• STEAM Expo
  • PRE-K: "STEAM in the Pre-K World"
     
    STEP 1:  Click play on the video box below to view a demonstration and learn about Pre-K STEAM concepts!
    STEP 2:  Explore the project(s) below the video box, as well as additional resources to the right of the page.
    STEP 3:  When ready, scroll down to bottom of page or use navigation bar at top to explore another STEAM session.
    STEP 4:  Join us on Facebook at 11:30am for a LIVE session with Steve Spangler to close our STEAM Expo.
     
    CHECK IN! Make sure to CHECK IN to let us know that you visited the STEAM Expo and to be eligible for exciting door prizes.
     
    DON'T FORGET! Share your STEAM Expo photos/videos using #CCPSSTEAM and tag @collierschools.
     
    BEYOND TODAY! All sessions will continue to be accessible beyond today's STEAM Expo launch! Chart your own path and feel free to come back to activities you would like to explore further.

  • "STEAM in the Pre-K World"
    Pre-K students integrate STEAM throughout learning every day! From using the scientific method to explore new concepts and ideas, to using technology to learn, engineering structures with blocks, creating art and music, and coding with math, STEAM in the Pre-K world is exciting!

    PROJECT

    WALKING WATER RAINBOW
    Did you know two colors can walk and combine to make a rainbow of colors? This experiment is just like how plants get water from the root to the leaves and grow! Colors can travel upward to make another color or create a rainbow as you mix them. Have fun experimenting and making YOUR Walking Water Rainbow!

    MATERIALS

    • 3 clear cups
    • water
    • food coloring
    • paper towels
    • a color mixing recording page (click here to download)
    • crayons

    DIRECTIONS
    Watch the video above for a visual demonstration.

    1. Place the 3 cups side by side in a line.

    2. Fill the first cup with water and add food coloring

    3. Leave the second cup empty (middle cup)

    4. Fill the third cup with water and add a different color of food coloring. For instance, one cup could be red, the next empty, and the third blue

    5. Cut a paper towel in half and fold it lengthwise two times. Place one end in the first cup with water and the other end in the empty cup next to it

    6. Fold a second paper towel the same way. Place one end in the empty second cup and the other end in the third cup

    7. Watch the colors travel from one end of each paper towel to the other, and mix (this may take time)

    8. Write/color the color combinations you experiment with on the recording page (click here to download)

    QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

    • What other color combinations can you mix?

    • Can you add a 4th or 5th cup?

    THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE EXPERIMENT
    The colored water travels up the paper towel by a process called capillary action. Capillary action is the ability of a liquid to flow upward, against gravity, in narrow spaces. This is the same thing that helps water climb from a plant’s roots to the leaves in the tree tops.

    Paper towels, and all paper products, are made from fibers found in plants called cellulose. In this demonstration, the water flowed upwards through the tiny gaps between the cellulose fibers. The gaps in the towel acted like capillary tubes, pulling the water upwards.

    The water is able to defy gravity as it travels upward due to the attractive forces between the water and the cellulose fibers.

    (source: Playdough to Plato - The STEM Laboratory)

  • PreK

  • TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES? If you are having technical difficulties watching or interacting with the STEAM Expo, please try refreshing your browser (F5 on keyboard) or try using another browser (i.e. Internet Explorer or Google Chrome). 
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    FAMILY STEAM ACTIVITIES

    STEAM SESSIONS
    Click on each session below to access fun STEAM activities! Each will feature a video demonstration, project instructions, and additional resources.
     
    Science Technology Engineering Arts Mathematics

    MINDFUL MOVEMENT MOMENTS
    Click on each Mindful Movement Moment below to access fun and healthy fitness activities! Each will feature several videos for you to follow along with, as well as additional resources. 
    Drumbeat Fit Breathe and Stretch
    PRE-KINDERGARTEN
    Click on the Pre-K session below for a demonstration of a fun activity you can do with your Pre-K student. You will also find additional resources and activities.
    Pre-K