STEAM Lab News

Congratulations to our 2022, and first ever, STEAM Monitors:

Throughout this year, these boys will take action in the STEAM lab and support the STEAM teachers during at least one morning or afternoon break each week. So far, their roles have been to set up cooking lessons, develop a wall display, organise the trolley and maintain the chicken enclosure.

It has been a huge first term in the STEAM Lab with many exciting and hands-on inquiries; some notable favourites have been Year 4 and 5’s cooking experiences and of course the raise-a-chick programme.

Cooking

Cooking up a storm! As a part of both Year 4 and Year 5’s Units of Inquiry the boys have had the opportunity to try out the STEAM Lab’s new kitchen facilities. The cooking experiences have ranged from dumplings, tacos, pasta bakes, pizzas, and chocolate chip cookies. Each class conducted their own research to find links to their inquiry and determine a recipe that each of their class members can enjoy. They needed to also consider allergies, beliefs, and food preferences. We look forward to hosting more cooking experiences throughout the year for boys of all year levels.

Chickens

Cheep cheep! During Year 5’s Unit of Inquiry into “Sharing the Planet” the boys were investigating the growth and survival of living things in different environments. As a part of this inquiry a group of students conducted research into farm life experiences. They found a raise-a-chick programme (Hatching Chicks) to further explore how Trinity could raise chicks in the STEAM Lab.

“We should absolutely have chickens because it will definitely boost people’s morale. Chickens will help us improve the School’s quality of education by helping us interact with what we are learning about in our Unit of Inquiry. Even though it may be a burden to take care of newborn chickens, we have done it before in Pre-Kindergarten. This opportunity will help us be the best we can in our learning at STEAM.”

5H Chicken Team: Aarav, Jayshan, Leon and Lincoln

“Getting chickens links to our Year 5 Unit of Inquiry because it is a sustainable environment, eggs can be used to cook and fuel us and then we can use the food from the garden keeping the chickens alive. We should get them because it is hands-on and will grow motor skills and help people work on their responsibilities by having to look after them. We could let other years look after the chickens so that younger years could learn about responsibility and do the chores when we aren’t in STEAM. We can also set up a camera on a tripod and view the chickens over the weekend and see what the chicks do while we are away at home and see chicks develop in a speedrun.”

5D Chicken Team: Julian, Ben, Richard, Joshua

“We would like to get chickens so we can experiment with how they live in a changed environment, how they adapt to changing conditions of being in the classroom not outside. We will learn how to take care of chickens and care for them. We could buy a programme and set it up at the front of the STEAM Lab so that everyone that comes in can see it.”

5O Chicken Team: Alex, Damon, Jeremiah, Marvin and Kerry

The raise-a-chick programme has not only been a huge success for Year 5’s inquiry but has allowed students of all year levels to observe, ask questions and care for the chicks. A live feed was shared in the initial hatching stages via SeeSaw and as the chicks have grown, each boy has had the opportunity to hold and pet the chicks. Please ask your son more about his experience with the chicks in the STEAM lab.

The raise-a-chick programme will end on Friday 8th April (the last day of term). Although it will be sad to see our chicks leave the STEAM Lab, there is an opportunity for you to continue to raise our chicks. If you are interested in adopting the chicks, the requirement is that you have a chicken coop and must be willing to adopt at least two chicks. For more information and to express your interest in adopting our chicks, please email Jessica Newton at jnewton@trinity.nsw.edu.au.

Fiona Evans | Head of Curriculum | STEAM

Jessica Ford | Head of Academic Care | STEAM

Jessica Newton | STEAM