In social studies class, students began by learning about the Age of Exploration--Christopher Columbus, Magellan, the Spanish conquistadors, and all the rest. To infuse STEM into this unit, we took the opportunity to learn about the ships used by these explorers. Then we dove into a study of buoyancy and the science of why boats are able to float. Students combined all these ideas to design and build their own sailing boats, which we then tested in an outdoor wading pool.
