A host of class-wise activities marked the celebration of STEAM Week which took place at GIIS, Smart Campus, Hadapsar from 11th to 14th October.

STEAM education is a part of GIIS curriculum, the objective of which is to not only inculcate scientific attitude and research mindedness but also create interest in science. STEAM empowers teachers to employ project-based learning that crosses each of the five disciplines and fosters an inclusive learning environment in which all students can engage and contribute.

Different activities were organised by teachers which culminated with a quiz competition to assess the knowledge gain of students.

The first day witnessed the activity of ‘Gravity Drawing’ wherein the concept of gravity was explained to students. The experiment tells us how to use the earth’s gravitational pull to direct the paint on the canvas. In the activity of 'Newton's Wheel', spinning the disc mixed all the different wavelengths of coloured light, creating white light. The faster the students moved the disc, the whiter light they saw. This process is called colour addition.

In another activity, the students were explained about air pressure as they made a water dispenser using plastic bottles and cardboards. They not only learned the technique to make a water dispenser but also studied air pressure (when we open the lid of a bottle then air starts to press the water and water flows via straw).

On the second day, the students took part in the activity called ‘Understanding Simple Machine’ which taught them that simple machines reduce our work. A simple machine is a device that can change the direction or the magnitude of a force or the point where it is applied. In the activity called 'Light and Shadow' the students learned that a shadow is formed when something blocks the path of light. Later in the 'Water Density' activity, students explored the density of water, oil, and syrup. They loved to watch the objects that sank and were floating in these layers.

On the third day, the students of Grade 3, built a solar oven with a pizza box. The students understood the importance of solar energy through this activity.

Meanwhile, the students of Grade 5 took part in the activity 'Making Baloon Car'.  The concept of the activity was: When you inflate the balloon, put your car down and release it, your car should start to move forward. It will keep moving until the balloon runs out of air. If you did a good job aligning your wheels and axles, it might keep rolling for a little bit even after the balloon runs out of air, until eventually coming to a stop.

Later the students learnt why the food colours show a swirling pattern in the milk after the addition of dish soap. They understood that when soap is added to the milk, it allows fat to be carried through the water. Hence, we use soap to clean the dishes. When soap is dropped into the milk, the soap and fat molecules combine, which causes the food colouring to move rapidly through the milk.

The week ended with the 'Quiz Competition' which was organised on the fourth day, in which the students participated actively. The STEAM Week proved to be a success as students enjoyed taking part in various activities and were encouraged to come up with new ideas and activities for the future.