STEAM Day and SCORE Projects at the HDC

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.