This month we celebrated the “Young Child”. On a daily basis we encourage our children to dream big, have confidence, try new things, and to problem solve when they make mistakes. In addition to a full month of learning lots of new things at school, we learned about 4 astronauts who were launched into space and traveled all the way around the moon for the first time ever!
As you know, we love to read a great book before doing our STEAM projects.
This month’s recommendation, Mae Among The Stars, by Roda Ahmed, is about a little girl who explores her dream of becoming an astronaut and the encouragement she received from those around her. The story is inspired by astronaut Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to travel in space.
Our April STEAM activity is all about exploring gravity… All you need is a toy yo-yo! Observe how energy and gravity can be used to spin the yo-yo up and down. When you throw the yo-yo down, gravity pulls it toward the floor, making it spin and unwind. If the string is not tied tightly to the axle, the yo-yo can “sleep” (spin) at the bottom for a few seconds before coming back up. With a small tug on the string, the yo-yo catches and climbs back up to your hand!
The yo-yo uses different kinds of energy.
Stored (Potential) Energy: When the yo-yo is resting in your hand, it has “sleeping energy” that is ready to be used.
Moving (Kinetic) Energy: When the yo-yo drops and spins, that energy turns into action.
Spinning Power: The faster the yo-yo spins, the more stable it is, making it easier to do.
Try it at home and turn energy and gravity into action (and fun)!
As always, be as creative as you want, and have lots of fun learning together!