From elementary school to middle school to high school, we've rounded up 41 STEM projects and activities for kids of all ages!
YouTube is full of fascinating videos involving all sorts of things, including sewing! Whether you often check out sewing videos on YouTube or have yet to explore that world, we think you will appreciate this list of what we think are the 10 Best Sewing YouTube Channels you'll want to follow. It was difficult to narrow down the list to only 10 as there are many more amazing tailors and seamstresses who make useful videos and who truly make the best sewing channels on YouTube, but we felt that these were the accounts with the most variety. There are also videos on techniques and projects for all skill levels. No matter what you are looking for when it comes to sewing, you will find a channel in this list that is worthy of hitting that "subscribe" button. Before we get to these top sewing YouTube channels according to us editors here at AllFreeSewing, did you know that we have videos, too? Check out our original sewing videos here. Watch our useful video right below and then keep scrolling down to get to our awesome list of sewing YouTube channels we love. If you like them, be sure to subscribe to take advantage of all the free tutorials, tips, tricks, and projects they all have to offer every week! Sign Up For More Free Patterns >>>
Michaelangelo is an incredible artist that children study at school or as part of a homeschool curriculum. We spent all our art lessons in the month of March this year...
O'Keeffe's paintings make great inspiration for kids' art projects, so let's check out 10 of the best Georgia O'Keeffe projects for kids!
Help students reflect on their choices and their consequences through one of these 5 engaging activities for elementary students.
Learn how to make a kaleidoscope in this fun STEM/science activity and craft for kids. It’s such a fun way to explore light, reflections, and symmetry! Follow our Science for Kids Pinterest board! *This post was originally published 2/2/16 and has since been updated. Last week I made these super fun kaleidoscopes with my …
At the end of this chemical bonding lesson plan, students will be able to describe how elements form bonds, investigate how valence electrons relate to
When planning a project it is important to learn about the internal and external factors that can affect the project. There are some excellent strategic planning
Choice is the unspoken 5th "C" of digital learning. It fits right alongside Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Creativity, and Communication.
The kids will have a blast and learn such a powerful lesson with this "Making Good Choices Object Lesson & Family Discussion Outline." Such a cool idea!!
Healthy food consumption can help promote respiratory health too. But what foods should you eat? Click here to learn about the right foods for healthy lungs.
Put an end to the early finisher challenge with these fun and engaging (and free!) choice board activities for early finishers!
Take a plunge under the surface of the earth! With this worksheet as your guide, you may explore the geological processes of our planet.
How to turn a lazy susan into a piece of "spin-able" art!
If you have ever gone shopping for interfacing or stabilizer, you know that there are a whirlwind of options! It can be daunting to know which one(s) you need to buy if you don't know exactly what you're looking for! But shopping for these products is not quite as complex as it seems and with a little info today I'm sure we can make your experience a lot better! I actually enjoy shopping for it now that I know what I'm looking for. Image Source First let's talk about the difference between interfacing and stabilizer. For the most part, interfacing is ironed and/or sewn into the garment permanently to give it stability and structure (such as around buttonholes and collars). Stabilizers, on the other hand, are usually used temporarily to give structure underneath (such as with embroidering designs) and then after sewing they are torn out or removed by washing. There are some exceptions but that is generally the case. The best way to know whether you want interfacing or stabilizer is to buy what the pattern calls for! If it tells you to buy interfacing, then you should buy interfacing. If it tells you to buy stabilizer then you should buy stabilizer. You *can* substitute them for each other but you won't get the same results. Many of our CKC patterns call for "interfacing" without specifying which type. That is because it is often up to you! If your child likes a stiffer collar, you can use a heavier interfacing. If they like a softer collar, you can use a lighter interfacing. For me, it just depends on how much structure I want the interfacing to add. I like to stock up on the packages above because they are easy to find (Walmart, etc.) and the packages are clearly marked with their type, weight, and best uses. This brand suggests the following: Light: For Dresses and Blouses Medium: For shirts, collars, and button holes Heavy: For Jackets & Waistbands That's pretty straight-forward info! If you want to buy larger sheets though, you can by interfacing and stabilizer by-the-yard at most fabric stores. It generally costs less that way too. I do strongly recommend that you know what you're looking for before you get to the store! See if the pattern specifies exactly what you need and if it doesn't, have an idea of what you want before you go. Ask yourself these questions: Does it need to be fusible on one side, both sides, or neither? Do I want it to be light, medium, or heavy? Does it need to be white or black? Are there any other special features it needs to have? You want to at least jot down the answers for when you get to the store, but I also like to use them to look up the exact number online before I go! Here are some of the kinds I use most often, straight from Pellon's website: 72F Peltex Two-Sided Fusible Extra Firm Stabilizer: I use this for a lot of craft projects such as our free Reversible Fabric Crown, free Tablet Cover, and the brim on Christopher's Newsboy Cap. (They all say it right in the pattern.) Available for purchase here. 987F Fusible Fleece: This is fusible on one side (not both) and adds softness and a little bulk and stability to many of our free patterns on the blog, such as the Reversible Easter Basket. It can come in higher lofts too so don't be afraid to browse the website (or the store) for the thickness you want. Available for purchase here. 931TD Fusible Midweight: This is just a standard fusible medium-weight interfacing for collars etc, such as the one that I mentioned farther up that I buy in the small packages. Available for purchase here. 360 E-Z Stitch Stabilizer: I use tear-away stabilizer when adding decorative stitching or applique to knit fabrics such as the stripe on Michael's muscle tee. It helps get the stitching on nicely without puckers and then it tears right off like magic. Available for purchase here. Those are just a few options, but they are the ones I use most often. Don't be afraid to use the search box on Pellon's website -- that's what I do! (If you don't want to look it up and you're feeling adventurous you can ask for help in-store or browse the tags once you get there, but you could be there for awhile.) One last thing! The very first time I went to buy interfacing by-the-yard I was afraid that I wouldn't remember what kind I bought or how to use it. But if you look at the photo above, there is a label just like it which is folded up in the full length of the bolt, so every cut you get will provide you with a label to store with your interfacing. I like to pin my label on before rolling up so I don't take the chance of getting them mixed up! So there you go! That is really all you need to know about buying interfacing and stabilizer! Now that you're a little more familiar with the types, you can be excited (not scared) to go shopping for it and try out all kinds of new projects! Let's Create! ~ Kristen
Do you ever get tired of the same old "teach then test" routine?? I know that I definitely do! And if we're tired of the same old routine, you have to imagine that our students are too! There are so many ways for students to demonstrate their learning. I recently created Math Menus that provide students with choice when it comes to showing what they have learned. While more formal assessments still play an important role, I think our students appreciate choosing their own methods to demonstrate their understanding of new concepts and skills. Here are some of my favorite choices for students: CREATE A WORD WEB Word webs are an easy way to see what a student already knows about a given topic. They are a great choice for students at the beginning of a new unit. For instance, if you're about to start a new unit on fractions, students might choose to create a word web for the word: FRACTIONS. They can then add words, symbols, pictures, and examples to represent everything they already know, creating a web of their ideas. This is something they can also add to throughout the unit. As they learn new fraction concepts and skills, these can be added to show their learning and progress. TEACH THE CLASS What student doesn't love the chance to "play teacher" and teach the class?? Give students the option to plan a presentation for their classmates, or even create a video to show what they know about a concept or skill. If you're already using Seesaw or FlipGrid in your classroom, then you already know how much students love recording themselves to present a topic or to demonstrate their learning. Students can share their presentations or videos to the whole class, in small groups, with a partner, or even just with you! FIND THE ERROR One way for students to truly demonstrate their understanding of a math problem is if they are able to find an error that has been made. Provide students with problems with common errors and ask them to find and explain the error. Then ask them to correct this mistake. In explaining what went wrong, they are reinforcing their understanding. WRITE YOUR OWN WORD PROBLEM Writing their own word problems is another chance for students to "play teacher"! You can have them write and solve their own word problem, or to make it even more fun, have them write a problem for a friend to solve. Students tend to get very creative and their word problems are often much more engaging than any they would find in their textbooks! Giving students choices does not mean that you lose all control! We're teachers after all, and that's kinda our thing!! With Math Menus, you still have some control over what choices are provided to students. With the Math Menus in my Teacher Shop, not only do I provide a selection of pre-made menus, I also provide a few different options for personalizing math menus of your own!! If you're thinking about trying out Math Menus, I have provided some FREE samples that you can download. Just click on your grade level below, print, copy, and get started!! Math Menus and other choice activities are great for enrichment, homework, early finishers, or formative assessments for those students who just aren't great at tests. The possibilities are endless!!
Are you ready to pull your hair out because your kids WON'T. STOP. TALKING? You are not alone. I've got 10 ideas to help you.
It's really hard to stop the worry spiral once those worry thoughts creep in. Help kids breath the cycle with these thought-stopping strategies for kids!
The Health Education Council has launched the Rethink Your Drink campaign. They are encouraging healthy drink choices, like replacing sugar-sweetened beverages (think soda, sports drinks, and energ…
How to make an indoor boomerang out of paper. What a fun boredom buster science and engineering project for kids when they are stuck inside!
This blog post explores innovative and engaging lesson plans for any novel unit... ranging from task cards to book instagram pages to a novel podcast project. Student choice is key here, and students can find something they would like to complete in order to convey their reading, comprehension, and
If you target WH questions (who, what, when, where, and why), look at these awesome grab and go WH question materials using real pictures.
Student engagement is my number one goal in the classroom. None of the academic goals can be achieved without student engagement. It is essential! My biggest advice to you is to decrease teacher talk and the time students spend in their desks.I want to share some more specific ways that I keep my students engaged
A Student Made Periodic Table: To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table, the Grade 9 Science classes at Vaughan SS have created tiles of all 118 elements! These tiles were installed in the Science wing to showcase student work, encourage student engagement, and d…
This tutorial walks you through how to set up a student choice board using Google Slides. Teachers can integrate student choice into their curriculums and lesson plans with choice boards for projects, test reviews, or even class activities. Google Slides make it easy to link to websites, webpages,
So much Twitter love from my post about my walls this year. Y’all know how to make a girl feel good! I don’t have my lesson plans ready, and am not entirely sure what I’m doing on…
A (way cool) 21st Century Elementary Art Room in Flower Mound, Texas
Put an end to the early finisher challenge with these fun and engaging (and free!) choice board activities for early finishers!
Are you looking for a fun, hands-on way to encourage your students to consistently make good choices? rn
I have plans to do a few sets of printable packs based on social concepts. I've already done two on feelings and emotions, but I wanted to get into other realms as well. So, to
Learn how to create digital choice boards & learning menus on Genially plus how they can be used remotely for engaging, interactive, & meaningful distance learning activities or student-centered lessons in the classroom. This post is sponsored by Genially but the thoughts and opinions are my own. For many schools and teachers, remote learning is becoming the new normal, and we’re being asked to adapt our classroom materials to an eLearning environment. The pressure to give high-quality, engaging lessons can feel overwhelming. There’s so much to learn and so little time. At the same time, it’s harder than ever to
This tutorial walks you through how to set up a student choice board using Google Slides. Teachers can integrate student choice into their curriculums and lesson plans with choice boards for projects, test reviews, or even class activities. Google Slides make it easy to link to websites, webpages,
i wouldn't change my job title for anything. being a wife and mom is the BEST! emery's curiosity is my daily reward for staying home - we have the best adventures and she makes everything so much fun. yesterday wasn't any different... toddler activity: balloon sensory matching when i worked at the preschool, one of my all time favorite themes was the week devoted to the 5 senses. one of the center time activities was a matching game. I filled balloons with various things and created cards with pictures of each thing. the kids got to squish, poke, and prod and then lay the balloons on the card they thought was the right match. i know emery isn't there yet, but i keep seeing sensory balloons on pinterest and thought i'd make them again! i still have the cards, so for the sake of the post, i thought i'd fill them with what's in the pictures, even though it wont matter for her right now! all you need is a funnel {for some things}, the balloons, and various items that are different sizes and textures. feeling the rice balloon! she loved watching mommy use the funnel to fill it! things got a little messy... corn through our funnel was a no go. so we put them in ourselves. she wanted in that flour bag so bad! funneling the sand. we also did shampoo and marbles. honestly, i was surprised how much she loved these - i didn't think they would last that long, but she loved picking them up one by one and squishing them! in a few years, i'll add in the cards and i wont let her help me fill them so she wont know what's in what! i just found the pictures on google images, printed them off, traced a balloon image, and laminated them {which definitely isn't necessary, i just had access to one at the preschool and with 12 new kids every year, i needed them to last!} {marbles, corn, rice.} {flour, shampoo, sand.} love and guessing games, amber. PS - Creative Christian Mama and One Creative Mommy featured this post in their weekly linky parties! check out their blogs!
Want to take your kid's knowledge to the next level in your homeschool? 16 old-fashioned or vintage skills to boost your homeschool experience.
Students are more engaged and motivated when given choice. This post breaks down how you can use choice boards to offer choice and increase student mastery.
My pre-algebra classes just finished their unit on transformations. They loved the graphing and finding something that 8th graders love to d...
This hands-on science experiment uses something kids love (marbles!) to show how energy is transferred from one object to another.
Do you use Seesaw with your students? These choice boards are a great way to differentiate and add voice and choice to your classroom technology integration. Students will build independence and confidence while they build a digital portfolio of activities that show all of the wonderful things they can do in the classroom! This resource includes: 6 complete choice boards with six activities each that can be used for grades 1-3. In addition to the full boards, you will find boards with one, two, and three activities that can be used to introduce various Seesaw activities one at a time for new users. "Easier to read" boards for grade 1 Link to Google version that you can edit to revise or create your own boards! Numbers to highlight on the bottom of the full boards to show students how many items to choose for the week. Choice boards are a great addition to any classroom! Benefits include: 1. Students are empowered and actively engaged when they get to make choices about their learning 2. Differentiation happens more naturally 3. Students can complete as few or as many choices as you like 4. You can choose to assign them as homework or classwork to promote more authentic learning experiences.
