This school year is right around the corner and even though we are not sure what it will look like just yet, we can always count on returning to the majestic halls in Harry Potter's own Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Join us for a number of programs including Howell Nature Center's presentation of Fantastical Beasts, check out super fun activities and find out the best place to check out or listen to the Harry Potter books for free. 

It is necessary to experiment and learn about the things related to the gross area of science because though it seems a bit yucky, it is necessary for us to understand how things work. An example would be studying sweat and perspiration to make sure that our bodies are fueled correctly for the activities we want to participate in. Another relates to understanding how our skin repairs itself with blisters, scabs, and scars to help facilitate healing and prevent infection. Everyone poops, so why not explore and learn more on the physics related to poop? And finally, we have some experiments to uncover the germiest place in your home. Tune into this TED Talk on Gross Science to find out more about the importance of the gross part of science. 

Want to experiment on your own? Below are some activities and materials for all ages and abilities to explore this topic in different ways. 

With this STEAM Square, we invite you to use different aspects of performance to complete the challenges below. There is science behind several aspects of performance, and we have included challenges related to acting, writing, singing, composing, and dancing for you to enjoy this summer. Curious about how a focus on the performing arts is integral to science and math? Read this article from Forbes magazine or check out our links below to see correlations you be unaware of.

Looking for more stuff to do? Check out our other STEAM Stop activities here or head back to the 62 Days of Summer home page for more ways to participate in the summer program!

Splash lab is all about using different principles of STEAM to explore one of our most abundant compounds made of two elements: hydrogen and oxygen. Though water is everywhere on Earth, it is a very unusual compound because of the nature of the chemical bonds between its atoms. Here are a few facts:

• Water is denser in its liquid state than in its solid-state, which is why ice can float on or in liquid water.
• Water has an unusually high boiling point based on its molecular weight.
• Water is often referred to as the "universal solvent" because of its amazing ability to dissolve so many substances.

We have collected the following activities for you to experiment with water this summer.   

This is the landing page for our 62 Days of Summer STEAM Stops! The acronym STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. Please scroll down to see what we have available to keep you and yours engaged this summer.