During Science Week we invited families to explore various STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) experiences with their children. The aim was to highlight the many opportunities for exploration that are available to our ELC students and to build greater awareness of the value of inquiry and play-based learning.

For the duration of the Expo, we added20 additional hands-on experiences for parents and children to explore together. The children were free to explore all areas of the ELC and there were experiences catering for all interests and all types of learners. The ‘Make-a-Crazy Hair Dude’ station invited the girls to explore magnetism, the ‘Prehistoric World’ invited the girls to dress like a paleontologist, investigate volcanic eruptions, and help dinosaurs hatch! A special parent-led station helped the children learn about chemistry through colourful and fun experiments.

Many of the experiences chosen also linked to language and literacy, incorporating some of our favourite stories. These included:

• Making ‘Room on the Broom’ inspired slime
• Creating a bower bird’s nest inspired by the book ‘Bower Bird Blues’
• Building a new tower for Rapunzel
• Designing and creating a lily for our ‘Shordi Krik’ project.

The ‘Shordi Krik’ project was inspired by the song and story written by Justine Clark with Aboriginal children at Barunga School in the Northern Territory. This project also linked in with our fundraising efforts this year where we have raised approximately $150 for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. The STEAM Expo has now become an annual event that brings our community together!

Ms Bernadette Gioia
Director of the ELC

Ms Emily Franceschi
ELC Teacher