Country Life Blog

How Our STEAM Spaces Support Problem-Solving

Building Tomorrow's Innovators: Inside The Country School's STEAM Education in Madison, CT

When Lower School STEAM Coordinator Claudia Esposito recently asked her Kindergartners to independently set up delicate Ozobot robots and begin working, she admits, "I gulped." What happened next perfectly captures what STEAM education in CT can accomplish: the five-year-olds handled the technology beautifully, demonstrating the independence and problem-solving skills that hands-on STEAM learning develops from the earliest grades.

What Does STEAM Mean in School?

STEAM education integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics into collaborative, hands-on learning experiences. At The Country School in Madison, Connecticut, our approach goes deeper. For 13 years, we've been perfecting STEAM programs that honor how different children actually learn through building, creating, collaborating, and exploring.
Our new Student Makerspaces and Engineering Facility, the first building addition in 30 years and a cornerstone of our 70th Anniversary, transforms this philosophy into reality for PreSchool through 8th Grade students.

What Are Examples of STEAM Programs in Our Innovation Lab?

Real-world learning experiences define our makerspace for students. Right now, Kindergartners are constructing bird feeders while investigating which animals adapt to Connecticut winters, combining biology, engineering, and environmental science. Sixth Graders are designing disaster-resistant structures for their climate science unit, applying engineering principles to help communities affected by natural disasters.
These aren't just examples of STEAM activities in school. They're opportunities for students to practice empathy through design and take responsibility for our world.
One project particularly demonstrates this integration: Sixth Graders created functional stained glass from recycled plastic, solving a real campus challenge (preventing bird strikes on windows) while studying the United Nations peace window by Marc Chagall. The project merged art, environmental science, and global citizenship in our design thinking classroom.

How Our Technology-Enhanced Learning Environment Meets Every Learning Style

The Country School's STEAM lab recognizes that not every child thrives with paper-and-pencil learning. Our purpose-built space serves multiple learning styles:
Kinesthetic learners who need to move and make come alive in hands-on STEAM learning. Everything is accessible, labeled, and ready for active construction.
Visual learners grasp concepts by seeing them in action. As math teacher Brett Merrill explains, students now understand angle properties and roof trusses "because they could see it, thanks to the open floor plans." The building itself teaches. Exposed beams reveal structural principles, and color-coded wiring demonstrates systems thinking.
Collaborative learners thrive on teamwork. Science teacher Stephanie Johnson, pioneering collaborative teaching since 2012, describes the transformation: "To be able to go to a spot that is fully equipped at a convenient time for more than one teacher and to visibly collaborate on projects with the kids enhances our STEAM offerings immensely."
Independent learners develop self-sufficiency. Furniture moves on wheels so students configure their own workspace. A garage door connects indoor and outdoor learning. This spring, 8th Graders will conduct independent research projects in this space designed to cultivate curiosity.

How STEAM Helps Middle Schoolers in CT Prepare for High School

Preparing students for the future requires more than subject mastery. It demands critical thinking skills, creativity and innovation, and the ability to see how disciplines intersect. When our students engineer structures, create functional art from recycled materials, or program robots, they're developing real-world problem-solving abilities.
These cross-curricular connections mirror how innovators actually work. Math meets engineering. Science merges with art. Biology informs design. As STEAM and art teacher Eden Keil notes, "The building itself is this learning space. When kids go there, they're in this play and imaginative, creative, engineering space, and that's what it's for."
This dedicated innovation lab in K-8 schools makes all the difference. Unlike regular classrooms where messy projects compete with other activities, this facility welcomes the cardboard, supplies, and active construction that hands-on learning requires.

The Power of Dedicated STEAM Learning Spaces

After three decades, The Country School chose this moment to expand our campus because hands-on, collaborative learning isn't a trend. It's our educational future. The Student Makerspaces and Engineering Facility represents our commitment to meeting every child exactly where they are.
From the Kindergartner mastering robotics to the 8th Grader conducting independent research, students discover that their unique way of processing information isn't a limitation but a strength. They're building confidence, discovering "undiscovered passions," as Claudia describes them, and developing the collaboration and teamwork skills essential for high school and beyond.
 

More Blog Posts

Start Your Journey
341 Opening Hill Road, Madison, CT 06443
P. 203-421-3113 |  Health Office F. 860-469-2550
Founded in 1955, The Country School is a coeducational, independent school serving students in PreSchool-Grade 8. The Country School is committed to active, hands-on learning and a vigorous curriculum that engages the whole child.

The Country School is a community where diversity is celebrated and people of Color are welcomed, valued and supported. 
 
We do not discriminate - nor do we tolerate discrimination - based upon age, gender, race, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, genetic predisposition, ancestry, social and economic status, or other categories protected by Connecticut or federal law.
 
The Country School employs without regard to gender, race, color, national or ethnic origin, and sexual orientation to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities made available to its community. The Country School is an EOE Employer.