During our e-learning period, every Friday, Milepost 3 students participate in a day of practical IPC projects.  Oftentimes, these projects are what might be referred to as “unplugged” activities, as they are an opportunity for children to work away from the computer screen.  Unplugged activities provide children with hands-on, kinesthetic activities that help to make the concepts they are learning easier to understand.

In Class 3, for example, children have been continuing to learn about the ancient Greeks for our IPC unit, The Great, Bold & Brave.  In order to help children understand more about ancient Greek theatre and culture, we asked children to build replicas of the theatre masks used during this ancient Greek period.  This activity, in particular, to build replica masks, was great fun while helping to fuel children’s interest and understanding of ancient Greek history.  After completing their masks, the children sent in pictures of their creations and many children also uploaded these images, of them wearing a Greek theatre mask, to their class’s Padlet page.

Padlet, incidentally, is a brilliant platform for enabling students to showcase, share and make comments on photos of their work.  This video below shows how you can setup a Padlet for your class or multiple classes:

Likewise, as part of Class 4’s IPC unit, Fairgrounds, children have been busy getting involved in a range of different science experiments using simple household materials.  The most colourful of these experiments have involved practical investigations, to better understand how light and rainbows work!  Among the most exciting of these activities, children have been building light spectrum spinners, growing rainbows in cups of water, making kaleidoscopes and producing rainbow paper.  For each practical investigation completed, children have been expected to record and upload videos, which explain the science behind their creations.

In all such practical activities, teachers are flexible, providing several different options in terms of the methods and materials that children may choose from.  We look forward to planning for more practical activities for the end of term!

When students are stuck at home, it’s good practice to extend their learning beyond the computer screen.  The following 10 challenges are fun, hands-on and “unplugged” activities that help to reinforce students’ knowledge and skills related to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths):

1. Create a paper “rocket” that will fly without being touched. (Clue: you will need a straw, paper and tape.)  
2. Grow a plant without soil. (Clue: you will need water, paper towels, a sponge, a clear plastic cup and quick-sprouting seeds such as grass or chia.)
3. Move water from one cup to another without touching it. (Clue: you will need cups, water, paper towels and food colouring.)
4. How do ducks and penguins stay dry in the water?  Change a feather so it stays dry in the water. (Clue: you will need paper “feathers”, crayons, oil, petroleum jelly, paintbrushes, and a spray bottle with water.)
5. Build a bridge that is at least 30 cm long.  It should be able to support at least 10 pennies in the middle.  (Clue: you could use string, craft sticks, cardboard, tape, pennies.)
6. Design several ramps to make a toy car travel slow, slower, and slowest. (Clue: you could use a toy car, cardboard ramps, string, play dough, sand paper, and rubbery shelf liner.) 
7. Make a car that moves without being touched. (Clue: you will need balloons, straws, paper & cardboard, craft sticks, dowels or skewers and magnets.)
8. Use straws to create a device or vehicle that floats.  (Clue: you will need straws, play dough, tape and a small tub of water.)
9. Use only paper and tape to create a structure that will hold a heavy book.  It must be able to stand on its own. (Clue: you will need paper, tape and heavy books.)
10. Make a paper clip “float” in the air without touching it. (Clue: you will need magnets, paperclips, string, tape, craft sticks and lego blocks.

You can find some more ideas for STEAM activities from my STEAM webpage, or have a go at one of the cardboard box STEAM projects.