenge- Inspired by Novelis, children will use sheets of aluminum to create something new that serves a specific function. Funded in part by the IF/THEN initiative and the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC).
Standards
Literacy, Mathematics, Science, Social-Emotional, Language Development, Physical Development, Social Studies, Creative Arts, Technology
ELA/Literacy –
5W7 Recall relevant from experiences or gather relevant information from multiple sources; summarize or paraphrase; avoid plagiarism and provide a list of sources. (5-PS1-2), (5-PS1-3), (5-PS1-4)
Mathematics & Science –
5-PS1-3. Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties.
PS1 .A Structure and Properties of Matter
5-PS1-1 Scale, Proportion, and Quantity (5-PS1-2), (5-PS1-3)
MP.2 Reason abstractly and quaintitatively (5-PS1-1), (5-PS1-2), (5-PS1-3)
3-5-ETS1-3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
5-PS2-1. Support an argument that the gravitational force exerted by Earth on objects is directed down.
