Soaring Ahead
A private STEAM school in Lake Orion, MI
STEAM
STEAM is the planned integration of science, technology, engineering, art and math. Eagle Creek children consistently tackle STEAM projects that combine these disciplines, which encourages deep thinking, and friendly collaboration. All Eagle Creek children in kindergarten through 5th grade have STEAM classes with our dedicated STEAM teacher every day. The children also do STEAM activities in their regular classrooms.
2024 STEAM SHOWCASE
Eagle Creek's students brought the story of the greedy spider and his mysterious marble to life through interactive STEAM activities. Bubbles, student-created games and projects, miniature golf, augmented reality, robots, engineering, and art come together to create one magical event!
Grade 5: Battery-operated Cars
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Each group designed a battery-operated car (including the body, the axle and the wheels) out of recycled materials. The final race was the best part!
Grade 4: Electric Quiz Board
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Each team constructed a "question and answer board," wiring the back so a buzzer sounded or a light went off when the player selected the correct answers. This project combined science, social studies topics, and a lot of group work.
Grade 3: Testing Paper
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The children folded paper into columns & experimented to see which kind of column would hold more weight (rectangular, triangular, cylindrical, etc). Being active participants in the project helped them internalize the concept of weightbearing.
Grade 2: Building a Tiny House
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Students explored people's needs vs. wants in a home. Then, they planned, designed, and built their dream tiny homes. They really enjoyed choosing and combining known materials in new ways.
Grade 1: Squishy Circuits
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The children learned about electric circuits and conducting and insulating materials as they built light-up sculptures using playdough, LED lights, and batteries. This hands-on activity led them to ask detailed questions about electricity and prompted another, more complex unit.
Kindergarten: Coding
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As a way to start learning coding, these young children created mazes. Then, they directed the mouse through the mazes using the arrows on the controller. Sometimes, they had to adjust the mazes to make the project work. Afterwards, they felt smart and happy for figuring it out.
Grade 5: 3-D Printing
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This student used 3-D software called Tincercad to design a board game based on the book A Long Walk to Water. The pieces he printed represented the characters. He was very proud of his new skills!
Grade 4: Papier Mache Sculptures
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Students chose an animal to research and sculpt with paper mache. The first step in creating their sculpture was to use the grid method to enlarge their image. This was a great way to integrate math and art and really helped the children see the value of both in real life.
Grade 3: Making a Piano
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One of the third-graders' favorite projects is using the MakeyMakey board as an interface between the computer and some play dough to make a working piano. They love showing off their engineering and piano-playing skills in the same activity.
Grade 2: Rube Goldberg Machines
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Working in small groups, the students used their knowledge of simple machines such as wheels, inclined planes and wedges, to design a Rube Goldberg chain reaction machine. This project required a lot of patience and teamwork, and the kids loved the final moment when the whole contraption worked.
Grade 1: Stop-motion Animation
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Using animation, each small group retold the story they had written by designing backgrounds and molding clay figures to represent their characters. They learned about sequencing, creating animated films, and expressing stories through digital storytelling. What a great way to combine their growing technology and writing skills.
Kindergarten: Shadow Puppets
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The kindergarteners made hand puppets and used flashlights to explore how shadows are created from objects that block light. They discovered that shadows can be shrunk, enlarged and manipulated in various ways. This new knowledge motivated them to ask how clouds form their shapes, which was a fun and educational next step.
From Mrs. Weigand,
ECA's Full-time STEAM Teacher
"The STEAM lab at ECA is always buzzing with curiosity and excitement. Together, we explore Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math through hands-on projects, digital games, simulations, outdoor activities, and team challenges. What could be more fun than that? But it's not just fun. We take everything to the next level. We’re not just building a tower. We’re building a warrior plant with the tallest, strongest stem and the largest flower head possible. Likewise, we’re creating a zipline to study the nutrition needs of an apex predator. We’re producing a fashion-show relay race to show off the adaptations of a camel. These experiences, in which we integrate science with other subject matter, help students understand the world and bring a huge level of engagement. To me, the smiles and laughter are worth all the time preparing. I can’t wait to see what the kids will ask about next."