Let's Hear it for STEAM!

Aloha Island School ‘Ohana,

What a way to end the week with STEAM Day!  This exploration of the integrated nature of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics (STEAM) across the school this morning was so much fun! Our youngest children in Nā Pua Keiki were learning alongside their fifth grade “big brothers and sisters” as teachers from across the school facilitated activities that led them to explore, question, and wonder about how things work and how to make things impact the world around us.

The children traveled in mixed-age level groups to stations distributed across the school. 3-year-olds to 5th Graders in each group, this led older students to help their younger peers - a 4th Grader turning to see who couldn’t see behind them and giving them space in front and a 5th Grader holding a bucket up for a 4-year-old student to try the ping-pong “roller coaster.” 

In addition to this kind of care shown by the students as they participated in each station, older students helped run stations with their teachers. 7th Graders led a fantastic workshop on making “paint” with seeds and leaves and flowers. They showed how to crush them and then paint with brushes made out of dried hala fruit sections. They did a demonstration with native sugar cane, the 7th Graders as teachers showed the younger students the parts of the plants and how sugar is “in” the plant itself. The budding scientists then got to look at aspects of plants under microscopes. 11th and 12th grade physics students were over at Nā Pua Keiki leading stations to allow students to explore “gravity,” “velocity” and more with paper rocket launches, water balloon slingshots, and a makeshift roller coaster. They got to roll balls through channels they made with gutters from standing up high on a ladder. The students even got to try and guess what liquid was “heavier” - what liquid had a greater “viscosity” - Dawn soap, rubbing alcohol, vegetable oil, or Karo syrup. Do you know? We got to experience the fun of trying it ourselves and experiencing our guess or “hypothesis” and seeing the results in the beautifully layered liquids. Try it at home if you’re not sure of the answer! 

Ms. Kara, the ES art teacher, led a station of exploration of color and design. Students “wove” a community tapestry, tried to make beads go up, and explored how to weave a design into hanging hoops. Ms. Sun, ES and US music teacher and 9th Grade Dean, created a station that asked students to explore the science of sound. She had ringing instruments and they used salt “tables” to make sound “visible” in how it could move the grains. I just LOVED the sound of the chimes and bells filling the air as students of all ages tried to make the salt move….And I didn’t even get to all the stations! 

This is the kind of exploration a small school can make happen. Our students today at all levels were experiencing learning in a way that is fun, exciting, and fuels their curiosity. It brought a big smile to me at the end of a very full week to hear 11th and 12th Graders laughing alongside their younger peers, to the point where one of them said, “I wish I was 5 again!” And we could just smile, and say back, “You can!” For we know this student didn’t mean to literally be 5 again, but to experience the pure joy and freedom of learning and exploring without the pressures that getting older can put on our older students. Today was a prime example of our opening-of-school water-pouring ceremony come to life. The elder students had knowledge to share and the younger students reminded the older ones of the curiosity and joy we can bring to all that there is to learn in the world around us.  

HUGE mahalo to Ms. Cristy and Ms. Sue for putting this effort in motion between Nā Pua Keiki and then opening it to the whole school. And a BIG SHOUT out to all the teachers who led stations, and finally a big CHEE HOO for Ms. Kara and Kumu Ka’aihue who led the charge to organize STEAM DAY for our school this morning! 

I hope you truly know how grateful we are that you have chosen Island School as your partner for these critical years of your children’s lives. Have a wonderful weekend full of opportunities to be joyful and curious about the world around you.

Together,

Nancy Naramada P’29

Head of School