Fourth-grade CES students have fun with STEAM activities

Students at Circleville Elementary School took part in the annual “Trick or Treat for STEAM” with activities that involved science, technology, engineering, art and math.

Fourth-grade classes participated in three experiments throughout the afternoon on Friday, Oct. 29. They built structures with toothpicks and marshmallows, hypothesized about the results of putting a jelly candy in four different liquids, and made slime!

Two elementary students are at a table with mini marshmallows and toothpicks. There is a structure made with them. A woman wearing a black sweatshirt and mask, with pumpkin earrings holds a ruler up to the structure.

The toothpick and marshmallow structures took much thought and design consultation between the student teams. The object was to build the tallest structure that could stand for at least 30 seconds. Not an easy task but the students definitely had some creative ideas for their towers.

A girl with dark wavy hair pulled back in a ponytail holds a clear cup with a clear liquid and an orange pumpkin candy in it. She is holding it up and looing intensely at it. She is wearing a mask and a black sweatshirt.

Two students look at four clear cups of liquid with pumpkin candies in them. The student on the right, wearing a black and red check shirt, holds one of the cups in his hand. The other child is wearing a blue and green shirt and mask watching.

Before students were given their jelly pumpkins to put in four separate liquids – vegetable oil, water, seltzer and vinegar – they teamed up to decide what they thought would happen to the candy in each. Discussions were lively as each team took notes on their hypothesis and results.

An elementary girl, with pink beads in her braids, stretches pink slime. She is wearing a green and blue check mask and a purple and peach shirt.

Finally, students got to make slime! Each step of the way they talked about what effect the next ingredient would have on the finished product – white glue, contact solution, baking soda and food coloring. What will the consistency be? How will it change color with a few more drops of red?

An elementary age student wearing a blue sweatshirt with the words Yogi Bear on it stretches pink homemade slime. She is wearing a light colored mask and there are other children and an adult in the background.

The results of all three activities were eye opening and so much fun for all! Hands-on experiences always bring lots of smiles and memories!

In 2014, this event started as “Trick or Treat for Science,” then became “Trick or Treat for STEM,” and now reflects the incorporation of art.

The idea originally stemmed from longtime friends Andrea Urmston, now a fourth-grade teacher at CES, and Melissa Rancourt, founder of Greenlight for Girls (G4G). They were brainstorming ways to incorporate the mission of G4G into the classroom as well as ways to incorporate classroom realities into the organization.

For more information on the global organization Greenlight for Girls, visit their website or Facebook page.

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Fourth-grade CES students have fun with STEAM activities