The Rubber Tree: STEAM integrated lesson (Kindergarten & 1st Grade)

Our Kindergarten and First Grade students dove deeper into the wonders of the Amazon as part of their extended rainforest project. While researching various trees and their products, the students didn't just study the rubber tree; they lived through the process during their weekly arts-integration class. 

Our young "tappers" trekked to the woods to learn the delicate art of tapping trees for "sap". Back in the classroom, the science truly came to life as students experimented with Oobleck to represent the coagulation process, watching a liquid clump into a solid right before their eyes. They practiced rolling and hanging their "rubber" to dry, mirroring the traditional methods used in the rainforest.

The learning didn't stop at the trees! The learning extended into a high-energy STEM morning using bouncy balls to engineer towers to reach the rainforest canopy, experimenting with slope and velocity on custom-built ramp, making hypotheses about which material on the forest floor would "steal" the bounce, and measuring rolling distances across the river!