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On Friday, February 23, 2024, the Da Vinci Science Center brought a traveling exhibition to the Historic Downtown Campus, transforming our spaces into interactive STEAM exploration centers for students in grades Kindergarten-6.
Students rotated through fun learning stations, and as you will see in our highlight video, they were wide-eyed with wonder and the joy of discovery as they participated in the following STEAM activities led by Da Vinci staff:
- KEVA - Use KEVA planks to explore building in a new way. Build the tallest towers, connecting bridges, and even ancient structures with these hand-cut building blocks!
- Wind Tubes - Float, hover, and fly! Use everyday materials to build and test objects to launch inside a 6-foot wind tube.
- Balancing Sculptures - Experiment with forces and motion to create a moving sculpture that balances on a single point. Challenge yourself to use materials in ways you never have before to create something uniquely YOU!
- "Pick it Up!" Engineering Challenge - Use the Engineering Design Process to design a solution to a community problem! Can you build a device to remove a collection of trash from a neighborhood park? *This activity is designed by Museum of Science
- Color Creations - Learn about the primary colors! Experiment by mixing them in different combinations and proportions to see what amazing colors you can create!
Another important highlight of STEAM Day was the presentation of SCORE Projects by students in grades 7 and 8. SCORE, or the Student-Centered Original Research Experience, is an independent research project that uses the Stripling Model of Inquiry to guide students while their curiosity drives the research process. Students choose the topic and faculty mentors guide them through each stage until students become experts on their topic. Students explored topics and questions in the table below.
During the SCORE Exhibition, students become the teachers as they share their knowledge with families, faculty, and students in younger grades.
Completing a SCORE project is an important milestone for Historic Downtown students as they strive for excellence and prepare to build upon their research, critical-thinking, and presentation skills at the Upper School level.
| Eighth Grade Topics | Seventh Grade Topics |
| Cultures of the middle east | Seed Germination in response to ph |
| Baking around the world - history and baking techniques | Make a car that charges while driving (PJAS) |
| How will a different nozzle affect rocket performance | history of world cup soccer balls |
| Who is Lando Norris and what is his future in F1 | stay strong, live long |
| History of Lacrosse and what its future will be | 6 star marathons |
| Evolution of fashion | color psychology of musicals |
| Social medias effect on teenagers mental health | Antartica Research book |
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What affects the probability of scoring on a penalty kick
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Evolution of sports through technology
|
| Garlic knots: history, nutrition, and how to make them | |
| What Makes the Best Cookie: ingredients, the science, recipes, and how to make them | History of video games |
| All Blacks New Zealand rugby team |
How different music affects your mood
|
| Career option: What does a computer scientist do? | |
| The Enigma Machine & Alan Turing | How to improve Dr. / patient relationships |
| comparing and contrasting different paints for art | Machine Learning |
| Supernovas: Why do stars die, and what happens when they do? | Pros and Cons of gaming |
| The Miracle Berry* | Becoming a penetration tester (pentest) |
| Motivation for Murder: the Gypsy Rose Blanchard case (psychology and law) | Different temp golf balls affect performance |
| Learning & celebrating 50 years of hip hop | hydroponics system |
| Women's Australian Open (tennis) |
Dance through the ages
|
| Kids these days..... how growing up these days is different than in the past | |
| How lifestyle affects mental health | Electric vehicles, their effect on the earth and the economy |
| The history of herbal medicine | radiation from cell phones and tablets |
| Why animal testing should be banned |
The invincibles (Arsenal FC)
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| How nutrition helps keep NBA players in shape | |
| How to make the perfect slice of pizza | effects of egg substitutes in baking |
| The mental and physical benefits of being bilingual | money generated from NFL vs Premier League |
| The Dominance of Alabama Crimson Tide Football |
history of gymnastics and dance
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| Characters in Fiction | |
| The evolution of vocal music through the years | Causes of the Byzantine Empire's failture to conquer the Mediterranean |
| Beauty standards of today and the effect on self image | Are Pet Stores Abusing their Animals? |
| How the strategy of football has evolved | History of Field hockey |
| The effects of rumors and gossip on mental health | Do fast food french fries rot and the effect of moisture |
| The different genres of fantasy and their pioneers | Effect of temperature on enzymes |
| Heat insulation protection materials | Soccer Fanatics |
| Competitive mogul skiing- How coaches strategize and prepare skiiers for competition | Can listening to music improve comprehension? |
| Exploring Archimedes Principle | Effect of Caffeine on pulse rate |
| effect of string tension on tennis racket on ball bounce | |
| Evolution and history of sports cars | |
| How do you get stronger and how it affects you mentally | |
| history of graphics cards | |
| The real taste of India |
