Hey there, STEM enthusiasts! Get ready for another round of exciting STEM activities that will spark student curiosity and ignite their critical thinking skills. In this post, we’re diving into teaching creativity with STEM, one of the essential 4 Cs of Engineering. If you’ve been following our 30 STEM activities in 30 minutes or Less series, then you’re in for a treat with this third installment. But don’t worry if you’ve missed the previous posts, you can click that link to catch up.
My goal remains the same: to provide you with easy yet challenging STEM activities that you can implement in no time with at least one free resource each post.
So let’s kickstart the creative engines and embark on a thrilling journey of imagination and problem-solving. Teaching creativity with STEM will be you favorite part of the year. Are you ready? Let’s dive in!
Teaching Creativity with STEM Activity #11:
8 Ways to Use
8 Ways to Use is a simple activity where students are shown an image and have to come up with 8 different creative ways to use it. This activity is wonderful because you can literally pick up any object in your room and have students start generating ideas.
8 is an arbitrary number. You can have them do fewer or more. I just find that 8 is enough that it starts to get challenging for just about anyone. I’m not strict about them getting to 8, just that they do their best to get to at least 8 and they should go beyond if there’s time.
You’ll definitely want to encourage them to “vary the verb” in order to stretch their minds for unexpected uses, and have them share out their ideas after they’ve had a few minutes of quiet time to work.
Students really enjoy impressing each other with their creativity, so having share-out time is helpful for increased engagement, buy-in, and they’ll “level-up” their creativity as they begin to see how their peers are stretching their minds and varying those verbs.
Inevitably, you’ll have some students who do exceptionally well on this activity. Try asking students to get meta and describe their process. What goes on in their minds when they are generating ideas? What are they saying to themselves? Do they have any strategies that help them vary the verb? Truly, this is a great way of teaching critical thinking with STEM.
I’ve included some sample 8 Ways to Use photo cards in the bell-ringers freebie linked at the end of this post to make things even easier for you! 🥰
Teaching Creativity with STEM Activity #12:
Cloud Creativity
If you’re looking for ways to unleash your students’ inner creativity and imagination, just look up! In this activity, students are given images of clouds that will serve as inspiration for their drawings. It’s a simple yet powerful exercise that encourages students to view objects from a different perspective and think outside the box. You or your students can snap your own cloud pics, or you can check out this ready-made Cloud Creativity resource. Let the clouds guide your students’ creativity and watch their imaginations soar!
Teaching Creativity with STEM Activity #13:
STEM Improv
Students LOVE STEM Improv because it’s fun! Teachers love it because it’s a quick activity that focuses on developing creativity, mental flexibility, and the planning step of the Engineering Design Process (EDP).
By spinning three wheels to randomly select an object, material, and function, students will be challenged to think on their feet and come up with innovative designs.
For example, design a:
- fashion item (object)
- made of socks (material)
- that catches fish (function)
There’s also a print version if you don’t want to use the video spinners. I’ve also included a question page to encourage deep critical thinking and troubleshooting. What’s better for teaching creativity with STEM than a freebie?! Luckily, I’ve got a freebie for you to try at the end of the post!
(The STEM Improv free resource is part of the bell-ringers freebie linked at the end of this post for you!) 🥰
Teaching Creativity with STEM Activity #14:
Momgineer’s Creativity Drawing Activity
Sometimes, simplicity is the key to teaching creativity with STEM. That’s exactly what Meredith Anderson AKA: Momgineer’s resource brings to the table. In this activity, students will be presented with partially drawn shapes and tasked with completing the drawings. It’s a favorite among many because it allows students to exercise their creative muscles and explore various possibilities. I absolutely adore Meredith Anderson’s work, and she has a free sample of this activity in her TPT shop that you can check out. So let your students’ imagination take the lead as they bring these shapes to life!
Teaching Creativity with STEM Activity #15:
Free Build
Now, it’s time to set your students’ creativity free with the simplest of all activities: free build! Whether you have a dedicated makerspace or just a collection of materials and recyclables, this activity offers endless possibilities. Encourage students to explore malleable materials like foil, softer cardboard, and even simple paper!
Sometimes “free-build” can be paralyzing for students who don’t know what they want to build. For them, consider giving options for simple build assignments, but attach the phrase: never-before-seen to add some brain-stretching. Consider the difference in what you might build if tasked with creating an index card tower vs. a never-before-seen index card tower! Honestly, a free-build is the simplest way of teaching creativity with STEM.
Truly, teaching creativity with STEM has never been easier. These 5 STEM activities will boost creativity in your classroom as well as in students minds! That ends our third installment of 30 STEM activities you can do in 30 Minutes or Less (< if you missed any, head back to the beginning). The next 5 ideas will focus on curiosity and STEM character ed.
You’ll find a link to that below as well as the Ultimate 30 Minute STEM Activities Kit that’s packed with mind-bending activities that are easy for you & still challenging for students!
Don’t forget to grab the 5-week free STEM Bellringers sampler at the end of this post that includes 8 Ways to Use and STEM Improv activities to try out with your students. Enjoy!
“See” you soon!
Check Out the Ultimate 30 Minute STEM Activities Bundle:
Grab the 5-week free STEM Bellringers sampler that includes 8 Ways to Use and STEM Improv activities below:
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