From Little Builders to Tower Designers: STEAM Day at Léman

Léman International School Chengdu celebrated STEAM Day with hands-on activities that brought Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics to life. From Nursery to Secondary, students explored how everyday materials can become tools for discovery and creativity.

Our Nursery and Reception children became little engineers through cup stacking and tower building, exploring balance and finding ways to make their structures stand.

Across Primary, every year group had a different challenge. Year 1 created colourful patterns with the Skittles Rainbow Experiment, while Year 2 explored bouncing bubbles. Year 3 made homemade playdough and shaped their own creations. Year 4 combined music and making by building harmonicas, Year 5 explored moving air with vortex cannons, and Year 6 constructed robot hands to investigate movement and grip.

Secondary students continued the exploration with activities linking design, science and practical problem-solving. Years 7 and 10 built mechanical hands, while Year 8 constructed telescopes to explore lenses and magnification. Year 9 tackled bridge building and paper rockets, investigating strength and flight. Year 11 designed and tested paper airplanes, and Year 12 combined slime making with a collaborative drawing activity, creating teachers’ faces in parts.

The celebration finished with the whole-secondary Balloon Tower Challenge in the gym. Twenty mixed-year House teams worked with balloons and tape to build the tallest tower that could stand without anyone holding it. Students had to balance ambitious ideas with stable structures, sharing responsibilities and adjusting their designs as they built.

Across all activities, the day gave students opportunities to ask questions, test ideas and learn from one another. From a carefully balanced cup to a towering balloon structure, each challenge showed how much can begin with simple materials and a shared idea.

Thank you to our students, teachers and support teams for making STEAM Day a celebration of learning, creativity and House spirit!