STREAM Projects We Love

At Lakeland private schools, we believe it’s important to not only incorporate STREAM into our academic foundation, but into our students’ lives outside of school as well. Take a look at a few of our favorite STREAM projects that you and your child can do at home!Salt RainbowsWhat You Need:

• Salt
• Red, yellow, and blue liquid watercolors
• Water
• Eye droppers
• Small plastic containers
• Recycled plastic lids
• Glue

Instructions:Mix 1 tablespoon of water with 5-6 drops of liquid watercolor. (For the blue, use only 3-4 drops.) Sprinkle a thick, even layer of salt onto your plastic lids. Take eyedroppers to drip paint into the salt. Encourage your child to focus on the process rather than the outcome — there’s no pressure here — and to experiment by blending different colors together! If you’d like to turn your print into a temporary suncatcher, let your creation sit for a few hours overnight. The next day, pour a thick layer of glue on top. (Don’t pour too much, or else it will overflow!) After it dries for a few hours, you’ll see that it starts to curl at the edge. This is your cue that it’s time to carefully lift it off the salt!Lemon VolcanoWhat You Need:

• Lemons
• Baking soda
• Popsicle stick to stir
• Food coloring or watercolor paint

Instructions:Cut the top off a lemon. Then, put a few drops of food coloring directly on the large part of the lemon. Use as many colors as you’d like! Take the mixing stick and mix the colors in the lemon. Add a small spoonful of baking soda and mix it again. Take the top of the lemon and squeeze the juice into your “volcano” to encourage a bigger reaction. Your child will love creating multi-colored volcanoes and watching them fizzle!Crystal LandscapesWhat You Need:

• 2 bottles of bluing
• Salt
• Water
• Ammonia
• Large tray or cookie sheet with sides
• Sponges
• Scissors
• Measuring cup
• Liquid watercolors
• Eye droppers

Day One:Cut your sponges into small squares and spread them around your tray or cookie sheet. Then, measure out 1 cup of each of the following: salt, water, and bluing. Sprinkle each “ingredient” over the sponges without mixing them together first.Day Two:Add 1 cup of ammonia and sprinkle an additional cup of salt on the sponges. The ammonia isn’t necessary, but it will quicken evaporation and encourage growth.Day Three:At this point, you should see that some crystals have started to grow! Sprinkle 1 cup of each onto the sponges: salt, bluing, and water. Try to pour these directly on the pan rather than on the sponges whenever you can. Then with an eyedropper, drop a tablespoon of each color of liquid watercolor onto your sponges and crystals. Make sure that your tray has high enough sides to contain the liquid.Days Four and Five:On day four, continue to observe the crystal growing process. On day five, you’ll notice that the watercolors are dissipating, therefore the crystals are becoming less vibrant. Continue to add the same amount of salt, water, and bluing if you want the crystals to grow.At Lakeland private schools, we foster an atmosphere of care and an environment of high expectations and effective discipline. To learn more about what makes us different, contact us online or at 407-246-4800.