The SMS Leaders Club had an exciting opportunity to participate in the Sammamish Montessori School (SMS) Annual Science Fair on March 20th. Our young leaders showcased their creativity, problem-solving skills, and scientific curiosity through engaging experiments and presentations. They proudly presented their projects to their peers, parents, and teachers, demonstrating their passion for discovery.
Science programs at Sammamish Montessori School
All of the student presenters have been studying in SMS’s STEAM program throughout the year. They are either Montessori+ students, who immerse themselves in science, engineering and art projects 4 times a week, or students who visit the STEAM lab one time per week. Any amount of STEAM exposure seemed to have sparked their creativity and interest in exploring science along or with other elements of technology, engineering and art.
Each student prepared and presented a science exhibit that combined elements of STEAM: science, technology, engineering, art, and math. The students selected and created their projects independently, and were responsible for preparing the experiment, producing a write-up explaining their project and findings, and making an oral presentation of their work to their peers, parents, and teachers.
The diversity of the age-appropriate experiments was outstanding. Throughout the year, we touched on concepts that integrate science across a variety of disciplines. This was reflected in the breadth of projects presented at the science fair, including physics, engineering, geology, chemistry, and art.
A study of the Arctic Ocean included an experiment exploring water currents and the density of objects in fresh and saltwater to understand the effects of pollution in the Arctic region. Several students chose to explore this topic further with a study of density and buoyancy, one with a boat and a coin and the other an egg in salt and fresh water. Aashvi (age 6) was reflective when asked about her experience presenting her findings: “I participated last year, but I was so scared to talk. This year was easy. My experiment on density was fun, and it works every time!” “Mine too”, declared Neel (age 6) “My egg was less dense than the salt water, so it floated, but it was denser than the fresh water, so it sank to the bottom of the jar.”
Science programs at SMS: Real-world application
Current events feature heavily in the STEAM program as we aim to bring the larger world to our children. The recent solar activity in the Pacific Northwest that created the beautiful displays of the Aurora Borealis led to classroom discussions of electricity and electromagnetic fields. Several students chose this topic for their presentations. Ashvath(age 5) demonstrated how some materials successfully conduct electricity and some prevent the electrical circuit from passing, and Eshaan(age 6) assembled a fascinating display of electromagnetism using suspended magnets and paper clips on string. “The most challenging part of this experiment was to figure out how far away the magnet had to be to keep the paper clip floating in the air without touching the magnet. Magnetic force is really strong.”
Light has always been a popular topic because it is one of the more visual aspects of physics. Early STEAM explorations of how light bends produced two exciting projects: first grader Nathan (age 6) created an intriguing demonstration of how light bends, or doesn’t, using directional filters, while Maya (age 5) used art to explore how light is refracted through water, changing the direction and size or her drawing. “Well, something looks bigger when you look at it through water. My picture of the beach looked bigger through the glass of water and the chairs turned the other way on the beach! It was cool!”
Chemical reactions in science
Art is a popular medium for this age group to visualize and present information. Serenity’s (age 6) erupted volcano was both dramatic and colorful. She stayed cool under pressure as she presented her model and the challenges she faced when building it, a skill acquired through her oral presentations throughout the year in SMS’s Lower Elementary program.
Creating chemical reactions is a popular experiment in the STEAM program and is often featured throughout the year. Evan (age 6) inflated balloons by combining baking soda and vinegar to produce carbon dioxide gas. “I thought this project would be lots of fun. It was really exciting to see the balloons blow up.” We all agreed, given the “Ooohs” and “Aaaahhs” from the crowd. A second presentation generated by a chemical reaction was Jude’s (age 6) cloud in a jar. This was a particularly relevant topic given STEAM’s recent study of the water cycle. Jude gave a terrific explanation of how he created the cloud and the cloud’s role in producing precipitation. His write-up was both colorful and informative. “I used my rainbow pencil on my poster…. I really liked that part”.
Art, architecture and design
In the STEAM program, one of our core elements is 2 to 3-dimensional design and construction, which fosters a fascination with engineering in various real-world situations. Prakrutii (age 5) built a functioning water dispenser inspired by her trips to India with her family. “When I open the bottle cap, the air pressure changes and the water flows out the bottom.” Her accompanying poster detailed the effects of altitude on air pressure, affecting the water flow from her dispenser. Sehil (age 5) thoroughly explained different airplanes and how they fly. “I love airplanes, so I’m presenting about how planes work [and] how something so big and heavy can fly.”
Shourya (age 5) loves to build with LEGO, so he designed a working zipline made of random LEGO bricks as his project. “My zipline works using gravity. Gravity is like an invisible superhero and friction is a sneaky stopper to slow down the gondola. It’s really cool!”
It was a fantastic event highlighting our student’s hard work and enthusiasm for science.
