STEAM Workshops

Girls Rock STEAM Rockland 2026

Squid Dissection:  Participants will learn about the anatomy of a squid and how it helps them survive the environment in the ocean through a hands-on dissection activity. 

Forensics:  Welcome to a thrilling journey into the world of forensic science! In this engaging session, students will become detectives tasked with solving the mysterious case of the kidnapped cookies. Using essential science skills, participants will analyze and identify various substances, including powders and solutions, employing chromatography analysis to unravel the details of the crime.  Guided by the principles of real-life spies and detectives, students will learn how to examine clues left at the crime scene. The session introduces forensic science, demonstrating how scientific methods and processes can be applied to solving crimes. Together, we'll crack the case and discover who stole the cookies, fostering an appreciation for the exciting world of forensic investigation. Get ready to channel your inner detective and unravel the sweetest mystery of all!

Owl Pellet Dissection:  Student scientists will dissect real Barn Owl pellets in order to learn about energy transfer within ecosystems. They will analyze bone fragments to try to recreate skeletons from the owl's pellet. 

Water Pollution Solutions: Join us for a fun and hands-on science experiment! We will learn about pollution in the Hudson River and design and test water filters using household materials. By creating different water filters, we’ll discover ways to keep our waterways clean and explore scientific solutions to pollution. Join us and see how clean you can make your water! 

Hurricane STEAM Challenge: Design, Observe, Create (Workshop Session 1 only):  Build and test a mini storm, record how many variables are affected, then show your science through art.  Students will explore how hurricanes form and behave through short demonstrations, hands-on modeling, a simple experiment, and a creative art reflection. Activities combine science, technology (observation & data), art (storm art), and math (measuring / comparing). 

Hurricanes: The Greatest Storms on Earth (Workshop Sessions 2 & 3 only):

What is extreme weather and what role does water play? Explore the science and impacts of hurricanes. Create a mini hurricane! 

The Science of Suminagashi (Japanese Paper Marbling) and More!: Participants will learn about the science behind paper marbling (chemical bond polarity), and all will have a chance to try paper marbling and take home their own creations.  In addition, other experiments about "like dissolves like" will be studied through hands-on explorations of gum/chocolate and psyllium husk powder. 

The Science of Ice Cream: In this hands-on activity, you’ll discover how ice helps make ice cream. Ice is frozen water, and when it melts, it absorbs heat from its surroundings. By adding salt to the ice, we can make it even colder than normal—cold enough to freeze a liquid!

As you shake and mix your ingredients, heat leaves the ice cream mixture and it slowly turns from a liquid into delicious, creamy ice cream. Along the way, you’ll learn how temperature, freezing points, and energy all work together. 

Coding the TI-Rover to Draw a Heart: Join us for an exciting hands-on STEAM session where students will learn to program the TI-Innovator™ Rover using the TI-84 Plus CE graphing calculator! The TI-Rover, designed by Texas Instruments, is a robotic vehicle that brings coding to life by allowing students to write and execute programs that control its movement. In this session, students will:

✅ Learn the basics of TI-Basic coding on the TI-84 Plus CE

✅ Explore how mathematical concepts like coordinates, angles, and loops apply to real-world robotics

✅ Write a program to move the TI-Rover in a precise path to draw a heart shape

✅ Develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills through hands-on programming

This engaging activity combines math, technology, and creativity, making coding accessible and fun for all learners. No prior experience is required—just bring your curiosity and be ready to code, test, and refine your program to see the TI-Rover bring your heart to life! 

Chalkboard Slime & the Science of Forgiveness: Get ready for a hands-on STEAM experiment where we’ll mix up chalkboard slime—a stretchy, squishy, and writable surface! After creating our slime, we’ll use chalkboard markers to decorate, doodle, and even write messages on it. Just like we can erase the writing on our slime, forgiveness allows us to “wipe away” anger, hurt, and resentment, making room for healing and kindness.

Through this experiment, we’ll explore the science of polymers while also reflecting on how letting go of negativity can help us mend relationships and find inner peace. Forgiveness is a powerful way to take care of ourselves and others—just like experimenting with slime, it’s a process that can sometimes be messy but always leads to something amazing!

Be Your Own Beauty: The Science of Cosmetics: A hands-on, age-appropriate session for middle school girls overviews toxic ingredients and estrogen disruptors in modern everyday cosmetics products and why that matters for growing bodies. During the hands-on portion of the workshop girls will  prepare their own  balm using non-toxic, kid-friendly ingredients.

Have a Block Blast!  SOMA blocks: SOMA blocks are a 3D puzzle invented by Danish polymath, Piet Hein, in 1933. The puzzle consists of seven distinct pieces made from 27 smaller cubes which must be assembled into a larger cube. It is widely used to develop spatial reasoning skills, and there are 240 different ways to solve it before you can move on to make other unique shapes! In this session, you will explore how to create these shapes and then manipulate them to solve the cube puzzle. There is even a giant version of the SOMA blocks that the entire group can work on together! It is Tetris and Block Blast ... in real life!

Watt's Energy Efficiency?: Students will gain an understanding of electricity as a type of energy that powers lights, appliances, and devices. Students will understand the importance of using energy wisely to avoid waste. As part of the workshop, students will learn about the components of a dark-detecting circuit and how it can be used as a tool for energy efficiency. They will then build their own dark-detecting circuit.

The Science of Suminagashi (Japanese Paper Marbling) and More!: Participants will learn about the science behind paper marbling (chemical bond polarity), and all will have a chance to try paper marbling and take home their own creations.  In addition, other experiments about "like dissolves like" will be studied through hands-on explorations of gum/chocolate and psyllium husk powder. 

The Science of Ice Cream: In this hands-on activity, you’ll discover how ice helps make ice cream. Ice is frozen water, and when it melts, it absorbs heat from its surroundings. By adding salt to the ice, we can make it even colder than normal—cold enough to freeze a liquid!

As you shake and mix your ingredients, heat leaves the ice cream mixture and it slowly turns from a liquid into delicious, creamy ice cream. Along the way, you’ll learn how temperature, freezing points, and energy all work together. 

Paper Circuits: Is it art? Is it technology? Is it science?   Participants will use paper, cardstock, stickers, tape, and LEDs to create electronic art, all while learning the basics of DC circuits. They will get to take home their creations and share their knowledge with others!