Students were back at school learning the rules and routines of the STEAM yard.

Students discovered a few of these fascinating insects around the school yard. Their unique appearance and curious sounds sparked excitement and many questions.

The journey began back in June when our Grade 3 students planted pumpkin seeds in a stock tank. Over the weeks, the vines grew longer and longer, stretching across the grass and capturing everyone's attention. The most exciting part came when baby pumpkins began to grow right in the STEAM yard, sparking curiosity and wonder as we watched the transformation unfold before our eyes.

We found some mushrooms growing in the STEAM yard and wanted to learn more about where, why, and how they grow.

Recently, a community member discovered an injured bat in our neighbourhood, inspiring us to learn more about these fascinating creatures. 

Some of our Grade 2 and Grade 6 friends recently shared that they had seen red-tailed hawks flying over our schoolyard. Their observations sparked our curiosity, why were the hawks there, and what could we learn about them?

Recently, our students noticed an unexpected visitor, a raccoon, making itself comfortable on the second-floor ledge overlooking the STEAM yard. Often spotted resting or sleeping during the day, this furry guest quickly caught our attention and we wanted to learn more about raccoons.

There was snow in the yard and our Kindergarten students wanted to know if it was winter.  This led us to inquiring about the first day of winter… the Winter Solstice.

The longer nights of winter give us more time to look up and enjoy the night sky. With the first full moon of the year on January 3, it felt like the perfect moment to pause and take a closer look. 

With the recent influx of snow, the STEAM yard transformed into a living laboratory.  Everyone was starting to ask some great questions: Where does snow come from? Why is it so fluffy? And how does it stay so white? With all the snow day excitment, we became ice investigators and discovered the secrets hidden inside every snowflake!

We wanted to investigate the mysterious wild dogs that were recently spotted in our neighbourhood and across the frozen surface of Lake Ontario.  We learned the importance to appreciate them while practicing simple steps we can take to coexist safely in a shared community.