If you read Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech this is the resource for you! Saving Winslow STEM Challenge and Flipbook is a packet of literacy activities that your students will love and be engaged in while reading the novel. Lapbooks are great for keeping your students accountable and focused during book clubs and discussion groups. Included in the packet: Teacher Page with Standards Lapbook pages and Flipbook pages Open ended prompts Venn Diagram Opinion Writing Prompt Survey STEM Challenge Vocabulary word pages Other products you may like: Soar Lapbook and STEM Challenge Connecting Great Books with STEM Challenges Wonder Novel and STEM Challenges Also, follow me and be notified when new products are uploaded. New products are always 50% off for the first 24 hours they are posted. It pays to follow me! Follow me on Facebook and Instagram! Thank you so much, Lisa Taylor
Read for ways to foster student-led learning, build classroom community, and create excitement around reading with books clubs.
STEM Challenges first theme for this year's Storybook Science series. Check out this awesome collection of STEM challenges inspired by children's books.
Each book mark is hand made. Choose from the variation for your very own personalized book mark. Beaded Bookmark with Charm, Choose Book Club Favor, Teacher Gift, Holiday Gift Mothers Day Gift SIZE: the book marks stems are about 84mm long, 4mm wide, 2mm thick, hole: 2mm. The bead decorations and charms vary in size depending on the design. Silver Metal Bookmark Hairpin Hook Carved Antique Vintage with Pendant Plain Embossed 【Size】: Length: 81mm-86mm / 3.18-3.38in, wide: 15-25mm / 0.6-0.98in, thickness: 1mm-2.5mm / 0.03-0.09in. 【Material】: Alloy(Cadmium Free), color：sliver.
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.
Ready to build your STEM library with the best picture books? Start Here! Check out my Top 10 all time favorite read alouds for elementary STEM
Project-Based Learning for a Unique Hatchet Novel Study Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen, is a classic survival story that resonates with tweens and teens alike. It lends itself well as a middle school read aloud or book club choice, and offers ample project-based learning activities so that your students can experience Brian's adventures right alongside him. I have read and reread this book multiple times, each time exploring ways to make this book really come alive for kids. While there are many possibilities for STEM challenges, I have narrowed it down to three building challenges that can be done either full scale or small scale. If you can get out in nature to do this it will make even more of an impact and give the kids a real feel for what it might be like to solve problems with items found in nature. Watch the video or read on! Disclaimer: I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you downloads of value and information about educational resources. The link below is an Amazon affiliate link. You can read my full disclosure here. I also wanted to make sure to add in some math and science activities that could have helped Brian in his isolation. **Spoiler Alert** If you have not yet read this book, you may want to stop here. I will be referring to several happenings in the book, so be forewarned. How Far Off Course Could Brian Have Gotten? When we aren't yet too far into the book, and Brian has successfully survived the first leg of his adventure (crash landing), he at first thinks a search and rescue team will find him before long. At one point, though, he realizes that he could be quite far off course of his original flight path. How far off course? This is the first exercise in the Hatchet STEM resource I created to accompany this book. The page shown above is one of three options so that kids can work at the level that is appropriate for them. Brian quickly realizes he needs a shelter, so the first STEM challenge is to create a lean-to shelter. Design a Shelter for Brian STEM Challenge for Hatchet This one is amazing to do outside if possible! It can be quite challenging to create one that will hold up to weather and animals. In addition to shelter, the other main important survival issue is food. Can you design and create a bow? Design a Bow for Brian Hatchet STEM Activity The bow ties in nicely to two science experiments, springs and refraction (when Brian tries to catch the fish but they are at a different location than they appear). Science Activities for the book Hatchet For these, I created a simple Hooke's Law experiment that you can do with springs or rubber bands to measure the deflection of a spring and calculate the spring constant, and then a refraction experiment to explore how light bends through water. Measure the Deflection of a Spring for Hooke's Law For the Hooke's Law experiment, measure the deflection of a spring depending on the weight applied. You can do this as I've shown above, hanging a spring off a craft stick supported be two cardboard tubes. Explore Refraction of Light Science Activity For the refraction, use a laser pointer to shine a light on graph paper or a coordinate plane, record the results, then place a glass of water in the line of the laser light and see where the light lands. The final STEM challenge ties in to the end of the book when the plane's tail becomes visible and Brian seeks out the survival pack in the plane. Design a Raft STEM Activity for Brian in the Read Aloud Hatchet Design and create a raft: In addition to the challenges, there are engineering vocabulary cards and background information to go with the challenges. Another great challenge to do after this one is to create an FM receiver/radio. It could be fun to create a transmitter too, but likely not a good idea based on local laws in your area. You can find a few simple FM radio kits, such as this Snap Circuits one (which I favor, because you can build and rebuild it over and over): or this one from WeMake if you are doing this as a homeschool project or group science fair project: I hope you can use some of these activity ideas while studying Hatchet. If you would like the supporting resources that I have created, please click on the image below to head to my Teachers pay Teachers shop, where you can purchase them: Not interested in the paid version? No problem! Pin this post so you can come back later to remember all the challenges I've shared above:
Bring STEM to your classroom with this hand picked list of STEM Kindergarten Books! They are great for science in the classroom and nonfiction unit study.
Here are some of my favorites STEM books for kids that you can add to your collection today! Before starting a STEM or building challenge, I always read a book with my class. I love connecting literacy, sitting together on the carpet, and engaging my students in discussions. There are so many amazing books that ... Read more
Teach Force and Motion to Kindergarteners with this simple STEM Challenge designed to connect to the Read Aloud Book, Ricky The Rock that Couldn't Roll.
Pre-K books to read. Best STEM books for kids. A list of books to support the development of STEM skills at home or in the classroom.
Help your kids learn the basic anatomy of the human heart with this easy to use, colorful, and fun printable activity. A perfect addition to your homeschool curriculum, use as a homework helper, or as a busy binder activity for Kindergarten ages kids and older. Choose from: Build & Study Includes the colorful activity to cut out and assemble, plus a Human Heart Anatomy vocabulary and definition page. Place the arteries, veins, ventricles, etc. in pace and use the description on the back (or print on a separate page) to discuss each part's function. 3 page PDF file. Coloring Pages Includes black and white coloring pages in the same style as the Build and Study page. Includes a labeled and blank version. 2 page PDF file. ::: I N S T A N T ♥ D O W N L O A D ::: **This is a DIGITAL DOWNLOAD. No physical items will be mailed to you.** After purchase you will receive an email receipt with a link to download your purchase. You will receive a PDF file for printing on regular 8.5”x11” paper. I recommend printing on heavy cardstock and laminating for durability. ::: S H O W ♥ O F F ::: I’d love to see you and your little ones enjoying your new learning activity! Be sure to tag me @arrowsandapplesauce and use #applesaucemama. ::: T H E ♥ L E G A L ♥ S T U F F ::: This printable is intended for personal use only. Not for resale. You may not copy, alter, or share these digital files. Thank you! See my shop policies for more info. Book in photos: Human Body Theater, Maris Wicks
If you read The Friendship War by Andrew Clements this is the resource for you! The Friendship War STEM Challenge and Flipbook is a packet of literacy activities that your students will love and be engaged in while reading the novel. Lapbooks are great for keeping your students accountable and focused during book clubs and discussion groups. Included in the packet: Teacher Page with Standards Lapbook pages and Flipbook pages Open ended prompts Venn Diagram STEM Challenge Economic vocabulary word page and posters Other products you may like: Soar Lapbook and STEM Challenge Connecting Great Books with STEM Challenges Wonder Novel and STEM Challenges Also, follow me and be notified when new products are uploaded. New products are always 50% off for the first 24 hours they are posted. It pays to follow me! Follow me on Facebook and Instagram! Thank you so much, Lisa Taylor
STEM books can spark interest in any child. This list of great STEM books aren't just for reading, they also have fun activities.
I introduced first graders to the idea of 3-dimensional art through this abstract, non-objective sculpture project. First, we watched a vid...
Help generate powerful, meaningful discussions in your classroom by teaching your students how to respond to one another in a respectful and thought-provoking way. I introduce these at the beginning of the year and keep them posted near our whole-group area for students to reference throughout the s...
One of the biggest barriers keeping teachers from engaging in STEM challenges is the large amount of materials some activities require. This is further complicated this year by the fact that students can’t share materials so teachers need to have enough materials on hand for each individual student.
Discover some fascinating, no prep, STEM activities and challenges you can do with your students using paper! Engineering, math and science.
S.T.E.M. and Growth Mindset concepts complement and reinforce each other perfectly, so teaching them together is a perfect match! Here's how I combine them.
Here are some of my favorites STEM books for kids that you can add to your collection today! Before starting a STEM or building challenge, I always read a book with my class. I love connecting literacy, sitting together on the carpet, and engaging my students in discussions. There are so many amazing books that ... Read more
"It was like herding cats!" That was my answer to my husband the other day when he asked how my day had gone. Seriously, the days I have first and second graders are just hard - fun, but exhausting. That is until I found the SECRET to STEM and the littles! Are you ready for
Our homeschool association hosts Enrichment Classes during the fall and winter/ spring. This semester, I am teaching two preschool classes… a book club and a famous artist class. I am going t…
Here are some of my favorites STEM books for kids that you can add to your collection today! Before starting a STEM or building challenge, I always read a book with my class. I love connecting literacy, sitting together on the carpet, and engaging my students in discussions. There are so many amazing books that ... Read more
Do picture books work with STEM? One day I read a roomful of second graders this delightful book - What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? Then we talked about what we could build in STEM! This was magic with the youngest engineers. They loved having books read to them and I often
Studying about Leonardo da Vinci can combine two subjects kids usually don’t consider as similar: art and science. Add in this fun hands-on science activity.
Want a new way to enjoy Fairy Tales with your kids? Read together, then explore math and engineering with this set of Fairy Tale STEM challenges for K-5!
Find creative 2D and 3D shapes activities that will send your engagement factor soaring! 1st and 2nd grade students love these activities based on the viral video, "What Does the Fox Say?".
Books become even better when you pair them with fun activities! See what we did to go along with this month's Monthly Crafting Giraffes Can't Dance Book Club selection! Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means if you click on a link and purchase something, I'll receive a small affiliate commission at no cost to you. Thanks so much for supporting my efforts with this blog! My bloggy pal Hilary over at Raising Fairies and Knights started a fun Monthly Crafting Book Club - a challenge to create activities to go along with some of the most beloved children's books. We had some great fun last year (see links at the end) and have continued the fun this year: January - Ladybug Girl Addition Bugs This month, we're focusing on one of our favorite books, Giraffes Can't Dance: In case you haven't read it, this little rhyming book is loads of fun. It's the touching tale of Gerald the Giraffe - who loves to dance, but sadly is about as graceful as a, well, giraffe. Gerald runs away from the jeering crowds at the annual Jungle Dance where he is comforted by a cricket and then discovers that anyone - even he - can dance with the right music. Gv and I have engaged in our own little dance-a-thons from the very beginning of her life, so I decided to incorporate a little fancy-feet fun into this month's book activity. I created this free printable for you to cut and slide into one of these useful little tools. If these goofy pictures don't put a smile on your face, I don't know what will! (Don't have a cool die like that? Glue the printable squares to a cardstock version of this.) You can spotlight whichever style of music you like for each side of the die, but I wanted to stick with those shared in the book, so I created a short playlist for each one to give you a few examples. Waltz Rock 'N Roll Tango Cha-Cha Reel Gerald's Style (play this variety of tunes or choose your own favorite style) Just roll the die, play a song from the appropriate music style and then boogie on down until the tunes taper off. Top-of-your-lungs singing is not an option! The next player rolls the die and everyone moves to that melody. ...or maybe the same player keeps taking a turn. Again. And again. And again. The game continues until the jams run out (feel free to find your own) or everyone's too pooped to polka anymore. If you have older kids, you could even look up a some videos of the dance steps of that style to try out. For the moment, Gv and I are just letting the music move us. We had so much fun getting physical with this favorite book, I just know this will be something we'll do together for a long time! I love coming up with book connections like these, how about you? I'd love to hear! Either leave a comment below or email me at lisahealy (at) outlook (dot) com. Also, if you don't want to miss a single minute of great tips like this and all the fun around here, be sure to sign up for free updates and then look forward to having each post delivered right to your inbox. Check out the other amazing crafts that my fellow bloggers came up with for this month. Come back next month and see what crafts and activities we come up with for the How Do Dinosaurs series of books. Join our Facebook Group HERE to participate. Want to see all the great book activities from last year? Just check these out: January - Animal Action Dice Game for the book Barnyard Dance February - Cause & Effect Box for If You Give a Moose a Muffin March - an alphabetical scavenger hunt for Dr. Seuss's ABC. April - handwashing fun to go along with The Piggy in the Puddle May - 5 Little Monkeys Fold 'Em Up for Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed June - pinecone princess & Cozy Sweater Warrior Paper Dolls for The Princess and the Pony July - lantern craft for Curious George Goes Camping August - mini backpacks & dress-a-doll fun for Froggy Goes to School September - pumpkin fun for It's Pumpkin Day, Mouse! October - monster shape-sort bags & other crafts for Have You Seen My Monster? November - cozy paper quilt for Bear Stays Up for Christmas December - snowflake activities for Millions of Snowflakes Linked up with: Favorite Things, Over the Moon, Share the Wealth Sunday, Dishing it & Digging it, What's for Dinner?, Family Joy Blog Link-Up, Literacy Musings Monday, Practical Mondays, Homeschool Nook Link Up, Happiness is Homemade, Merry Monday, Motivation Monday, What'd You Do This Weekend, Meet Up Monday, Totally Terrific Tuesday, Together on Tuesdays, Show Me Yours Linky, Tasty Tuesdays, Little Learning Link Up, Two Uses Tuesday, Hip Homeschool Hop, Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party Tuesday Talk, Wonderful Wednesday, A Little Bird Told Me, Everything Early Childhood, Creative Muster, Party in Your PJs,What to Read,I Am Pinnable, Christian Bloggers Link Up, This Is How We Roll, Creative Ways, Hearts for Home, Creative Exchange, 100 Happy Days, Try It Like It, No Rules Weekend Blog Party, Booknificent Thursdays, Thursday Favorite Things, I'm Lovin' It, Inspiration Spotlight, Home Matters, Pretty Pintastic Party, Weekend Potluck, Awesome Life Friday, Creative Collection, The Beautifully Creative Inspired , Bloggers Pit Stop, Weekend Traffic Jam, Pin Me Party, From the Archives, Family Fun Friday, Friday Frivolity, Bloggers Spotlight, Make My Saturday Sweet, Weekend Wind-Down Party,Friday Features Linky, Funtastic Friday , Best of the Weekend, Sweet Inspiration Link Party, Small Victories Sunday, You're Invited, Love to Learn Tuesdays
Fairy Tales STEM Blog Series What are STEM Tales? STEM Tales are a way to integrate literacy and STEM/STEAM activities for kids in first through third grade. The stories engage the kids, and as they read through the story they are seamlessly lead through the Engineering Design Process. Click any of the images below to read more about the STEM challenge, read this post about how to run a STEM tale challenge, or visit my Teachers pay Teachers shop where you can purchase one STEM tale, sets of 3, or 12 altogether. Goldilocks and the Three Bears Robin Hood Rapunzel Hansel and Gretel Beauty and the Beast Jack and the Beanstalk The Ugly Duckling The 3 Billy Goats Gruff The 3 Little Pigs Snow White Little Red Riding Hood The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Are you looking for cool STEM activities for kids? Learn how to build a windmill plus find more free activities in the 4-H STEM Lab.
The Pipe Cleaner (aka "Fuzzy Sticks") Challenge is one of my favorite STEM activities to introduce students to STEM learning. This is a fun, inexpensive, and engaging challenge that can be tailored to different ages, settings, and time-frames. This challenge is also an excellent
Whether you are a seasoned pro or new to teaching with STEM, these first-week activities for STEM are sure to be a hit in your classroom.
How strong is spaghetti? Challenge kids to invent a way to find out! This STEM challenge is a lot of fun, and you won’t need much in the way of materials! Here are the materials we used: 1 package of spaghetti 2 sheets of styrofoam – purchased at Hobby Lobby Books Wooden blocks We started our […]
As educators, we're always on the lookout for engaging ways to bring science to life in our classrooms. The bird beak animal adaptations investigation is the perfect activity to engage students in the principles of adaptation. Through this activity students complete a hands-on investigation to dis
If you read Charolette's Web by E.B. White this is the resource for you! Charolette's Web STEM Challenge and Literature Resources is a packet of literacy activities that your students will love and be engaged in while reading the novel. Lapbooks are great for keeping your students accountable and focused during book clubs and discussion groups. Included in the packet: Teacher Page with Standards Lapbook pages Open ended prompts and graphic organizers 3 STEM Challenges *These activities work great in Maker Spaces, STEM labs, After School Programs, Science Nights, STEM Fridays, & STEAM Labs. Other products you may like: Soar Lapbook and STEM Challenge Connecting Great Books with STEM Challenges Wonder Novel and STEM Challenges The Dot STEM Challenge Also, follow me and be notified when new products are uploaded. New products are always 50% off for the first 24 hours they are posted. It pays to follow me! Follow me on Facebook and Instagram! Thank you so much, Lisa Taylor
This Charlotte's Web spider web art resist painting is a great STEM project to pair with your favorite children's book during reading time! Word Web.
International Dot Day is celebrated on September 15th. It is a day meant to encourage students to be creative, curious, and brave. The inspiration for the day comes from the book, The Dot , by Peter H. Reynolds. The story of The Dot centers around the main character, V
We love connecting projects to books, and we're always inspired by the amazing group of bloggers who participate in the Virtual Book Club for Kids (you can also check the club out on Facebook) as the group comes up with some great extension activities each month. This month's author was Leo Lionni. We chose to read and do a project using a book we've really been enjoying lately, A Color of His Own. This is the sweet tale of a little chameleon who is looking for one color to stay all the time, but keeps running into that challenge that chameleons change color. In the end, he winds up finding a friend to always be with so they can at least always be the same color together. I've used this book in the past as a primary teacher. It's a great way to talk about friendship and also about what makes us each unique. My boys have been loving the simple tale and the colorful illustrations this spring. For our activity extension we decided to use cray-pas and watercolors. I love how colorful this art technique can be. I sketched several chameleon outlines onto white drawing paper using permanent marker. (I'm including a printable copy here in case you just want to print one out, or use the printable to trace onto thicker paper.) Afterwards the boys and I each colored in a chameleon using the cray-pas. Big Brother and I thought about ways to create different patterns. Little Brother focused on just coloring his in, using mostly one color. After we were done coloring, we watercolored on top of the cray-pas. The watercolor doesn't stick to the cray-pas, and fills all the white spaces around it. We all had different strategies for painting. When they were done I cut the three chameleons out and we hung them in our play room. I love how they are a set but each one unique. That's part of what can also make this project a great classroom activity, especially for the start of a school year. Or turn it into a fun family project, with each family member creating a chameleon to represent themselves. What Leo Lionni books does your family enjoy? Have you read this one yet? This post may also have been shared at some of these terrific link parties.
Persistence activities to help kids and families learn about the power of perserverance. Includes a free printable activity guide!
Teach Force and Motion to Kindergarteners with this simple STEM Challenge designed to connect to the Read Aloud Book, Ricky The Rock that Couldn't Roll.
Looking for a fun kids ghost activity? Create vanishing ghosts with this simple Halloween activity that will amaze the kids. It's a super easy Halloween STEM activity they'll beg to do again and again.
STEM for First Grade! The post includes five ideas with books as the inspiration for STEM projects. Includes details and materials lists! #teachersareterrific #readingandstem
