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C.H. Campbell hosts STEM Week
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.C.H. Campbell Elementary School third-grade students learned about engineering while working with a catapult and a variety of flying objects during the school’s STEM Week Feb. 5.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Third-grade students at C.H. Campbell Elementary School dressed the part, with lab coats and safety glasses, for a dry ice experiment during the school’s STEM Week Feb. 5.
By ABBY SLANKER
C.H. Campbell Elementary School had its annual STEM Week Feb. 2-6, with each grade level given a day to learn about science, technology, engineering and math.
Each grade had its own designated STEM day with activities which were grade level/age appropriate. Each class had one hour to themselves in the gym to explore each of the activities. PTO parent volunteers helped and instructed the students at each station.
Third-grade STEM day included such math activities as measuring instant snow and solving problems at the Minecraft Math station.
In the science department, students watched as dry ice and dish soap created large bubbles and at the Cloud in a Bottle station, students were shown how a little isopropyl alcohol mixed with air in a bottle would create a ‘cloud.’
At the engineering stations, students were asked to construct a wall out of building blocks, cardboard pieces and other miscellaneous items. They were instructed to work together to build the strongest wall possible that would not be knocked down by Angry Birds, which was the second station on engineering. The students were able to catapult balls to try to knock down objects on a table, and then tried to knock down the wall their fellow students had built.
“With the catapult, the students are learning about the different weight of objects, and how the weight influences how far the object will travel. They have learned heavier objects actually fly farther than lighter objects,” said Travis Lavery, C.H. Campbell Elementary School principal.
On the technology side, School Resource Officer Steve Garstka of the Canfield Police Department taught the children about fingerprinting and forensics and how technology is used in fighting and solving crimes.
“The activities are more engaging this year and it will continue to evolve that way for future years. At the end of the week, we will sit down and evaluate this year’s activities and talk about what worked and what really didn’t and make any changes or modifications for next year,” Lavery said.
Patti Palotsee served as chairperson for STEM week.