“I Have a Dream” is a public speech that was delivered by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963, in which he called for civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States.

To celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , this post is challenging you to dream as well.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your STEAM mini spark recording page:#33: I Have a Dream

2.  There are three art choices for this mini spark. Make an I have a dream image, mobile, or vision board. Read about each one below. On your recording page write a short summary for each.

3. Decide which one you will do and gather your supplies.

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Cloud Template link

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6. Share your STEAM mini spark recording page and your project with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Snowflakes are created in clouds when water droplets freeze around tiny particles in the air. These particles can be things like dust, pollen, smog, or soot. This process is known as nucleation. Water droplets need something to stick to in order to freeze, so they usually freeze around these small airborne particles.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your STEAM mini spark recording page: #32: Make Snowflakes

2. For each of the facts below, write the question and a summary of the information on your recording page.

Did you know that snowflakes come in all sizes?

The average snowflake ranges from a size slightly smaller than a penny to the width of a human hair. But according to some unverified sources they can grow much larger. Witnesses of a snowstorm in Fort Keogh, Montana in 1887 claimed to see milk-pan sized crystals fall from the sky. If true that would make them the largest snowflakes ever spotted, at around 15 inches wide.

Did you know that snow falls at 1 to 6 feet per second?

At least in the case of snowflakes with broad structures, which act as parachutes. Snow that falls in the form of pellets travels to Earth at a much faster rate.

Did you know that a little water can add up to a lot of snow?

The air doesn’t need to be super moist to produce impressive amounts of snow. Unlike plain rainfall, a bank of fluffy snow contains lots of air that adds to its bulk. That’s why what would have been an inch of rain in the summer equals about 10 inches of snow in the colder months.

Did you know that the snowiest city on Earth is in Japan?

Aomori City in northern Japan receives more snowfall than any major city on the planet. Each year citizens are pummeled with 312 inches, or about 26 feet, of snow on average.

Finally, did you know that snowflakes aren’t always unique?

Snow crystals usually form unique patterns, but there’s at least one instance of identical snowflakes in the record books. In 1988, two snowflakes collected from a Wisconsin storm were confirmed to be twins at an atmospheric research center in Colorado.

3. Now that you’ve learned all kinds of facts about snow, let’s use the “A” in “STEAM” to make some snowflakes! Watch the video tutorial below and make your own!

4. Add a picture of your snowflake to your recording page.

5. Share your STEAM mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Check out the Story of Snow badge at the EY website.

Check out the science mini spark Snowflakes

Musical glasses are a fun way to combine art, math, music and science.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your STEAM mini spark recording page: #31: Make Water Glass Music

2. Gather the materials you need. Take a picture and add it to your recording page.

8 identical water glasses

water

a set of measuring cups

food coloring (optional)

1 plastic spoon

1 sheet of paper

Tape

pen/pencil

3. As you create this experiment. Take pictures of all of your steps.

Steps

1. Use a measuring cup to fill each of the glasses with the correct amount of water. Use the image below as a guide.
2. For fun, you can add a drop of food coloring to your glasses or two drops to make green, orange, or purple.

3.  Label your glasses.  Use the image below as a guide.

4. With a plastic spoon, gently tap each glass and listen for the sound it makes.

5. Notice which glass makes a lower sound and a higher sound.

6. Try playing these simple songs or create your own. Take a video of a song.

4.  The science of sound is all about vibrations. When you hit the glass with the spoon, the glass vibrates, and it’s these vibrations that ultimately make the sound. You discovered that tapping an empty glass produced a higher-pitched sound than tapping a bottle full of water did. Adding water to the bottle dampens the vibrations created by striking the glass with a spoon. The less water in the bottle, the faster the glass vibrates and the higher the pitch. The more water you add to the bottle, the slower the glass vibrates, creating a lower pitch.

5. On your recording page, write about what you learned from this mini spark.

6. Share your STEAM mini spark recording page and your video with your teacher/EY coordinator

Activity adapted from Musical Water Glasses at https://www.connectionsacademy.com/resources/instructographics/music-water-glasses and https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/pop-bottle-sounds/

In this STEAM mini spark you will watch how to code an app at Bitsbox and code your own apps. You will learn about the text and stamp commands and as how to work with coordinates.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your STEAM mini spark recording page:#29: Bitsbox 2-Code an App

2. Watch this intro video.  On your recording page, record 5 coding terms from the video.

3. Click this link to get to bitsbox or go to bitsbox.com. Click kids sign in on the top right, then click the sign in with google button to get to your tablet.

4. Click this link to get to a few free coding projects provided by Bitsbox. If you would like, you can print them out.

5. Click the new app button. and then add in the 4 digit code on the coding card.

6. Code 1 or 2 of the projects. Take a screenshot of your code and add it to your recording page.

7. Share your STEAM mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Check out the Bitsbox badges at the EY website.

Spiders are master builders, and the webs built by these tiny creatures can be used as a source of inspiration                                      for scientists.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your STEAM mini spark recording page: #27: Spider Silk

2. Read this article from Wonderopolis. Answer these questions on your recording page.

• How strong is silk?
• Where does silk come from?
• What are some modern uses for spider silk?

3. Watch this video and record 5 new pieces of information on your recording page.

4. Now that you’ve discovered that spider silk is remarkably strong and has potential applications in body armor, explore other innovative concepts for utilizing spider silk.  What additional items could be created using spider silk? Perhaps climbing ropes for mountaineering? Or even nets for fishing? Challenge your imagination and consider other possible uses for this extraordinarily strong spider silk. Set your timer for 3 minutes and do a brainstorming session. Record all of your ideas on your recording page.

5. Share your STEAM mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Dive in to this building challenge? Grab some straws and tape and get started! With just these two materials, you can create amazing structures.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your STEAM mini spark recording page: #47: STEAM Challenge: Straws

2. Look over the STEAM challenge.

3. Make a sketch of what your structure will look like and any ideas that you have. Add a picture of your sketch to your recording page.

4. Gather the materials you will need. Ask an adult to help you if necessary.

5.  Take a picture of your supplies before you start. Add the picture to your recording sheet.

6. Take a picture of you final project at add it to your recording sheet. Record the height of your project.

7. Explain your project, what you did well on this challenge and where you can improve.

8. Share your STEAM mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.