Holly Jolly STEM Saturday

Sign up for the Feb. 11 I LOVE STEM Saturday

On Dec. 10, the Corinth School District held its third successful STEM Saturday. Approximately 140 students registered for the Holly Jolly STEM Saturday which featured holiday themed activities. This new series of Saturday camps helps students discover how STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) connects to the world around us through fun, hands-on experiments and experiences.

During the December camp, Pre-K students worked on developing fine motor skills through creating geoboard snowflakes and 3D painting. Kindergarten students learned about the water cycle through creating snowflakes and explored heat transfer, packing in sugar cube “snow” to form igloos. 

First grade students learned about the viscosity of liquids through making their own custom snow globes. Students also learned about the process of chemical and molecular reactions, dissolving candy canes into acidic and alkaline based liquids and hot and cold water.

Second grade students used balloons and common household products to “grow the Grinch's heart,” combining baking soda and vinegar to form enough carbon dioxide to fill up balloons. Students also made their own playdough to form Christmas tree shaped ornaments. 

Third grade students designed and engineered reindeer antlers that would be able to bear and support weight during a Reindeer Relay. Students were given various criterion and constraints, with students recording predictions and results for each. 

Fourth through sixth grade students created their own frozen fortresses, designing the structures to be able to withstand a snowstorm. Students were asked to pre-design and evaluate multiple iterations, discussing the concept of prototyping, before creating final designs. 

The Corinth High School (CHS) Culinary Arts students baked and cut out allergy-friendly gingerbread houses for all students to participate in a Gingerbread Engineering and Design activity. The high school students were on hand to assist STEM Saturday participants with constructing and decorating the houses. 

“STEM Saturday is an excellent opportunity for students to explore their world in a different way,” said Kristie Studdard, teacher at CHS. “Building gingerbread houses is an activity I already include in my lessons; therefore, it felt like the perfect activity for a December STEM Saturday. We all had an amazing time using icings as glue, placing candies on our houses, and watching them turn from a stack of pieces into a structure. My students and I had an amazing time! We had so much fun we have already chosen our next activity in April!” 

The high school students also loved the experience. “I helped with STEM Saturday because it sounded like a lot of fun,” said 10th grader Ashaiya Hoyle. “The kids were super cute and fun to help.”

All STEM Saturday students participated in a 3D design and printing center, learning that all 3D objects have length, width, and depth. Students learned about the x, y, and z planes and related those planes to the area on a 3D printer. Students were able to take home their own 3D printed keepsake ornament. 

All students also created their own Santa’s workshop item during a Makerspace activity, using recycled materials and craft supplies. Students from Mrs. Libby Pritchard's CHS AICE Economics course delivered donated craft items that were collected from the community and organized into a class craft store to benefit STEM Saturday activities. 

Join us for our next STEM Saturday on Feb. 11 with a theme of “I LOVE STEM.” The activities will be designed around the heart and Valentine’s Day themes. 

The camps are open only to Corinth School District students in grades preK-6. Parents must pre-register their child at this link.