Rockville Centre families enjoy 'Evening of Exploration' at Watson Elementary School

With the idea that children are born explorers that better develop when given opportunities to investigate the world around them, Floyd B. Watson Elementary School hosted An Evening of Exploration on Oct. 18. The event was funded by a grant provided by the Rockville Centre Education Foundation.

Hundreds of students, parents and grandparents sampled a smorgasbord of activities relating to the humanities, arts, sciences and mathematics. Each classroom housed age-appropriate challenges designed to promote critical thinking as well as to expose children to exciting fields of interest.

“Teamwork” was the word of the night, as students worked together to operate drones, program robots, excavate dinosaur eggs, build circuits and construct marble runs. Children had the opportunity to solve Perplexus, a three-dimensional labyrinth game, compete in Jenga challenges and test their knowledge of gravity through games such as Gravity’s Edge and Gravity Maze.

Building blocks, ranging from Keva structures to Magna-Tiles, were a hit with students of all ages. The gymnasium was filled with activities designed to promote collaboration. Groups of children used problem-solving and listening skills to untangle themselves from a twisted mass of bands. They also had the opportunity to become wheels of a conveyer belt as they moved as a team inside a giant track that simulated the movement of a tank’s track.

The cognitive and kinesthetic activities offered throughout the evening were designed to spark student inquisitiveness and to emphasize the 21st-century paradigm of collaboration.