STEM Starts Early at JCDS
There is a lab for that!
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education matters now more than ever. The problems these students will inherit—energy, health, infrastructure, climate, and the technologies wrapped around all of them—are technical at their core.
Our Sharks get a regular taste of STEM in two lab classes every 6-day cycle. The Tech Lab and the Science Lab are highlights of the day. This week the Kindergarten and 1st-grade students got hands-on time with some interesting projects.
In September, Computer Science and Technology Specialist Cristina Knodel introduced Kindergarten students to Botley, a small robot that follows simple directional commands: forward, backward, left, and right.
First, students took turns as robot and programmer, using a paper remote control on a game board. They practiced sequential thinking with directional words to tell the “robot” which way to move. Activities like this help children build early computational thinking—especially sequencing, or understanding that steps have to happen in a specific order.
“They had to be both robot and programmer on a game board, which prepared us for using Botley,” said Ms. Knodel.
In upcoming lab rotations, students will program the real Botley to move around the room using the directions they write themselves.
Just steps away, the Science Lab lets students discover scientific properties firsthand.
This week the 1st-graders learned about the surface tension of water and used some science tools for the first time. They practiced fine-motor control with a pipette, adding drops of water very slowly.
In space, a quantity of water forms a sphere. On Earth, surface tension still holds the water together in a dome while gravity pulls the edges down. Because a penny is flat, students drip water onto it and watch the dome grow. Add too much, or drip too fast, and the tension gives way and the water spills over the edge.
“They love counting how many drops of water they can get on the penny,” Science Specialist Deborah Landon said.
Hands-on practice matters at every age. “When you learn something new you have to have your hands on it to create that muscle memory,” Ms. Landon explained. “For a kid especially… it gives them the autonomy they get from being able to explore it on their own.”
As we prepare students for jobs that may not exist yet, the basic skills and confidence they build now are the foundation.
Jacksonville Country Day School
Located in Jacksonville, FL, Jacksonville Country Day School is a private school for Pre-K 3 through 5th grade. JCDS prepares students for a healthy and productive lifetime of intellectual exploration, character development, and social responsibility.
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