SEL Focus: Building Positive Relationships
STEAM Lab is a hands-on building and design program where students experiment, create, and solve problems while developing teamwork and communication skills at the same time.
In partnership with STEAM on Demand, students work on projects that bring science, technology, engineering, art, and math to life. Rather than completing a different activity every week, students spend two to three sessions on larger projects, giving them time to build, test their ideas, troubleshoot, make adjustments, and complete something they can take home.
Projects are selected based on age and may include building a working camera model, creating flipbook animations and optical illusions, experimenting with balance and symmetry, constructing a self-supporting DaVinci bridge, building a model of the lungs, or designing a hydraulic bridge.
As with all Kong Academy programs, SEL is built into the class. Students practice sharing ideas, listening to others, working through challenges together, and contributing to a team.
Teamwork
Contributing ideas, sharing responsibilities, and working toward a common goal.
Communication
Explaining ideas, asking questions, and listening to others.
Problem-Solving Together
Testing different approaches and working through challenges when something doesn't go as planned.
Respect
Making space for different ideas and recognizing each team member's contribution.
Projects vary by age group and session. Younger students focus on accessible building, art, and exploration, while older students take on more complex engineering and science challenges.
Camera Model
Students build a model camera while exploring how lenses, shutters, and flashes work.
Flipbook Animation
Students learn the basics of animation and create their own hand-drawn flipbook.
Balancing Butterfly
Students experiment with symmetry, balance, and center of mass while creating a butterfly that balances on a single point.
Tie-Dye Hot-Air Balloon
Students explore primary colors and color mixing while creating their own hot-air balloon design.
DaVinci Bridge
Students build a self-supporting bridge using popsicle sticks, with no glue or nails, and discover how Leonardo da Vinci's design works.