This week the STEM challenge is to try and build the strongest bridge. Bridges come in all different shapes and sizes. They are also built with lots of different types of materials. I have attached a short video about bridges and some materials they can be made of.

The material that the bridge is made of can sometimes determine how strong the bridge is. Let’s experiment and build our own bridges out of different materials that we can find in our homes and test how strong they are.

You can use a range of different materials such as tinfoil, paper, cardboard or anything you find around your house that you think would make a good  bridge. Encourage your child to feel, bend and explore the quality of the materials they choose. Encourage descriptive language such as strong, weak, long, short, hard or soft. Ask your child to try and predict which material they think will be the strongest before testing your bridges.

Here is an idea of how to create your bridge however I’m sure you will all have other fantastic ideas that I can’t wait to see.

Use two objects to create a balance point each side for your bridge.
Attach your material to create your bridges.
Place a few of the same item on each bridge and continue to place them on until your bridge cannot hold anymore. Count how many each bridge can hold before collapsing.

What you will need:

Two thick books or small boxes
Paper, cardboard or tinfoil
Tape
Coins or other small, heavy objects to use as weights (small rocks, nuts and bolts, etc.)

You could get your child to record how many of the different items each bridge could hold.  A tally mark chart is a good way to record information and to compare which material was the strongest.

Hope you have fun and please upload any photos to your child’s learning journal or email them to easherrie.devlin@glow.sch.uk

Since we are finishing up for our holiday I thought I would make this STEM homelink out of this world!

I will provide different activities that link with the meaning of STEM. These activities will be based on developing the children’s knowledge of space.

S stands for Science.

Here are some video’s to help explain what space is and facts about our planets.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qfnceI0H-yc

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w36yxLgwUOc&cbrd=1

Here is a link to a fun rocket launch experiment if you would like to give it a try.

https://www.123homeschool4me.com/soda-rocket-science-experiment-for-kids_49/

T is for technology.

For this activity encourage your child to independently use an ipad, laptop or phone to search some facts about space, rockets, astronauts or planets.

Siri is great to use to support your child to search facts without typing or you can guide them as to what letters they need to type to search.

Once your child has found some facts they could make a short video or poster to share with us some of the interesting information they have found.

E is for engineering.

The children have recently been enjoying the junk modeling in the ECC so have a look around the house and see if there is any materials you can use to create your own solar system or rocket. Here are a few ideas:

M is for maths.

If we have a clear sky on a few nights during the holiday have a look to see if you can see any stars in the sky. Encourage your child to try and count how many stars they can see in the sky that night. Encourage your child to mark make (tally mark) or write the number to record how many stars they see each night.

Please send any pictures or videos to easherrie.devlin@glow.sch.uk

or upload them to your child’s learning journals.

I can wait to see them!

Have a wonderful break!

This is the beginning of our STEM homelink block where we will be providing the children with fun activities to promote STEM based learning at home. We will post a different activity each week for a 4 week block.

For our first activity we will experiment with some resources to try and create a secret message or picture by creating invisible ink.

What you will need: a lemon, a bowl, paper, a cotton bud and a light bulb or a crayon.

Here is how to make our invisible ink:

Squeeze the lemon juice into a bowl. Mix gently. Dip the cotton bud into the liquid and write a message or draw a picture on the paper.

Let the liquid dry completely so that the message or picture is invisible.

To share your secret or to see your picture hold it close to a lightbulb with an adult’s help. The message will be revealed.

If you don’t want to use a heat source then can also sprinkle salt over you paper when the lemon juice is drying. Then brush the excess salt off when the paper is dry and use a crayon to colour over your work to reveal the secrete.

Encourage your child to try and predict what will happen when their paper is held up to the light bulb or when you colour the paper with a crayon.

The lemon juice will change colour when it is exposed to a slight heat. This is a chemical reaction.

Please share any of your invisible ink messages or pictures with me. You can send a photo of your work to easherrie.devlin@glow.sch.uk

You can also upload a photo to your learning journal or bring in your invisible ink work and we can look at it in the ECC.

Hi everyone,

I would like to introduce myself as the expressive arts champion within the Early Childhood Centre and for the next 5 weeks I will be working alongside Tammie who works as our home link champion.  Together we have comprised a programme of fun activities for you and your child to engage in at home.

WEEK 1 

We love a sing song and a boogie within the centre and thought we would start the week off asking the children to record and upload a video to their learning journal of them singing and dancing to their favourite song at home.  These will be played on the large screen in the music area for the children to share with their friends. I’m going home to practice my favourite – George Ezra, to get the party started.  Can you upload your amazing videos by Thursday at the latest please.

**Thinking caps at the ready for week 2 as we will be making some musical instruments, perhaps a good idea to collect some recyclable materials ready for your challenge.

Can’t wait to see your videos.

Carrie

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