PHOTOS: Lower School Students Return to LS STEAM Center and Test New Scientific Tools

With different work stations set up throughout the Lower School Science Lab, students in grades 2-5 spent part of this week familiarizing themselves with the scientific tools they’ll be using this year in a fun experiential learning activity.

The lesson had students rotate through a host of scientific lab activities to introduce the careful and precise use of a variety of instruments, but also for students to reacquaint themselves with the Lower School Science Lab, which is part of the LS STEAM Center used as a Campus Flex classroom in 2020-2021 as a risk-mitigation measure.

Students moved freely about the lab to the different work stations. They used a digital scale to measure the weight of marbles, precisely measured liquid into a graduated cylinder, drew a sketch of details observed under a microscope, and tried out a new digital thermometer set up to display real-time data on one of the classroom’s video screens.

They also used pipettes and test tubes to layer two liquids on top of one another, compared the mass of two similar objects in a pan balance, and used tape measures to record the length of objects in both inches and centimeters.

“This was a fun way to introduce scientific tools and learn proper laboratory safety practices,” Lower School grades 2-5 science teacher David Beshk said. “Through this activity as well as a scavenger hunt and a laboratory safety quiz we did at the start of the school year, students have quickly learned everything the Lower School Science Lab has to offer, while also preparing for the many hands-on activities and scientific investigations we will be doing all year long.

“The foundation of Lower School science is learning through ‘doing.’ I want my students to construct their knowledge through engaging activities and discussions that promote curiosity, risk taking and safe laboratory behaviors. The start of the school year is a critical time to establish effective classroom norms and an inclusive climate that will propel students toward a yearlong journey of scientific discoveries.”