In recent weeks, our 6th Grade students have been engaging in exciting STEAM experiences, collaborating with Pre-Kindergarten and 1st Grade students on imaginative Lego projects.
Before diving into their projects, 6th Grade students participated in a "Get to Know You" activity, where they shared fun facts to foster connections with our younger Trailblazers. In Pre-Kindergarten, they paired up to build and present creative Lego structures. Each partnership received the same number of Legos as they joined forces to create animals, towers, and even a phone. Later, with 1st Grade students, they took on the challenge of creating intricate Lego marble mazes, complete with tunnels, dead ends, and obstacles. When completed, they exchanged mazes and ran their marbles through classmates' creations, proudly sharing their work and honing their public speaking skills with poise and panache.
Students often struggle with challenges at first and can perseverate over how to start or whether they are "doing it right." However, the support from their cross-age peers and thoughtful guidance helped them embrace the challenge, and they were soon fully immersed in the fun and creativity of the project. These STEAM activities, like the paper airplane challenge earlier this year, created an opportunity for our younger Lower School students to engage in the engineering process—brainstorming, building, testing, and refining their ideas.
The 6th Grade students truly shined in their leadership roles, offering positive encouragement and hands-on support throughout this multidisciplinary project, reinforcing their growth as mentors.
