Graphing comes to life with fun paper airplane math activity! Create, fly, collect data, & use technology for serious learning.
Are you looking for something that will have ALL of your elementary students engaged from young kids to older? Do you hate planning out stem projects that use hard-to-find equipment and are exhausting to prepare? Have you tried easy STEM activities yet in your classroom? Easy stem challenges are a great way to have students […]
Last year, I started a new Space Club program at four middle schools. Not wanting to reinvent the wheel, I searched the web for ideas and curriculum to implement. I soon became excited to find great resources like NASA and TeachEngineering , but I was
If you're on the lookout for a STEM project for elementary grades, you're going to love this one! Click through to get all the details and start today.
The following is a guest post from Dr. Jacie Maslyk . You could hear the chatter heading down towards the cafeteria. The noises of curious learners working and questioning. Chairs moving and the teacher getting everyone’s attention. Things got quiet. Then a countdown in unison. 3-2-1!
Discover some fascinating, no prep, STEM activities and challenges you can do with your students using paper! Engineering, math and science.
15 summer STEM activities for a hands-on, less-screen, FUN summer!
Every once in a while, I create a product for my classroom or my TPT store that I get just giddily excited about. Products that are unique and that I know kids and teachers will both love. I felt this way when I released my escape rooms for early childhood, and I'm feeling it again with my latest project: STEM Safari! I've been working on it for weeks, and I am thrilled that it is finally live! STEM Safari is an organized approach to implementing STEM in your classroom, and so much fun! Each STEM session, a student picks a challenge card to complete. There are 5 different types of cards: 1. Elephant Engineering (engineering challenges) 2. Cheetah Challenge (challenges with specific parameters in place) 3. Rhino Riddles ("How can you...?" challenges) 4. Warthog Wonderings (reflection questions and challenges) 5. Buffalo Building (free choice building). I wanted to prevent students from always picking the same type of card, such as the free choice building, which is, of course, valuable, but doesn't do as well with developing problem-solving skills. To do this, and to encourage my students to try new things, they each have an Animal Checklist. Every time they complete a specific type of challenge, they check it off. When they have completed all 5 of the different challenge types, they color in one country in their STEM Safari Africa map. Then they "journey" to a new country and start again with a new animal checklist! This way, the fun just keeps going, but they have a way to track how many challenges they have completed. There is also a STEM Safari Journal included, which helps build their reflection skills. Any of the Warthog Wondering cards that say "write about it" can be completed in their STEM Safari Journals. There are also a few "design" challenges in the Elephant Engineering cards that can be completed in their journals. As they continue their STEM Safari journey, the reflections they have completed in the journal will help them polish their problem-solving and engineering skills. I love doing STEM projects with my students! It is amazing to see what they can accomplish with a few basic supplies and some open-ended directives. However, storing all of these supplies can be a challenge. Included in the STEM Safari kit are tons of supply labels with photographs, to help keep everything neat. Here's a close-up example of a supply label. I even included some editable labels so that you can customize them for any supplies you have on hand! I really hope that your students enjoy STEM Safari as much as mine do! Click here to purchase in my shop, or here to purchase in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. There's just something about open-ended, hands-on learning that gets kiddos excited. I would love to hear how you use STEM in your classroom; drop me a comment below! Happy teaching!
Pack your bags and get ready to go on an incredible journey with your students! One of my favorite things about STEM education is that it is a multidisciplinary approach to project-based learning. Our STEM Explorers lessons truly embody that spirit by connecting engineering design challenges to
Here’s a fun STEM challenge, and the materials couldn’t be simpler! Challenge kids to build the longest possible paper chain with just one sheet of paper and tape. That’s it! This math activity will appeal to a wise range of ages. I’d recommend it for kids age 5 to 10. If they can safely cut […]
Does your school system have summer school or summer camp? I hope so! Summer camp is the perfect setting for STEM activities- many of which can be completed outdoors. Kids love STEM and summertime is the perfect time to continue to work on those collaboration skills. I have some super engaging challenges to share with
Every once in a while, I create a product for my classroom or my TPT store that I get just giddily excited about. Products that are unique and that I know kids and teachers will both love. I felt this way when I released my escape rooms for early childhood, and I'm feeling it again with my latest project: STEM Safari! I've been working on it for weeks, and I am thrilled that it is finally live! STEM Safari is an organized approach to implementing STEM in your classroom, and so much fun! Each STEM session, a student picks a challenge card to complete. There are 5 different types of cards: 1. Elephant Engineering (engineering challenges) 2. Cheetah Challenge (challenges with specific parameters in place) 3. Rhino Riddles ("How can you...?" challenges) 4. Warthog Wonderings (reflection questions and challenges) 5. Buffalo Building (free choice building). I wanted to prevent students from always picking the same type of card, such as the free choice building, which is, of course, valuable, but doesn't do as well with developing problem-solving skills. To do this, and to encourage my students to try new things, they each have an Animal Checklist. Every time they complete a specific type of challenge, they check it off. When they have completed all 5 of the different challenge types, they color in one country in their STEM Safari Africa map. Then they "journey" to a new country and start again with a new animal checklist! This way, the fun just keeps going, but they have a way to track how many challenges they have completed. There is also a STEM Safari Journal included, which helps build their reflection skills. Any of the Warthog Wondering cards that say "write about it" can be completed in their STEM Safari Journals. There are also a few "design" challenges in the Elephant Engineering cards that can be completed in their journals. As they continue their STEM Safari journey, the reflections they have completed in the journal will help them polish their problem-solving and engineering skills. I love doing STEM projects with my students! It is amazing to see what they can accomplish with a few basic supplies and some open-ended directives. However, storing all of these supplies can be a challenge. Included in the STEM Safari kit are tons of supply labels with photographs, to help keep everything neat. Here's a close-up example of a supply label. I even included some editable labels so that you can customize them for any supplies you have on hand! I really hope that your students enjoy STEM Safari as much as mine do! Click here to purchase in my shop, or here to purchase in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. There's just something about open-ended, hands-on learning that gets kiddos excited. I would love to hear how you use STEM in your classroom; drop me a comment below! Happy teaching!
I don't know about you, but I am definitely getting excited for spring. There is just so much to look forward to such as warmer weather, being able to go outside for recess again, and working on fun and engaging spring STEM activities with students!
Get teaching with these force and motion experiments, activities and videos to use in the elementary classroom. This collection of force and motion activities and resources should help you cover the topics like texture, gravity, incline and simple machines. If you’re looking for helpful ideas and lesson plans – then this is the place to start! Do you need a refresher … 24 Elementary Force and Motion Experiments & Activities Read More »
Ferris Wheel STEM Challenge activity for upper elementary and middle school students. Teams create a dimensional turning 2-sided-wheel that must be held aloft.
Save BIG and receive 2 full months for FREE with the All Year Growing Bundle! ★STORYBOOK STEM ALL YEAR GROWING BUNDLE Created by Brooke Brown and Katie King, Storybook STEM provides early childhood teachers with weekly all-in-one units to cover essential skills in reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, math, science, and engineering. Four units are included to accompany favorite seasonal children’s books, with supplemental STEM challenges for each and differentiated literacy and math options for Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade. * What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada * We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palacio * Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty * Press Here by Herve Tullet Each read aloud and unit can be completed in the form of mini lessons throughout the week, or within a 2.5 hour block on one day of the week, such as Maker Mondays or STEM Fridays. Storybook STEM also provides a simple and comprehensive option for substitute teachers. August Storybook STEM contains the following: Week 1: ( What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada) *Comprehension bookmark *Story Structure anchor chart, word cards, mini lesson, and student recording sheet *Dialogue anchor chart and student extension *Vocabulary (picture cards, interactive games, Tic-Tac-Toe) *Math Connection Anchor Chart – Analog and Digital Clocks *STEM Challenge: Genius Gizmo (teacher lesson plan, vocabulary cards, teacher charts, and student recording booklet) *STEM Maker Task Cards Week 2: ( We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palacio) *Comprehension bookmark *Parts of Speech anchor chart, word cards, mini lesson, and student recording sheet *Learning from a Book anchor chart and student extension *Vocabulary (picture cards, interactive games, Tic-Tac-Toe( *Math Connection Anchor Chart – Angles *STEM Challenge: Lever Launcher (teacher lesson plan, vocabulary cards, teacher chart, and student recording booklet) *STEM Maker Task Cards Week 3: ( Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty) *Comprehension bookmark *Characters’ Feelings anchor chart, word cards, mini lesson, and student recording sheet *Flashbacks anchor chart and student extension *Vocabulary (picture cards, interactive games, Tic-Tac-Toe) *Math Connection Anchor Chart – Tree Rings *STEM Challenge: Sticky Structures (teacher lesson plan, vocabulary cards, teacher chart, and student recording booklet) *STEM Maker Task Cards Week 4: ( Press Here by Herve Tullet) *Comprehension bookmark *Ending Punctuation anchor chart, word cards, mini lesson, and student recording sheet *Cause and Effect anchor chart and student activities *Vocabulary (picture cards, interactive games, and Tic-Tac-Toe) *Math Connection Anchor Chart – Patterns *STEM Challenge: Chain Reactions (teacher lesson plan, vocabulary cards, teacher chart, and student recording booklet) *STEM Maker Task Cards ⇒Feedback and Followers Click the Green ★ to follow my store and get notifications of new product launches and freebies! Did you know that you can receive credit toward future TpT purchases by reviewing this product? If you enjoy this product, please leave a review at the product page or through "My Purchases" under "My Account" at TpT. Ratings make the TpT world go round! :-) ⇒I'd LOVE to connect with you! ★Teach Outside the Box ★Facebook ★Instagram ★Pinterest ⇒Terms of Use ©Brooke Brown, LLC at Teach Outside the Box ©Katie King at Queen of the First Grade Jungle By purchasing and/or downloading this electronic file, you agree to the terms of use as stated below. For personal use/single classroom use only. No part of this document may be distributed, posted on the internet, copied, sold, or edited without direct permission from the author. Violations are subject to the penalties of the Digital Millennium Act. To purchase additional sharing licenses, please visit my store. All contents of this document are under copyright protection including all text, graphics, contents, and fonts. All graphics and fonts are also protected by copyright from their original author/artist. Thank you so much for visiting my store!
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 …
Fabtastic ancient Greek architecture STEM challenge & activities! Perfect for all ages: preschool, kindergarten, elementary, middle, high school, and adult!
10 genius Science and STEM Activities that use craft sticks to inspire learning in elementary with budget friendly Popsicle Sticks.
Students choose different ways to create the longest paper chain out of one sheet of construction paper in this easy to prep and complete STEM Challenge.
A round up of boating & pirates resources to transform your classroom & keep students engaged and learning. Includes STEM, reading, task cards, & escape rooms.
Don’t just teach about the Summer Olympics with your upper elementary students! Engage them in a hands-on learning experience with STEM! The Olympics offer a dynamic setting for interactive learning, particularly for students from third to fifth grade. These global games provide an opportuni
Get up close with the photosynthesis process by painting with chlorophyll. This STEM chlorophyll science lesson will be memorable for all.
Plan these simple and fun Paper bag STEM challenges for kids! Easy STEM activities that use what's around to encourage invention and design.
STEM Activities For Elementary School - stem challenges to do at home or in class rooms! Get ideas to inspire your kids creativity!
From elementary school to middle school to high school, we've rounded up 41 STEM projects and activities for kids of all ages!
Ladies and Gentleman... we officially have the first week down in the books!! And what an AMAZING week it was!! #BestFirstWeekEver!! My kiddos are just awesome. We learned a lot and laughed a lot! My own children also had a great week (aside from a quick bout of a stomach bug that kept one home for a day!). My oldest, Drew, started 1st grade. My middle, Quinn, started Kindergarten. And my toddler twins, Addy and Chase, began two-mornings-a-week preschool. Additionally, Mr. Musings from the Middle School (my husband Dennis), started a new school year, too! Phew!! My head is spinning! Anyway, I hope everyone is having a great weekend and recovering from this busy time of year. This post is mainly a pictorial of some of the goings on in my classroom this week. As we settle into our routine, I'll be back with more "meaty" posts (and hopefully some new videos, too!). One of my favorite activities from the week was this Growth Mindset lesson that I adapted from here. Basically, the kids had to create the image on top using just a piece of paper and scissors. It was NOT easy... but that's exactly the point! As the kids worked, I wrote down some of the comments I heard. Things like, "this is impossible," and "I give up!" After I let them struggle for a while, I brought them back together and discussed the activity with them. It was eye-opening to see their words. They all agreed that their attitude was too negative so of course they would never have been successful. Then we read the Growth Mindset posters hanging in our room and discussed what each one meant. I closed with this video from Khan Academy. It was a fun and powerful lesson. One of the BEST purchases I made from TpT for this school year is the Icebreakers that Rock bundle from Cult of Pedagogy. This product contains three PowerPoint activities that allow students to talk to each other in an easy, comfortable way. What is great about these is that you can use them as one, big activity, or you can break them up, showing just a few slides here and there, as "brain breaks" through out the day. That is how I used them. So, on the first day, I did a big "Find Someone Who" activity with them. This allowed all the kids to learn each other's names. Next, I assigned them all their lockers and we practiced opening the combination locks (super-stressful for these first time locker users)! After that, we did a few slides from Icebreakers that Rock. Then, we went over the syllabus. Next, a few more Icebreakers that Rock slides. After that, I handed out and went over all the paperwork that had to go home and be signed (oh, the paperwork!!!). Then, a few more slides right before lunch. And then a few more right after lunch. Next up, a tour of the building. Then a few more slides before trying our lockers again. Finally, another slide right before dismissal. It was the perfect break/filler/attention-getter/distraction to use throughout the day... actually, I used the slides throughout the whole week! Run to TpT and pick this product up today! Totally worth every penny. (Some of the slides can be done silently. I LOVED these slides!!) Of course, we had to number our notebooks to get ready for ELA next week. I always tell kids that this is the easiest, most difficult task that we do all year :) I really the love smell of a Mr. Sketch anchor poster in the morning! This year, I'm starting with Reading Nonfiction: Notice and Note Stances, Signposts, and Strategies. My thinking is that it will really help with getting started with Article of the Week. Here is one of several of the posters I'll be using to teach these strategies. I'm jumping on the #ObserveMe bandwagon! Read more about it here. I'll keep you updated on how this goes throughout the year! Okay... that is enough for now! The beach is calling my name... nothing beats September here at the Jersey Shore! Hope the back-to-school season is treating you well! I'd love to hear how your school year is going so far. Happy Teaching!!
Teamwork in STEM- Article featuring three STEM Challenges, posters, team-building activities, job badges, helpful tips, and more! 6 Ways to Focus on Teamwork
In the rapidly evolving landscape of education, a robust STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) curriculum has become indispensable. However, crafting an effective STEM curriculum for elementary students requires more than just a collection of activities and lessons. It needs t
If you need STEM projects ideas, this is THE place to go! This is a collection of over 200 STEM projects and activities that kids love!
THIS BUNDLE INCLUDES SET 1 AND SET 2 OF HASHTAG BLOCKS SPEED BUILDS FOR A TOTAL OF 48 CHALLENGE CARDS! ***Compatible with "Hashtag Blocks" that are found seasonally in Target Dollar Spot! Please note that these blocks are a slightly different shape than "Plus-Plus Blocks." Hashtag blocks and these cards are not compatible with Plus-Plus Blocks.*** Ready to add a competitive edge to your STEM Bins while your students practice problem solving, spatial reasoning, and logical thinking?! With Hashtag Blocks STEM Bins Speed Builds, groups of 2-4 students race to complete leveled puzzle challenges! STEM Bins Speed Builds are designed to supplement my original STEM pack. They are ideal for hands-on morning work, early finishers, enrichment, and team building. Two different difficulty levels are provided: “Build it Flat” and “Build it Up” to accommodate a range of learning levels. "Build it Flat” cards are recommended for Pre-K-2nd Grade and "Build it Up” cards are recommended for 2nd Grade-5th Grade. There are 24 cards provided per difficulty level. OPTIONS FOR USE: 1) PARTNER OR SMALL GROUP SPEED BUILDS: Groups of 2-4 students race to build each challenge card the fastest. The first student to complete the build hits a buzzer or bell and “wins” that card. Play continues for the full set of cards. 2) INDEPENDENT SPEED BUILDS: Students work through each challenge card independently. They may choose to time themselves with a stopwatch. INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING: How to Use Organization What are My Students Learning? Hashtag Blocks box covers 24 Hashtag Blocks challenge cards – Build it FLAT 24 Hashtag Blocks challenge cards – Build it UP
Reuse an old CD to make a spinning top- an easy craft for kids and a great science lesson on physics! This STEM / STEAM activity if perfect for kids of all ages and meets the NGSS for Kindergarten on pushes and pulls!
STEM soft starts are a great way to start the school day and get your students ready to learn. Don't miss these STEM soft start ideas!
Have you heard of my Bible STEM challenges? Well, read on to find out more about them and learn how you can download these resources.
Lemon juice secret writing! Make DIY invisible ink and sen secret messages. Plus learn the science behind how these messages are made!
STEM activities with pencils are easy to prep and implement for back to school and end of the year stem challenges. Check out three popular STEM and science activities using pencils. Free printables included!
Combine history with science in this fun Mount Vesuvius activity. Your kids will learn all about Pompeii and volcanos with this STEM challenge.
The best kind of kindergarten STEM challenge is one that has children working together to find a solution to a fun, engaging problem using simple supplies that don't take lots of prep time. Enter The Floor is Lava STEM activity for kindergarteners. It's so simple, you can do it with preschoolers too! Don't forget to
Most kids have a natural curiosity about the world and the way things work. That makes it easy to teach them some basic science concepts in fun hands-on ways. In the past we have done a Magnet Exploration which proved to be very engaging. Today, I am sharing another one of our Easy Experiments. Making Color Disappear seems very magical for kids, but there are some scientific concepts at work. For more fun with color check out our Outdoor Color Station. Easy Experiments You will need: See through cups Water Food Coloring Bleach Pipette Like most easy experiments, this requires adult supervision. I would
