VICENZA, Italy -- Vicenza Elementary School held its annual STEAM day May 19 in Villaggio, much to the delight of all involved.
STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. The acronym used to be STEM, but this year "art" was added to include all subject areas.
Students in elementary grades participated in different fields of study while experiencing firsthand how professionals in those fields work. For example, students dug up worms from compost, held baby chicks, observed tactical engineering machinery and created art.
The all-day, school-wide event allowed students and teachers to get more involved than ever before. Teachers were able to set up STEAM activities in their classrooms, and students participated in activities held by special guests. Guests were meteorologists, entomologists, beekeepers and Vicenza Fire Department.
Diane Ardolino's second-grade class built Art Bots -- a term that comes directly from their creation. Each robot had four markers on the bottom of their cup-shaped bodies. Students removed marker caps, turned the robot on, and the Art Bot moves around the page leaving a color trail behind.
"We made them all the same, and then I sent them home [so students could] modify them, and they came back like this," said Ardolino, pointing to their differences. Ardolino said the differences reflected the students' personalities.
During the STEAM day, teachers and students were also able to compete in a school-wide parachute drop. The objective was for students to create a parachute with a variety of materials. The only requirement was that all parachutes must support a plastic water bottle with a half cup of water. Classes worked on parachutes for about three weeks and followed the engineering design process to help aid them in a successful drop.
The idea stemming behind creating a parachute was that VES is a DoDEA school connected to the 173rd Airborne Brigade. When asked how they felt about creating parachutes to drop, many students said they liked the idea of modifying their creations to be more safe and effective, because their mothers or fathers have to use parachutes for their training.
Whether students were able create art with robots or successfully drop a parachute, VES STEAM day got everyone involved. Teachers, students and administration came together using not only their hands, but their minds.
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