Settlers Lifestyle Retirement Village: Christmas STEM Carnival – THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!

What a beautiful day 6 December was! Thank you for filling our Christmas STEM Carnival with curiosity, laughter, and warmth across generations.

What Made It Special

• More than 45 groups of families and friends joined us

• 51 stars were lit with love on Santa’s Igloo.

• Forest symphonies were composed using more than 20 fruits and flowers.

• $72 was raised for Starship Children's Hospital.

What Made It Amazing

PEOPLE & NATURE Activity 1: Forest Symphony (Digital Tree Growing & Music Composition)

This activity had two parts.

Part 1: Forest Detectives

Participants grew their own digital trees and protected them by identifying which creatures (such as bees and earthworms) help ecosystems thrive and which creatures (such as invasive rats and possums) can harm the environment.

Part 2: Forest Symphony

Participants composed and created music using plants as musical instruments. By touching the leaves of the plants or tapping the fruits and vegetables, they could create festive melodies or play their favourite music with their own hands. The joy of creating forest symphonies together felt almost like magic!

The question that resonated with many visitors

“A tree needs water and light… but what else helps life truly flourish?”

Our answer

Time, resilience through challenges — like the knots in a tree that make wood stronger — and connection to community.

PEOPLE & PEOPLE

Activity 2: Santa’s Igloo (Light Up Your Zodiac Star)

Participants lit up their zodiac star constellations on Santa’s Igloo using LED circuits while learning the basics of electricity.

As each star began to glow, the igloo slowly transformed into a beautiful constellation of lights created by many different hands. Children, parents, grandparents, and friends worked together to connect wires, test their circuits, and celebrate the moment when their star shone brightly.

One of the most heartwarming moments was hearing a participant say, “It feels like my star is part of something bigger.” Others excitedly shared their constellations, celebrated each other’s creations, and proudly pointed out their glowing stars to family members.

The activity became a reminder that every small contribution adds light to a larger community. Watching the igloo fill with illuminated stars was a powerful symbol of connection, kindness, and shared creativity.

PEOPLE & TECHNOLOGY

Activity 3: Santa’s Showdown (Gift Delivery Challenge) – Human vs. AI

Watching participants navigate our miniature villages, some using human memory and reasoning, others using AI-powered cameras, sparked exactly the conversations we hoped for.

What we learned together:

• Speed isn’t everything.

• Human creativity and adaptability remain irreplaceable.

• The best future is one where humans and AI work together.

PEOPLE & COMMUNITY

Fundraising Stall for Starship Children’s Hospital

Your generosity raised $72 for children at Starship Children's Hospital.

Thank you for showing that the best gifts come from our hands and our hearts.

What We Take Away

Different kinds of intelligence and experience are all valuable.

The real magic wasn’t just the technology — it was watching generations learn together and teach one another. Curiosity is ageless, and it takes many forms.

Thank You

To our participants: Thank you for bringing your stories, patience, and openness.

To our team: Your skills and dedication made it possible to transform our ideas into reality.

To Anne and Glenda from Settlers: Your support created a welcoming space where everyone could participate meaningfully. A special thank you to Anne for the delicious snacks you prepared.

Final Thoughts

We set out to explore connections: between people and nature, people and people, and people and technology. What we discovered was something simpler and more profound.

When we create spaces for curiosity, remove barriers, and invite generations to learn together, magic happens.

Like the knots in a tree that become intertwined and strong, our shared challenges and discoveries made us all a little stronger, a little wiser, and a little more connected.

Thank you for lighting up the stars in our constellation.

Until our next adventure,

The KORU STEM Team

Reflections from Our Team Members

By Benjamin Chan

This was the biggest event our club has run so far, and I am so grateful to have been part of it. Thank you again to Albany Settlers Retirement Village for the wonderful opportunity to share STEM with the community while raising funds for Starship Hospital.

In preparation for the exhibition, I worked on several tasks. I was responsible for coding music using vegetables with the Makey Makey set for our “Forest Symphony” activity. For the “Forest Detectives” activity, I was asked to research and select 10 helpful creatures that keep the forest healthy and 10 harmful ones that cause trouble.

Another task I worked on was helping to design, build, and decorate some houses for the “Santa’s Showdown” (Gift Delivery Challenge) activity. I also helped build and set up the “Santa’s Igloo” activity. In addition, I designed and 3D printed a digital spinning wheel for the prize draw. On the event day, I was responsible for running the "Santa’s Igloo" activity.

One of the highlights was creating “Vegetable Piano”. I connected vegetables such as corn, carrots, broccoli, potatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and capsicum to a Makey Makey board using alligator clips. The board was connected to a computer via USB, and I used Scratch coding to assign different musical notes to different keyboard inputs.

Each vegetable was connected to a key input on the Makey Makey (for example: space, up, down, left, and right). When someone held the ground wire and touched a vegetable, their body and the vegetable completed a small electrical circuit. The Makey Makey detected this and sent a keyboard signal to the computer, and the Scratch code played the assigned musical note.

One challenge I faced was that some vegetables did not work well at first because the connection was loose or the vegetable was too dry. I solved this by adjusting the clips and pressing the vegetables more firmly so the circuit could work properly.

A 6.5-year-old participant and her grandmother shared: “It was so cool! I never knew vegetables could make music. My favourite was the corn because it sounded funny!”

By Natalie Kwok

During the summer holidays, we returned to the Settlers to host a Christmas carnival filled with interactive activities for the residents to enjoy. The team dressed up in festive costumes and laughed along with the 50 residents who attended, having fun while also exploring aspects of STEAM. Our carnival was divided into three main categories: People & Nature (Forest Symphony), People & People (Santa’s Igloo and fundraising sale), and People & Technology (Santa’s Showdown).

Leading up to the event, a lot of careful planning and preparation was required. Since we built everything from scratch, there was an enormous amount to do. One of the biggest challenges was the limited time available, as it coincided with the exam period, so we had to work efficiently. Tasks were divided evenly among the team, with each member taking on responsibilities that suited their strengths. I, Natalie, was assigned the job of designing and creating the igloo (both interior and exterior), which was a meticulous process, painting each panel with careful attention to detail. In the end, the final result was stunning and incredibly satisfying. Throughout the preparation, we held regular team meetings to update each other on progress and fine-tune the plans for the day of the carnival.

When the carnival day finally arrived, the team entered the Settlers brimming with excitement. We had already set up our area the day before, so everything looked fantastic—especially the extravagant igloo taking centre stage! After adjusting a few final details, we opened the carnival, and a steady stream of residents began arriving. My favorite part of the day was watching the children’s faces light up as their once-thought-to-be evil vegetables sang “Jingle Bells” at the touch of their hand. I also loved witnessing how the activities brought families together, creating moments of genuine joy to kick off the Christmas season. Seeing their happiness made all the long hours of crafting worthwhile.

Overall, I had an amazing experience at the Settlers, enjoying the chance to meet new people while reconnecting with familiar faces. Huge thanks to Anne Simpson and Glenda Addams for making this incredible event possible!

By Aarna Patil

The exhibition has been a lovely experience. I have enjoyed not only teaching different generations about stem, but also getting to know their perspectives and knowledge. Everyone was so kind and friendly, and I loved talking to them and seeing their delight. I have enjoyed it so much and would gladly do it again!!

As each star began to glow, the igloo slowly transformed into a beautiful constellation of lights created by many different hands. Children, parents, grandparents, and friends worked together to connect wires, test their circuits, and celebrate the moment when their star shone brightly.