If you’re like me, Groundhog Day isn’t much of a holiday! It’s always just seemed silly without substance to me. Now I don’t mean to brag or overstate, but this challenge changes everything! I’ve found LOTS of ways to make Groundhog Day worth your instructional minutes, for (at least) grades 2 – 8! The materials […]
Winter STEM Challenge: Winter Waiter
Has cabin fever struck your classroom? The Winter Waiter STEM Challenge might just be the antidote! In groups, students will design waiter’s trays to hold “snowy” 3D solids that they’ll test in a winter-themed, indoor relay race! Materials You don’t need everything you see here. Feel free to substitute or eliminate what you don’t […]
Winter STEM Challenge: Frosted Forest
Mid-January already? Time just flies by, doesn’t it? I am happy to share another winter STEM challenge with you this week: Frosted Forest. This one is heavily weighted toward math, so I think of it as more of a STEM Challenge! If it’s not winter where you live, feel free to call this Triangle […]
Winter STEM Challenge: Snow Scoop
Winter Break goes by too fast, doesn’t it?! By now, you’re either already back in school or getting pretty close. I hope your break was restful, joyful, and rejuvenating! Because I don’t want the rest of your winter to feel long & dark, I’m creating a couple of new challenges to keep the enthusiasm […]
Christmas/Winter STEM Challenge: Frozen Fortress
By now, I hope you’re home enjoying a well-earned Winter Break! Maybe you’re sipping on some hot chocolate, looking for some engaging ways to get your kids thinking deeply when you return to school. Keep this challenge in your back pocket! Wait for one of those tough days when you and your students need to […]
Christmas/Winter STEM Challenge: Snowman Stretch
You are almost to Christmas/Winter Break, or maybe you’re visiting after break and looking for a way to ease those late winter blues! This challenge is perfect if you’re looking for very low-prep and very simple materials. In fact, all you really need is a few sheets of copy paper, tape, and scissors for this […]
Christmas/Winter STEM Challenges: Sleigh/Sled & Slope
You are almost to Winter Break! Excitement is in the air, but you still want to be somewhat responsible. After all, there really isn’t any instructional time you can afford to waste. And there’s the dilemma: how can you have fun and enjoy the holidays without wasting instructional time? STEM Challenges … the answer is […]
Christmas/Winter STEM Challenges: Reindeer Relay
As the holiday break inches ever closer, keeping students engaged in academic work can be an uphill battle! Seasonal STEM challenges are the perfect way to get kids excited to work collaboratively in deep critical thinking and problem solving! This week’s Christmas/Winter STEM challenge is one of my very favorites because it incorporates not only […]
Christmas/Winter STEM Challenges: Candy Cane Calamity
Congratulations, teachers! You are almost to a beautiful, well-deserved Christmas/Winter break, but getting to that finish line can be its own impossible challenge! The kids’ brains are toast, and (likely) so is yours! But because you are a responsible adult, you don’t want to throw in the towel too early and risk wasting instructional time, […]
Christmas – Winter STEM Challenge Events
‘Tis the season for more holiday fun (with substance) with Christmas STEM Challenges and Winter STEM Challenges! A brief description of each challenge is available on this post, and more information is available by clicking on each challenge title below. – Candy Cane Calamity – Reindeer Relay – Sleigh & Slope or Sled & Slope […]
