Glen Ridge festival combines five subjects
The Forest Avenue Home and School Association recently held a day-long STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) Festival. The festival was designed around five hands-on activities in each subject area. The activities were differentiated across grades so that every child, from pre-kindergarten to second grade, gained an understanding of the subject at hand.
Jon Bonsteel of Hack-n- Craft kicked off the festival and introduced the students to the wonders of 3-D printing.
The science activity explored the science behind the fizz in fizzy drinks. Children made lemon volcanoes and observed the chemical reaction when baking soda meets citric acid. At the technology center, the students completed a simple circuit that lit up an LED bulb.
For the engineering component, students built helicopters and test flew them on a helipad. Whoops of joy rang across the room as rubber band helicopters spiraled up into the air. At the art center, students created beautiful art using magnets. They were introduced to the art of Jackson Pollock and the concept of abstraction in art. At the math center, the children made their own "ancient calculator"- the abacus. They used their abacus to work on challenge math sheets.
The festival was made possible by the support of the Forest Avenue Home and School Association. The logistics of shepherding 248 students through five activities was expertly handled by dedicated parent volunteers.
Each student took home a bag with their creations and handouts that explained each activity to the parents.
- Submitted by the FAS Enrichment Committee, Amy Myers, Nicky Peach and Lavi Raghavan