Curiosity filled the room as young scientists shared the questions that kept them thinking long after the school day ended. The Elementary STEM Fair was a snapshot of what happens when students choose to explore an idea and follow it wherever it leads.
The Elementary STEM Fair at Carrollwood Day School was a celebration of curiosity, commitment, and the kind of learning that happens when students choose to go deeper simply because they want to. This was an optional, at home project, and students in third, fourth, and fifth grade took on the challenge driven by their own questions about how the world works.
Students chose to work individually or in groups, supported by their sponsors as they moved carefully through the scientific method. Each project began with research and thoughtful planning, then moved into hands on experimentation, followed by analysis, reflection, and the creation of a display board that told the full story of their work. Every step was documented in detailed logs that captured not just results, but the thinking behind them.
On judging day, projects were viewed as complete experiences. Judges looked at how well students followed the scientific method, how clearly they communicated their data and process in both their logs and their boards, and how confidently they explained their work and answered questions. Based on that judging, the top two individual projects and the top two group projects from each grade level will move on to represent Carrollwood Day School at the Hillsborough County STEM Fair.
The range of topics reflected just how far their curiosity reached. Students investigated everything from how farmers can more efficiently disperse seeds, to generating electricity with everyday foods, to understanding how dogs experience the world through their vision. One group took an innovative approach, designing and testing an eczema friendly hand cream with real world application in mind. Another group of students tested how different beverages affected the absorption of protein bars, combining their scientific curiosity with real world athletic performance in mind. One student explored the impact of pollution on the ocean and how those changes could alter its freezing point. Each project opened a window into a big question, approached with care, creativity, and a sense of wonder well beyond their years.
We are incredibly proud of the time, effort, and thought these students put into their work. Their projects did more than meet the expectations of a fair. They showed what happens when young learners are given the space to innovate, explore, investigate, and discover something new about the world around them.
Click HERE for more photos of the Elementary STEM Fair event.
