DCS STEM Class

Our 3rd and 4th graders have spent their October STEM classes exploring catapults! Given a small kit filled with potential building materials, students tinkered and tested multiple designs to try to develop a catapult that could send a Unifix cube "pumpkin" flying as far as possible, while also providing control and accuracy.  During their second STEM class, students put their catapult designs to the test in the Catapult Olympics. The six stations tasked students with a long-distance launch, trying to hit a target, landing their cube in a bucket, sending their pumpkin up and over a stack of boxes, attempting to knock over a stack of cups with their pumpkin, and trying to make their pumpkin fly through a hula hoop. Throughout the Olympics, students kept tinkering with their catapult designs as they continued to seek an optimal design.  Check out some photos of the action below!

During their fall work in STEM, our kindergarten classes have been exploring the properties of various building materials and their potential uses for accomplishing tasks. In their most recent round of challenges, students designed gates large enough to hold five pumpkins and also devised chain reactions that could topple a ghost. Check out some samples of their work below! 5 Little Pumpkin Gates "Ghostbusting" Chain Reactions  

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many things about our daily lives. These shifts provide an authentic opportunity for makers to design and develop items to respond to new, emergent needs and challenges.  In their first project of the year, 7th & 8th graders are identifying needs and challenges posed by the ongoing pandemic and selecting a problem that can be addressed through 3D printing and design. The first photo above shows two iterations of a mask-holding bracelet, which is designed to allow a user to hang onto their mask while keeping their hands free. The photo below shows several, student-created versions of an item called "earsavers," which wrap around the back of one's head and hold the loops of an earmask, alleviating some of the discomfort that can come from wearing a mask all day. Finally, one highly motivated 7th grade student took independent initiative on this need-responsive printing project to create and print a new feeder for her chicken, Kiwi. Afte...

During their first STEM lessons, PreK students met our STEM class mascot -- Q -- and learned about what it means to be a "Curious Creator." After spending time designing their own Q in their first class, PreK engineers spent their second class building towers that could support Q. With their bags containing an assortment of building materials, students explored the different ways the items could be combined to yield a stable and tall tower. Check out some of their inventive towers below!