Choice is the unspoken 5th "C" of digital learning. It fits right alongside Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Creativity, and Communication.

Nine homes using different natural materials demonstrating their culture, versatility and longevity.

I know I say this all the time...but, seriously, you are just like me. You have a lot to do. Huge amounts of things to plan and carry out and then you have STEM Friday to prepare for and you forget about it and at the last minute you try to throw it together. Only

Here’s a collection of over 25 STEM challenges for kids focusing on building, engineering, and design. What I especially like about these specific STEM and STEAM activities are how open-ended they are and how they allow children to really take part with minimal adult assistance. Follow our STEM and STEAM Activities Pinterest board! Not …

The best building activities and construction activities for kids! Everyday materials are amazing building materials for STEM play.

Looking for an amazing STEM activity that's exciting for the whole class? These STEM straw bridges will spark creativity in your little engineers!

Bucket Tower. It even sounds silly. I never dreamed when we invented this challenge that it would become so popular. Except for Building Boats and Roller Coasters, this is the challenge that I get the most questions about. I promise this is what happened: I had a class prepared for a tower building challenge.

One of the very best parts about eco-friendly building: The astonishing selection of earth-friendly alternatives! Even when choosing the most basic materials such as insulation and flooring, you'll find that you have a variety of options for your project.

Here’s a simple open-ended building activity for kids of all ages – Colored craft sticks, wooden cubes, and small plastic cups! Simple materials, and yet

110 p. ; ill., plans ; 32 cm. ; book

FREE Call Backs and attention getters for the kindergarten classroom! Great classroom management tool!

Craft sticks are definitely one of my favorite building materials for kids! They are so cheap, and you can use them in a multitude of different ways. In this STEM activity, challenge kids to construct the longest possible bridge using only craft sticks and wooden cubes. No glue, no tape, no adhesives of any kind! […]

144 p. ; ill., plans ; 18 cm. ; book

Who knew playing with straws could be so fun? Straw bridges are a great whole class activity that also sharpens students' STEM skills!

This is an easy, fun experiment to find out how strong different shapes are.

By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. Building on my last blog post – The Back to Basics Conundrum in Early Learning: Reflecting on the Past to Move us Forward this post is about one of the most basi…

Con il trascorrere degli anni e con la continua evoluzione tecnica dei materiali e dei componenti, l’impianto elettrico negli edifici civili e non solo ha integrato sempre più il suo ambito originario di semplice distribuzione di energia elettrica con la moderna tecnologia Home and Building Automation (HBA) più conosciuta con il termine Domotica, parola composta dall’insieme di “domus”, che in latino significa casa, e “robotica” disciplina dell’ingegneria che si occupa di studiare i metodi che permettono ad una macchina di realizzare il lavoro umano

96 p. ; ill., plans ; 28 cm. ; trade catalog

Homemade word dominoes spelling game to teach cvc word patterns. Fun spelling game and spelling center for cvc words.

Ooooh, I just saw the coolest bulletin board on the Elementary Tech Teachers Ning!Check out this giant computer keyboard.

This is what you need to know about current, voltage, and resistance. Get a good understanding of the basics with this simple guide.

72 p. ; ill., plans ; 26 cm. ; trade catalog

23 p., ill, 22 cm, trade catalog (fifteenth reprint since 1913)

Are you looking for more ways to build vocabulary with students who use AAC devices or a VOD? Here are 6 phrases to get you using AAC more in the classroom!

STEM Earthquake Challenge - students experiment on cardboard houses & different materials to create the best structure to withstand a simulated earthquake.

So here we present a curated list of the best books for architectural detailing, a blend of perennial favorites and some lesser-known gems

Do your students struggle to understand Newton's Laws of Motion? Here’s a set of three challenges that all involve those laws! Students will be involved in total hands-on learning as they tackle the second and third laws specifically and designing bottle cars, egg cars, and Newton’s cradles! Fabulous and fun! ➡️ Click here to save 20% on this STEM bundle in a bundle of 6 projects. Some specifics about each design challenge: Bottle Car Challenge featuring Newton’s 3rd Law Students will use materials to design and build a balloon-powered car. This challenge will demonstrate the third law of motion and also demand that students work together to design wheels, axles, and the blowing mechanism of their cars. The tricky attachment of the axles and wheels will try their patience and create opportunities to improve their vehicles. Can the cars race down a straight track? Will the wheels roll properly? Will the balloon propel with enough force to cause forward movement? This challenge is suggested for grades 4-6. Egg Car featuring Newton’s 2nd Law Students will use materials to design and create a vehicle. The vehicle must transport cargo down a ramp in the fastest and safest way possible. In addition, the vehicle will have to be stable enough to transport the precious cargo without damaging it. The cargo just happens to be an egg! Can they build a safe vehicle? How will they get the vehicle to slide or roll down the ramp? Will the cargo arrive safely? What will happen if the angle of the ramp is changed? Finally, because my students really love this feature, I added a budget. Students must “purchase” materials to use and stay within a set spending amount. This challenge is suggested for grades 3-5. Newton's Cradle Challenge - featuring Newton’s 3rd Law Students will use materials to design and create a Newton’s Cradle. In this event, students will review what they know about the laws of motion- especially the third law. Students will have to build the frame for the device, a way to attach string to the marbles, and a way to attach string to the frame. This can include measuring as the length of the strings is a factor. This challenge is suggested for grades 5-6. Note: All three challenges have a scoring rubric! Also, all forms in the challenges are provided in an editable format. Check the individual listing for each package for more information and more detailed previews. This set is a combination of three STEM Challenges. If you prefer they may be purchased separately: Build a Bottle Car Build an Egg Car Build a Newton’s Cradle Or save even more money with larger bundles! STEM 6-Pack Bundle Featuring Newton’s Laws of Motion Mega Bundle 60 STEM Challenges ***************************************************************************** You might also enjoy these STEM Multi Packs: A Bundle of STEM Challenges Using Balloons A Bundle of STEM Challenges All About Egg Drops ***************************************************************************** Be the first to know about my new discounts, freebies and product launches: Click here to follow my store. It’s that easy to receive email updates about Teachers Are Terrific! Keep in Touch! Blog Instagram Pinterest Thank you so much, Teachers Really are Terrific!

A new wave of chemistry and material science is bringing innovative materials and building systems to the marketplace.

Social Emotional Workshop offers practical tools for social emotional learning and counseling.

In this post, I share five healthier home tips to make your home your safe haven from environmental triggers. If you have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS), or another chronic illness, then conventional building materials, technology, and cleaning products are problematic for people with sensitive constitutions.

STEM Elevator Challenge- Build a cranking elevator to lift a heavy load. A perfect challenge for Halloween, Easter, or any time!

Hi friends! I wanted to stop by today and share all about Character Education. I believe that our students NEED us to model kindness and respect, and they also need […]

31 p. ; ill., plans ; 29 cm. ; trade catalog

95 p. ; ill., plans ; 27 cm. ; trade catalog

Tips for Building Reading Fluency in Young Readers Graphics by Creative Clips by Krista Wallden , Whimsy Clips , and KG Fonts Sinc...

Yesterday, I shared my weekly post in the Building Mathematical Comprehension book study. As I said in that post, this chapter is so long and full of great ideas. So full, that I had to break it up into two posts. Today’s post is all about the strategies that Sammons suggests to help your students […]

Kids will LOVE these engineering challenges with craft sticks, cups, and wood cubes. Engaging, open-ended, and creative!

20 p., ill, 22 cm, trade catalog

So many things go into an AAC evaluation. And, while the format of most of those evaluations has changed over the years, the things that need to be taken into account haven’t. Over the years, some of the device manufacturers and some software (and now app) developers have created formalized (though not standardized) assessment activities. These look at the size, style/representation format, array size, location on screen, amount of contrast and color that the user responds best to. These are all important factors that we have to think about. Some students have difficulty when there are more than, say, 6 buttons or symbols on a page. Some users with cortical vision impairment (c.v.i.) respond best to specific color contrasts; such as the use of bright red, or use of a dark gray background. Some students need picture spaces/buttons to be at least, say, 2” in size, due to motor issues. There are lots of these functional details to consider. Another thing we need to look at is the user’s support system and environment. Who will be communicating with the individual? Where do they spend their time? How consistent can those communication partners be with using Aided Language Stimulation, or with learning a completely new symbol language system; such as Unity? How much support are parents going to get from other sources? Recently, I did a consultation with a 4 year old boy with cerebral palsy who had no prior experience with using pictures at all. He was unable to move any part of his body volitionally, except for his head. He wore glasses, AFO’s, and sat in his mother’s lap during the assessment being completely supported. He was unable to move his arm to reach without support/full assistance, although he was reported to be able to reach out and touch somethings sometimes. His family said that they had an iPad that he could “touch.” (His hands were fisted. After trying unsuccessfully to touch an iPad, I demonstrated 'Accessibility' features of the system and created a new gesture for him.) I started blowing bubbles at him. He smiled each time. His mom said he likes bubbles a lot. If he had been able to access a device I would have continued with the bubbles activity, using any combination of bubbles activities pages on a variety of systems. I would have tried to get from "blow" to "blow more" to "blow more bubbles," and see where I could get him to go. Right off the bat, without a way to utilize direct access to pictures through point or touch, I had to think about scanning in some form. But this was a little boy who had no prior experience with using pictures to communicate. He had no idea, yet, of the power of communication beyond the few gestures and vocalizations he had been using. So, I want to get him a good, solid start with picture-based communication and picture aided input. So I demonstrated the PODD (Pragmatic Organized Dynamic Display) communication book (designed by Gayle Porter) for them, and modeled how to provide Aided Language Stimulation. I talked about how the pragmatic branch starters work; how finding words for different message functions was an important part of learning how to navigate. And I modeled Partner Assisted Scanning. Unusually, for me, they did not show disappointment at not walking out with a shiny, bells and whistles, communication device (or at least a recommendation for one). They were happy to find a place to start, and one that would provide sufficient vocabulary for their son to communicate about lots of different things in his life. He smiled. How are you assessing AAC users?

170 p. ; ill., plans, photographs ; 28 cm. ; trade catalogs

Photo: Nicole Martin Location: Nelligen, NSW South Coast Type of Build: Two storey studio on rural block. Owner: Nicole Martin Designer: Nicole Martin Builder: Nicole Martin, Owner Builder Size : 107m2 total; 63m2 downstairs and 54m2 upstairs loft. Cost: Est $200,000 Date of construction: April 2012 – est September 2015 Purpose of Build: An artist’s studio. Choice of Material: Nicole was interested in natural building materials for environmental and health reasons. She also wanted to build the studio herself and wanted the build to be low tech and manageable for an owner builder. Nicole looked into building with straw bales but was worried about vermin and that the width of the walls took up a lot of the floor space. She also looked into building with cob but decided that the material was too heavy to work with on the sloped location. Nicole found hemp through research on natural building techniques, hemp ticked all the boxes. It met the fire regulations, is resistant to termites, lightweight, environmentally responsible, able to be self built and provided a healthy breathable building. Nearing completion Photo: Nicole Martin Climate: Zone 6 – Mild Temperate Local Council: Eurobodalla Council Obtaining Approval: No issue with Council as the build used a regular frame, met the fire code and BASIX, which were the issues that Council was concerned about. Nicole submitted the plans to Council with information about the hemp wall fire resistance and insulation value and no questions were asked about hemp. Construction: Nicole carried out the build as owner builder. She worked with a builder on site for 8 weeks to put up the frame, recycled posts and beams, and the roof and rafters. A crane was brought in to put the large recycled wharf timbers in place. Nicole carried out the remainder of the build herself, except for the plumbing and electrical, with some help from friends and family. Footings: The concrete slab is half on ground and half suspended. The suspended slab is supported on a steel reinforced concrete filled concrete block wall on a concrete strip footing on concrete piers. Floor: The ground floor is a concrete slab with ¼ strength black oxide. The upper storey floor uses recycled 140mm Tasmanian Oak timber from a warehouse in Victoria. Frame: Partly large recycled Turpentine wharf timber posts and beams from the CSR factory in Sydney, and partly standard timber frame made off site at Lawmans Frame and Truss in Moruya. The upper floor joists are mixed hardwood from recycled telegraph poles. Walls: 300mm hemp walls using AHMC (Australian Hemp Masonry Company) binder, with part of the east wall 500mm thick (due to a design change as this wall was originally going to be faced in stone). The walls are finished internally and externally with AHMC hemp lime render, applied in one coat about 10mm thick. No colour was added to the render and it has taken on the colour of the sand. Under construction Windows: Locally made double glazed timber windows and glass doors. The windows have timber sills and storm mouldings ontop attached to the exposed timber lintels. The side window revels are rendered up to the window frame. Internal window reveals are rendered. Fibre cement permanent formwork was installed around the windows and doors. Ceiling: Upstairs Gyprock; downstairs exposed bottom of upstairs recycled Turpentine floorboards. Roof: Corrugated Colorbond roofing in Windspray, over foil backed blanket sarking/insulation, with R3.5 sheep’s wool insulation between the rafters. Heating: Nectre wood heater. Cooling: The building uses only natural ventilation with the openable skylights drawing heat out of the house by convection. Wall construction: The walls construction was carried out by Nicole with help from friends and family, using a 120L electric pan mixer hired from a friend. Nicole gained experience helping a friend build their hemp walls. Formwork: Recycled OSB (oriented strand board). The frame was placed inside the hemp walls but was offset from the centre so that there would be deep window reveals on the inside. The inside walls were 150mm from the frame and the longest bugle batten screws were 150mm. To overcome this Nicole attached blocks of timber to the frame to attach the formwork to. With different sized gaps the use of spacers was awkward and Nicole abandoned them in favour of putting up the formwork using a level to space the formwork. The benefit of this was that there were no spacer holes to fill. Section Diagram: Technical issues: The offset frame and depth of the wall created issues that were resolved as above. The Gyprock ceiling was time consuming for a novice.The sheet bracing that was required because the building was located in a high wind area, was awkward to place hemp around and on the thin side caused the render to crack. Advice/Recommendations: Just do it. Do not use sheet bracing, if need be find an engineer who can come up with a bracing solution that does not use sheet bracing. Contact: Nicole Martin [email protected]

STEM Elevator Challenge- Build a cranking elevator to lift a heavy load. A perfect challenge for Halloween, Easter, or any time!